Our Kaimahi
Scott
Donaldson
Kaiwhakahaere
CEO
“Ko au ko Ngāti Whātua Ko Ngāti Whātua ko au.”
Hailing from the Kaipara, Scott brings his kete of leadership and business expertise to serve alongside the Te Roopu Waiora Board and the Whānau Hauā rōpū. He has supported the trust since 2022 in both advisory and finance capacities before joining as kaimahi in 2025, becoming Kaiwhakahaere in July of that same year.
Scott’s experience has helped shape the trust’s strategic plan through to 2030, as well as the refresh of its policies, systems, and controls. His passion for ensuring that Whānau Hauā have accessibility and a strong voice in every space—especially as Māori—drives his mahi within the trust.
That commitment, combined with the trust’s long-standing relationship with Tony Kake, enabled Te Roopu to transition from its commercial premises in Manukau to Papakura Marae in late 2025. Now co-located with more than 60 services supporting the Papakura, Takanini, and Drury communities, Te Roopu is working hard to help make the marae more accessible to its people.
Scott is humbled to serve alongside the kaimahi and the trust board, continuing the foundation of mahi laid down by those who came before him.
Mauri ora!
Sifaloga
Tasi
Pou Whirinaki
Executive Assistant
Sifaloga Tasi is a highly motivated and reliable professional with strong leadership experience across education, housing, and wraparound support services. She is recognized for her integrity, strong work ethic, and ability to work effectively both independently and within teams.
Sifa brings significant cultural strength to her work, with a deep connection to her Māori and Niue heritage, fluency in Te Reo Māori, and a strong commitment to culturally responsive practice.
She is an active member of the whānau hauā and ASD whānau communities and holds beginner knowledge of NZSL and Te Reo Turi. Sifa values community, cultural practice, her Christian faith, and time with her whānau.
Richard
Peri
Kaiaoko
Te Reo Turi tutor and Developer
Born in Gisborne and raised in a large whānau of te reo Māori and English speakers, Matua Richard became Deaf at around three years old due to German measles. His early schooling took him from St Dominic’s in Feilding to Sumner School for the Deaf in Christchurch, where—despite his strong cultural roots—he had limited opportunities to learn te reo Māori.
After returning to Hawke’s Bay and later moving to Auckland, Richard’s passion for rugby led him to a South Auckland club in 1977. A newspaper article mentioning that he was Deaf caught the attention of the local Deaf community, who sought him out. That moment became a turning point, connecting him to the Auckland Deaf community and the Deaf Club, where he found a sense of belonging and identity.
Richard went on to work for the Deaf Association in the 1990s before teaching NZSL across a range of Māori organisations. In 2014, he became the Māori Deaf Development Officer at Deaf Aotearoa, supporting Māori Deaf whānau nationwide.
Richard has been connected to Te Roopu Waiora for more than a decade and has worked with the trust in various capacities since 2023. He now serves as Kaiako for Te Reo Sign Language and NZSL, leading the development of the Te Roopu Waiora Te Reo Sign Dictionary—a significant kaupapa that strengthens cultural identity, language reclamation, and accessibility for Whānau Hauā Māori.
Deeply respected for his knowledge, humility, and lifelong commitment to Māori Deaf communities, Matua Richard continues to uplift whānau through language, culture, and connection.
Junior
Kaokao
Kaiawhina
Support and Advocacy Assistant
Rangimotia toku maunga
Pasifika toku moana
Au’au toku vaka
Mangaia toku iwi
Papakura toku marae
I am a dancer and singer at heart, a born performer who brings energy, emotion, and presence into every space I enter. Whether I’m on stage or in the room, I move with purpose and perform like it’s second nature.
Beyond performance, I’m a caterer who feeds with love, a tutor who supports and uplifts, and trusted filling-in help for Te Rōpū Waiora, always ready to show up for my people.
Loud, energetic, and endlessly bubbly, I’m known for my dramatic flair, infectious spirit, and the fact that you’ll usually find me eating something delicious. Bold, warm, and unapologetically me.
TANGI KE RAVA- UA MATOU UA OKI TATOU
Tania
Simon
Kaiawhina
Te Reo & NZSL Translator
Whaea Tania Simon (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Rehia, Ngāti Kura, Ngāti Torehina) is a highly respected leader, interpreter, and advocate in the development and advancement of Te Reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL). She serves as Kaiawhina – Te Reo & NZSL Translator at Te Roopu Waiora, a kaupapa Māori organisation dedicated to empowering whānau hauā and strengthening connections to te ao Māori.
Fluent in te reo Māori and formally trained in NZSL, Tania is recognised for her unique ability to work across both languages, supporting meaningful communication and cultural integrity for Tāngata Turi (Māori Deaf). Her work contributes to the preservation and growth of trilingual spaces connecting te reo Māori, NZSL, and English, an area of increasing importance in Aotearoa as Māori concepts continue to be incorporated into NZSL vocabulary and practice.
Tania is involved with the development of Te Roopu Waiora, Te Reo Māori Sign Dictionary, alongside Matua Richard Peri, building on foundational work started by the late Stephanie Awheto and other Māori Rangatira. This kaupapa supports the expansion of culturally grounded sign language, ensuring Māori concepts, tikanga, and identity are authentically expressed within NZSL frameworks.Her contribution to the Māori Deaf community spans decades. Tania has been actively involved in NZSL storytelling, media, and community documentation, with recorded publications and video works dating back to the early 2000s that capture Māori Deaf experiences, language, and identity.
In addition to her language and community work, Tania is also known in broadcasting and the arts. She was a co-host of Takatāpui—the world’s first television series for indigenous LGBTQ+ audiences—and has appeared in productions such as Shortland Street. She also directed the documentary “He Māori He Turi”, highlighting the lived experiences of Māori Deaf communities in Aotearoa. Tania is widely respected for her presence at major national kaupapa, where she provides interpretation between te reo Māori and NZSL. She regularly supports accessibility at significant events such as Waitangi commemorations, Te Matatini, and other national Māori gatherings, ensuring Tāngata Turi can fully participate in cultural, political, and community spaces. Through her mahi, Whaea Tania continues to champion linguistic equity, cultural integrity, and visibility for Māori Deaf communities, embodying a lifelong commitment to bridging worlds—between hearing and Deaf, and between te reo Māori and NZSL.
Dayna
Tiwha
Chairman
Ko Tongariro te maunga
Ko Taupō te moana
Ko Tūwharetoa te iwi
Ko Te Heuheu te tangata
Ko Dayna Tiwha tōku ingoa
Dayna Tiwha (Ngāti Tūwharetoa) is the Chairperson of Te Roopu Waiora, having served on the Board since 23 November 2010. Born in Taumarunui and now based in Tāmaki Makaurau, Dayna brings lived experience, resilience, and strong kaupapa Māori leadership to his role.
At the age of 27, Dayna sustained a life-changing spinal injury during a rugby game, resulting in tetraplegia. Since then, he has become a powerful advocate for whānau hauā, particularly whānau waka tūru, drawing on his own lived experience to drive change and improve outcomes across Aotearoa. His leadership includes national advocacy, including providing evidence to the Waitangi Tribunal on the experiences and rights of disabled Māori.
Dayna is also an internationally exhibited mouth painter, using his creativity as a pathway for expression, independence, and cultural identity. His artwork reflects both his resilience and his deep connection to te ao Māori.
Alongside his governance role as Chair, Dayna contributes widely across the disability and community sector. He serves as Co-Chair of Waka Tūru, supporting wheelchair users and their whānau, and has longstanding involvement in advocacy spaces, including over 25 years’ experience as a tetraplegic voice within community networks. He is also well connected within the rugby community, maintaining strong relationships that support his kaupapa.
Dayna’s leadership is grounded in manaakitanga, determination, and a deep commitment to advancing equity, dignity, and opportunity for whānau hauā. He remains a passionate champion for Te Roopu Waiora and the communities it serves.
Wayne
Te Rangi
Trustee
Ko Te Rae o Rāhiri toku maunga
Ko Mangatahia toku awa
Ko Nukutawhiti toku marae
Ko Te Uri o Hau o Ngāpuhi rauako Ngāti Whātua hoki
Ko Wayne Te Rangi ahau
Wayne is a long-serving Trustee of Te Roopu Waiora, bringing over four decades of lived experience as a waka tūru and strong advocate for whānau hauā. Following a life-changing injury at age 15 that left him a C4 quadriplegic, Wayne has demonstrated remarkable resilience and determination, building a full and active life as a mouth artist, sailor, powerchair sportsman, and fisherman.
He was co-owner with another waka tūru friend, Tom Gallagher and the waka was named Wairua. This was a fully accessible charter fishing boat, creating opportunities for other waka tūru whānau to experience the moana. Since joining the Board in 2010, Wayne has been a respected and influential voice, grounding governance in lived experience, cultural values, and a deep commitment to the wellbeing of whānau hauā.
Tauri
Lyndon
Trustee
Pureora o Kahu te maunga
Waimiha te awa
Tainui te waka
Rereahu te tangata
Tainui te Iwi
Pihama-Kakenga te whānau
Tauri Lyndon is a dedicated advocate for whānau hauā and accessibility, bringing lived experience as tangata turi and extensive community expertise.
Tauri has served as board member (Kaitiaki) of Te Roopu Waiora Trust since 2020, contributing to its kaupapa led by and for whānau haua. His governance work is complemented by his role as a Public Transport Accessibility Advisor with Auckland Transport, where he represents Turi Maori and works with sector stakeholders to strengthen inclusive transport systems.
With a background in community support at Emerge Aotearoa, Tauri has worked closely with people experiencing mental distress who are hearing-impaired, supporting recovery and self-determined goals. He holds a Certificate in Deaf Studies from Victoria University of Wellington and a Level 4 Certificate in Health and Wellbeing.
Tauri brings a diverse professional skillset spanning business management, project development, community education, and creative design. Fluent in New Zealand Sign Language and English, and proficient in Te Reo Māori, he is a strong communicator and advocate committed to advancing accessibility, equity, and hauora for whānau and communities.
Roberta (Mere) Mahara
Trustee
Ko Karioi te maunga
Ko Aotea te moana
Ko Waikato Tainui te iwi
Ko Ngāti Te Wehi te hapū
Ko Ōkāpu te marae
Ko Mere Mahara tōku ingoa
Whaea Mere Mahara was born and raised in Rotorua, where she began her career in the tourism industry. In 2006, Mere experienced a life-changing car accident that resulted in incomplete tetraplegia. Her lived experience has since become a powerful foundation for her advocacy and leadership, bringing deep insight and perspective to her work.
Following her accident, Mere relocated to Tāmaki Makaurau, where she was first introduced to Te Roopu Waiora in 2012. Over time, she became actively involved in a range of kōrero, hui, and wānanga, contributing meaningfully to the kaupapa of the Trust. In recognition of her commitment and leadership, Mere accepted an invitation to join the Board in 2022.
Since her appointment, Mere has contributed across a number of key advisory and review groups, including Pae Huarahi, Mahi Ahei, Aromatawai, and the Roopu Kaitiaki group representing the Independent Māori Public Health Authority. She is also currently involved in the Tangata Whaikaha Māmā and Pēpē research project in partnership with Shea Pita and Associates.
Mere is deeply committed to advancing accessibility and equity for whānau hauā, their hapū, and iwi. She brings not only lived experience, but also a steadfast passion for kaupapa Māori approaches that uplift and empower communities.
Mauri ora!
Whiti
Ronaki
Trustee
Matua Whiti Ronaki (Te Arawa, Tapuika) is a respected kaumātua and long-serving advocate for whānau hauā, particularly within the Māori Deaf community. Born in Te Puke and now based in Tāmaki Makaurau, he brings a lifetime of lived experience, cultural knowledge, and community leadership to his role.
Becoming Deaf at a young age, Matua Whiti has dedicated much of his life to uplifting Māori Deaf and strengthening access, identity, and connection to te ao Māori. His professional background spans roles across Aotearoa and Australia, including work with Kelston Deaf Education Centre and Spectrum Care, alongside earlier employment in local government and infrastructure services in New South Wales.
Alongside his employment, Matua Whiti has contributed extensively through voluntary service and community leadership, including in mental health and advocacy spaces. His commitment to ensuring the voices and experiences of Deaf whānau are recognised has also seen him contribute to national kaupapa and advisory work.
Matua Whiti has served on the Te Roopu Waiora Board since 25 September 2019 (and has been involved in governance since 2017), where he provides steady leadership grounded in manaakitanga, resilience, and a deep commitment to whānau wellbeing. He is passionate about advancing equitable outcomes for whānau hauā and strengthening pathways for future generations.
