New staff member Ashlyn Obers with her partner Ezra Te Huia and their son Theodorus.
New staff member Ashlyn Obers with her partner Ezra Te Huia and their son Theodorus.
Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated has three new staff members who have started working with the organisation to achieve its Te Ara Toiora (health and wellbeing) goals.
Nicosia Webster has joined the Te Kura team as the programme co-ordinator. Nicosia will work with Te Kura lead Chris Karaitiana and Te Kura kaiāwhina Kim Cook.
The Te Kura team works with police and community service agencies and other organisations to empower whānau to be safe from family harm and violence. Nicosia has a wealth of experience in the Ministry of Justice and Department of Corrections.
Hannah Kupa–Elliott has joined the Ngāti Kahungunu Housing team as the new Whai Kāinga Whai Oranga project kaiāwhina.
Hannah will be working with experienced housing project manager Steve Gordon and project lead Jane Cunningham.
The Ngāti Kahungunu housing project is an initiative that aims to provide quality, affordable housing to members of the tribe.
The project is funded by the Government’s Māori housing network Whai Kāinga Whai Oranga, which is jointly delivered by Te Puni Kōkiri and Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga – Māori Housing Urban Development. The team will also deliver housing to support cyclone-affected families.
Ashlyn Obers is a secondee from Stats NZ/Tatauranga Aotearoa and will be working with the Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Inc Taiao [environment and natural resource] team with director Ngaio Tiuka and senior analyst Shade Smith for the next month.
Since Cyclone Gabrielle, the Taiao team has been working diligently on a geographical information system (GIS) that creates, manages, analyses and maps all types of data.
The iwi registration database of more than 39,000 members has been entered into the GIS system, which has been layered with all types of descriptive data that will assist with improved communication and efficiency when making decisions to better support whānau.
Ashlyn’s work will be to share Stats NZ data into the GIS to improve the data that already exists, to better benefit Ngāti Kahungunu.
Nicosia, Hannah and Ashlyn have written their own introductions, and we are excited to introduce them to you all.
Nicosia Webster
Nicosia (centre) with her whānau and friends at her whakatau earlier this month.
Pepeha
Ka tau taku manu ki runga i taku maunga o Putahi
Ka mātiro whakararo ki te awa o Wairoro e rere ana
I was born and raised in Hawke’s Bay. I am the eldest of four and have four beautiful tamariki with my partner. We also have one fur baby.
My desire to make a difference in people’s lives (especially Māori lives) fuelled my ambition to become a probation officer. I have experience as a criminal court registrar for the Ministry of Justice and a customer service representative for the Ministry of Social Development.
I play competitive netball for All In and indoor netball during the week. Our household is constantly busy with after-school sports, karate and our whānau waiata sessions. My partner and I are at the gym whenever we get the chance. I recently hit a milestone by making the ‘500 Lift Club’, which consists of three lifts equally weighing 500lb, a deadlift, squat and bench.
I am excited and a little nervous about what’s ahead, but I’m grateful I get to work in a space I am so passionate about.
Hannah Kupa-Elliot
TPK Papakainga Housing expert Shalom Haenga, Jane Cunningham, Hannah Kupa-Elliot and TK Pohatu pictured at Hannah’s whakatau.
My name is Hannah Kupa–Elliott and I studied at Victoria University of Wellington, completing a bachelor’s degree in architecture and a post-grad in project management. Originally from Omahu, my aspiration was to help and see whānau into housing that is warm, dry and affordable. For the past two and a half years, I’ve been working in the papakāinga space and have successfully helped enable over 40 papakāinga developments around the motu.
I’m very excited to be a part of this space and take on the role of Whai Kāinga Whai Oranga project kaiāwhina.
Ashlyn Obers
Pepeha
Nō Taupo ahau engari i tipu ake ahau i Heretaunga Kei Mahora ahau e noho ana Kei Tatauranga Aotearoa ahau e mahi ana I te taha o tōku pāpa
Ko Tongariro, ko Pohaturoa ōku maunga Ko Waikato tōku awa Ko Taupo-nui-a-Tia tōku moana Ko Te Arawa, ko Tainui ōku waka Ko Ngāti Tūwharetoa, ko Ngāti Raukawa ki Tainui ōku iwi Ko Ngāti Tutemōhuta, ko Ngāti Whaita ōku hapū Ko Waitahanui, ko Ongāroto ōku marae Ko Rex Kapua rāua ko Francisca Obers ōku mātua Ka moe ahau i a Ezra Te Huia Ko tahi taku tama - Ko Theodorus Te Huia tana ingoa
My name is Ashlyn Obers, I grew up here in Hawke’s Bay and did all of my schooling at Taikura Rudolf Steiner School. I have spent most of my time in Hawke’s Bay, and briefly lived in Australia with my partner Ezra Te Huia for a few years before moving home.
Ezra and I have a beautiful son, Theodorus, and we are expecting our second child. I have come over from Stats NZ/Tatauranga Aotearoa and will be working here at Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated for the interim to assist the Taiao team.
My aspirations for my short time here at Ngāti Kahungunu is to offer my services through data sharing and ensuring data is used to benefit the people of Ngāti Kahungunu.
My roles within Stats NZ for the past year have been working with people and engaging with Māori organisations to help lift the response rate for Māori in the 2023 Census operation.
My background is varied. However, I am a qualified beauty therapist and have a business that I run on the weekends. Our son attends Te Kōhanga Reo o te Wānanga Whare Tāpere o Tākitimu, and I am currently learning te reo Māori through Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
