Mere Thompson

Kia ora koutou

Ko Puketapu te maunga

Ko Ngaruroro te awa

Ko Tākitimu te waka

Ko Ngāti Kahungunu te iwi

Ko Ngāti Hinemanu me Ngāi Te Upokoiri ngā hapu

Ko Ōmahu te marae

Ko Mere Thompson tōku ingoa

I am a wahine Māori and a solo māmā to my 16‑year‑old daughter, who is my greatest motivation and the reason I strive to create a safe, stable, and fulfilling future for us both. My passion for supporting others, combined with my personal and professional experiences, has shaped my journey into social work and into the Kaitiakitanga movement as a bicultural professional supervisor.

Through my own path of self‑discovery, I have reconnected deeply with my cultural identity and proudly stand in my role as a wahine Māori. My career has enabled me to work within a Kaupapa Māori organisation alongside rangatahi who are under the care and protection of Oranga Tamariki, advocating for their wellbeing and supporting them to either return to their whānau or transition into adulthood as confident, self‑determining individuals.

I have also had the privilege of working within a Kaupapa Māori organisation, where I led a team delivering a Kaupapa Māori Alcohol and Other Drug programme at Wiri Women’s Prison. In my role as a Mental Health Practitioner and AOD Clinician, I supported incarcerated wāhine to explore their addictions and address the challenges that contributed to their circumstances.

I remain a committed advocate for wāhine and tamariki, and I continue to seek opportunities to create meaningful change and uplift the wellbeing of our people.