
Ma’ata, a mother-of-one who is originally from Fiji, says she and her husband were living in Hawaii before they decided to move to New Zealand because they wanted to build a boat out of New Zealand Kauri (the boat is now complete!).
Ma’ata moved to Invercargill just last week for her new role here at Nga Kete and to support her nephew who has moved from Fiji to work on a farm in the south.
Ma’ata comes to us with a wealth of knowledge having worked in the addictions field for a number of years and achieving a masters in counselling, post grad in education, guidance and counselling, a graduate diploma in special education, and a bachelor in education. Ma’ata was the clinical lead at Unitech for both the city and Waitakere campus, has worked in problem gambling in health promotion and counselling, was the Maori Psychologist Counsellor at the University of Auckland, and an addictions counsellor at a residential service in Kawakawa.
Ma’ata is loving her new role at Nga Kete and says she enjoys supporting clients who present with numerous challenges to become alcohol and drug free.
In her spare time Ma’ata enjoys making crafts and music with her mokos, kayaking, and exploring the shoreline when possible.
“Thank you very much Tracey, Wendy, Di and members of the team for your warm welcome.”