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Mana Ake
 

Mana Ake Team

Ben Gorman —

Meet the talented team who serve our Kahui Ako supporting the mild - moderate mental health needs of our Year 1-8 tamariki.

Malcolm Gooch

Malcolm Gooch - Kaiarahi

Kia ora, I am the kaiarahi or cluster team leader.

I have worked in mental health for the last 12 years working in an NGO with adults and youth both in residential and community settings as well as interfacing weekly with (CAF) Specialist Mental Health Services. I have done youth work and worked with families in faith-based settings and also have a business background.

I am a qualified social worker and hold a business degree as well, I am passionate about promoting and supporting sustainable wellbeing across all levels of our communities.


Matt Brown

Matt Brown - Kaimahi

I’m a Registered Counsellor with NZAC and NZCCA. My area of work is Child & Adolescent Behaviour Therapy and Youth Counselling. I am also experienced in behaviour management plans, classroom management plans, and meeting with Schools, Whanau and Agencies to build sold mental health & behavioural frameworks for our young people.

I am especially invested in working with young people and their whanau with ASD, ODD & ADHD.

I am the founder and president of The Brighter Futures Charitable Trust that provides free mental health care to young people under 18 in Selwyn.

I also operate a small private practice in Rolleston called Happy Minds Counselling, specialising in working with young people.

I was the formally the counsellor of Rolleston College before joining Mana Ake.


Ingrid Ewing-Daff

Ingrid Ewing-Daff - Kaimahi

My name is Ingrid. I’m married to Marcus and we have two boys, Sebastian and Solomon. This year we have just added to our family, Monaco the kitten and Cloudy the dog, both rescue animals. I have recently moved back to Christchurch after 15 years living in other parts of NZ and abroad. I have a background in Counselling and Social Work. Faith and adventure are a big part of my life and have seen our family spending 2 years living in Papua New Guinea, home schooling our boys for 6 years, and travelling to many countries.

I am very excited to join the Mana Ake team, this is a truly empowering model and I’m so excited to be a Kaimahi in schools. I am inspired by the focus of supporting each other to do the best we can for our tamariki.


Leina Fofoa

Leina Fofoa - Kaimahi

Talofa lava and warm Pasifika greetings. First and foremost, acknowledgement to God for his unconditional love and for the breath of life. Secondly, I pay tribute to those who paved the way in my journey, a privilege journey; one I can never repay nor will forget. The blessings and the opportunities I will treasure for the rest of my life. My name is Leina Samaritan Fofoa. My genealogies flourished from the pearl in the pacific ‘the beautiful Samoa’ and proudly planted and flourishing in Samoa, NZ and around the world.

My upbringing was and is ‘Faasamoa’ with space for integration within NZ culture. My involvement in Mental Health is a branch of my interest in the human brain. I completed my studies in 2016 at Otago Polytechnic and gained a Bachelor in Social Service and a Diploma in Mental Health.

My involvement in the Samoan community is through church with the youth and in the choir (not the greatest voice but I try).

I am employed by Etu Pasifika Limited and have experience working as a Whanau Ora Navigator for Pasifika Families and as a Mana Ake Kaimahi in the Tamai (Linwood) and the Uru Mānuka (Hornby) clusters since mid-2018.

“E fofō e le alamea le alamea - 'The Crown Of Thorns Heals Itself' - the solutions for our issues lie within our own communities (Samoan Proverb).