Board of Trustees
Teresa Thomas
Ko Arapaoa te moutere tapu
Ko Piripiri te maunga
Ko Waitohi te awa
Ko Tokomaru te waka
Ko Te Ātiawa te iwi
Ko Waikawa te marae
Nō Waikawa ahau
Ko Teresa Thomas tōku ingoa
I am the mokopuna of Amo Poki (nee Love) and Karaitiana Poki rāua ko Monica and Richard Thomas and the pōtiki of Ruby and David Thomas. I had the privilege of being raised by Waikawa and puhi of our Arapaoa whare.
I attended our kōhanga, Waikawa Bay School and Queen Charlotte College and then spent a year at the Wellington Māori Netball Academy, before moving to Brisbane, Australia starting my 20-year career in the financial industry.
I returned home to Waikawa in 2016, after 14 years abroad working in various financial roles and currently employed remotely and in Wellington as Risk and Assurance Manager for Kiwi Wealth Ltd.
My husband and I have five tamariki between us. It was always my dream to raise my tamariki in “Waikawatanga” and it is with great pride and privilege that I am fulfilling that dream surrounded by our whānau.
As a Trustee, my priorities are nurturing and advocating for whānau, delivering on our strategic plan outcomes and future proofing our investment strategy enabling better education, employment, financial wealth and wellbeing opportunities for our iwi to thrive mō āke tonu atu.
Nei ra te mihi kia a tatou