Programme Team

The Programme Team is made up of practitioners who have a variety of skills and work on different strands and initiatives.

Ren Joe Kaiārahi Mahi Kōkiri Hapori | Leader for Change Ren has worked across Tāmaki and Maungakiekie in a variety of different capacities. As well as being our Leader for Change, she is a community practitioner for Rākau Tautoko in community development and engagement. Ren is an Independent Celebrant, a refugee resettlement volunteer with the Red Cross and has a Bachelor of Leadership for Change with Otago Polytechnic. She has been a Community Change Agent and part of the HEART Leadership programme since returning from travel to New Zealand in 2017. If she looks familiar, you may have seen her MC-ing our Mana Wāhine event in 2019. Ren is inspired by the many wonderful community members and leaders she gets to see and meet every day. She believes in equity and loves helping people be the best they can be. Ren prides herself on having many and varied healthy relationships and is a daughter, sister, aunty and a friend to many!

Ren Joe

Kaiārahi Mahi Kōkiri Hapori | Leader for Change

Ren has worked across Tāmaki and Maungakiekie in a variety of different capacities.

As well as being our Leader for Change, she is a community practitioner for Rākau Tautoko in community development and engagement. Ren is an Independent Celebrant, a refugee resettlement volunteer with the Red Cross and has a Bachelor of Leadership for Change with Otago Polytechnic.

She has been a Community Change Agent and part of the HEART Leadership programme since returning from travel to New Zealand in 2017. If she looks familiar, you may have seen her MC-ing our Mana Wāhine event in 2019.

Ren is inspired by the many wonderful community members and leaders she gets to see and meet every day. She believes in equity and loves helping people be the best they can be. Ren prides herself on having many and varied healthy relationships and is a daughter, sister, aunty and a friend to many!

Mara Kopu Kaiāwhina | Support Staff Pāpāho Pāpori Pouwhakahaere | Social Media Liaison Tēnā Koutou Katoa, Ko Ranginui kei runga, Ko Papatuanuku kei raro, Ko Nga tāngata kei waenganui, Tihei, Mauri Ora! Ko Mauao te maunga, Ko Mataatua te waka, Ko Tauranga-Moana te moana, Ko Ngai Te Rangi te iwi, Ko Ngāti Tāpu te hapu, Ko Waikari te marae, Ko Barbarich me Kopu ngā whānau, Ko Tamara tōku ingoa. Kia ora, Kia orana, Malo lelei, Talofa lava, Ni hao, Namaste, Bula, Fakalofa lahi atu, Greetings. My name is Tamara, I am the newest addition to The HEART Team. I am a mother to 5 children and have been living in Panmure and currently residing in Glen Innes for 10 years. I grew up in East Auckland attending Glendowie Primary, Glen Taylor Primary, Tāmaki College and Glendowie College finishing Year 12 certificate because I got offered a full time position at a local job. I have worked in a few local daycares and kindergartens where I had the opportunity to still make an income and not miss out on all the important years of my babies' lives. I am fully involved in the recently new Te Reo Rangatira unit Te Puna Wairua at Tāmaki Primary School where I have children who are students there and have been for the last 6 years. I spend most of my time in the school environment, where I also am the whānau kaiwhakahaere for the kapa haka roopu Te Mura o Tāmaki. I love helping people and supporting them in any way possible, I bring the love for helping people and giving back to my community. In what spare time I do have I love spending time with family especially my babies, being super organised, getting active outdoors and exploring our local nature reserves, watching kapa haka and cooking bringing whānau together.

Mara Kopu

Kaiāwhina | Support Staff

Pāpāho Pāpori Pouwhakahaere | Social Media Liaison

Tēnā Koutou Katoa,

Ko Ranginui kei runga,

Ko Papatuanuku kei raro,

Ko Nga tāngata kei waenganui,

Tihei, Mauri Ora!

Ko Mauao te maunga,

Ko Mataatua te waka,

Ko Tauranga-Moana te moana,

Ko Ngai Te Rangi te iwi,

Ko Ngāti Tāpu te hapu,

Ko Waikari te marae,

Ko Barbarich me Kopu ngā whānau,

Ko Tamara tōku ingoa.

Kia ora, Kia orana, Malo lelei, Talofa lava, Ni hao, Namaste, Bula, Fakalofa lahi atu, Greetings.

My name is Tamara, I am the newest addition to The HEART Team. I am a mother to 5 children and have been living in Panmure and currently residing in Glen Innes for 10 years. I grew up in East Auckland attending Glendowie Primary, Glen Taylor Primary, Tāmaki College and Glendowie College finishing Year 12 certificate because I got offered a full time position at a local job.

I have worked in a few local daycares and kindergartens where I had the opportunity to still make an income and not miss out on all the important years of my babies' lives.

I am fully involved in the recently new Te Reo Rangatira unit Te Puna Wairua at Tāmaki Primary School where I have children who are students there and have been for the last 6 years. I spend most of my time in the school environment, where I also am the whānau kaiwhakahaere for the kapa haka roopu Te Mura o Tāmaki.

I love helping people and supporting them in any way possible, I bring the love for helping people and giving back to my community. In what spare time I do have I love spending time with family especially my babies, being super organised, getting active outdoors and exploring our local nature reserves, watching kapa haka and cooking bringing whānau together.

Melefatai Palavi Ngaahi Takiekina Fakafetu’utaki | Communications Lead Talanoa Fananga | Storyteller Mālō e lelei, I’m Mele. Residing in the Tāmaki community for the past 2 years with my husband. We moved back from Australia over 4 years ago. I wear many hats in the community and absolutely love what I do. I am a practitioner for Rākau Tautoko and also help out once a week with the Kai Collective Project. I am employed as an International Business / First Class flight attendant for Qantas Auckland base and I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I’m currently studying online and working towards gaining further education in Genealogy and Family History work. I love serving others in my community and feel truly blessed to be able to do so. The love of service to others has been instilled through my parents example. I have worked many different roles as a volunteer within my community all throughout my life. In my spare time I love being with my nieces and nephews. I thrive in building healthy relationships and progression in my community.

Melefatai Palavi

Ngaahi Takiekina Fakafetu’utaki | Communications Lead

Talanoa Fananga | Storyteller

Mālō e lelei, I’m Mele. Residing in the Tāmaki community for the past 2 years with my husband. We moved back from Australia over 4 years ago. I wear many hats in the community and absolutely love what I do.

I am a practitioner for Rākau Tautoko and also help out once a week with the Kai Collective Project. I am employed as an International Business / First Class flight attendant for Qantas Auckland base and I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I’m currently studying online and working towards gaining further education in Genealogy and Family History work.

I love serving others in my community and feel truly blessed to be able to do so. The love of service to others has been instilled through my parents example. I have worked many different roles as a volunteer within my community all throughout my life.

In my spare time I love being with my nieces and nephews. I thrive in building healthy relationships and progression in my community.

Rina Aries Kopu Kaiāwhina | Programme Team Support Person Rina is currently volunteering with HEART as part of her Level 4 Mental Health and Addictions Study. She is currently helping in the Lockdown Stories Showcase planning group and supports the administration of the HEART training workshops. Going forward her role will be out in the community doing kanohi ki te kanohi, connecting with people and telling them about the HEART Movement and hearing what the community would like from HEART. Community engagement and advocacy is familiar to Rina from her role for the past four years as a Service User and Consumer Representative for Mental Health and Addictions at Drive Consumer Counties Manukau. She is also a Tenant Advisory Representative at Compass Housing, providing feedback and advice for her community where she lives. Rina brings a range of skills to the HEART Team through her lived experience and training over the years in Mental Health. She has also recently started Level 3 Introduction to Leadership with Te Wananga o Aotearoa and Education. When she is not busy working or studying you can catch Rina doing some scrapbooking for her 17 beautiful grandchildren.

Rina Aries Kopu

Kaiāwhina | Programme Team Support Person

Rina is currently volunteering with HEART as part of her Level 4 Mental Health and Addictions Study. She is currently helping in the Lockdown Stories Showcase planning group and supports the administration of the HEART training workshops.

Going forward her role will be out in the community doing kanohi ki te kanohi, connecting with people and telling them about the HEART Movement and hearing what the community would like from HEART.

Community engagement and advocacy is familiar to Rina from her role for the past four years as a Service User and Consumer Representative for Mental Health and Addictions at Drive Consumer Counties Manukau. She is also a Tenant Advisory Representative at Compass Housing, providing feedback and advice for her community where she lives.

Rina brings a range of skills to the HEART Team through her lived experience and training over the years in Mental Health. She has also recently started Level 3 Introduction to Leadership with Te Wananga o Aotearoa and Education.

When she is not busy working or studying you can catch Rina doing some scrapbooking for her 17 beautiful grandchildren.