The Team

Mairin is a Pākehā clinical psychologist and lecturer in Counselling. Before her current position, Mairin lived with her family in Okinawa, Japan working at a bicultural/ bilingual research university researching ADHD. Previous to this, she practised privately and for NGO’s in Ōtautahi for 5 years. She completed a PhD on developmental outcomes associated with ADHD in 2012 and is engaged in on-going research projects such as family violence and trauma; and bicultural research into ADHD and kaupapa Māori- integrated mindfulness. Mairin’s parents and grandparents were born in India, China and Fiji and she has a large extended bicultural whanau.

Kelly (Waitaha, Kāti Māmoe, Kāi Tahu) is an adjunct fellow and senior researcher for the University of Canterbury. Bringing her experience as a senior registered nurse with over 20 years’ experience working in a variety of health settings, including District Health Boards in Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin and Christchurch. She has extensive experience working in community and clinical health settings with medical, surgical, neurology, public health, and mental health inpatient work.  Kelly has divided her nursing experience between secondary health care settings and primary hauora Māori community organisations situated all over New Zealand.

Founder and CEO of M3 Mindfulness, Speaker and Wellbeing Champion

Me mahi tahi tātou mō te oranga o te katoa – We must work together for the wellbeing of all.

Kia ora mai e te iwi.

He uri tēnei nō Ngāti Apa, Ngāti Ruanui, me Ngāti Tūwharetoa hoki.

Ko Jase Te Patu tōku ingoa.

I’m a TED talk speaker and an award-winning Wellbeing Champion with over 30 years of experience in the Exercise and Wellness industry. I’m a 350 ERYT-accredited yoga, meditation, and Mindfulness facilitator for all ages and a Ministry of Education-accredited PLD Trainer for Principals and Teachers.

People’s health and wellbeing are at the heart of all I do! I’ve taken the tools that helped save my life and now share them with people from all over the world. I’ve worked with everyone from elite sports people to hapū and iwi, Corporate Exec.s, teachers, and students as young as two.

Imagine a world where the next generation of leaders are equipped physically, mentally and emotionally to ride out all of life’s challenges whilst standing in the fullest, most potent expression of themselves. That’s a world I want to create, which is why I have deeply enjoyed working on this MindKiwi kaupapa. I love that our neuro-diverse tamariki get to build a toolkit of wellbeing alongside their whānau, who support them every day!

Kat is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist in private practice, work which involves therapy, supervision and research. Passionate about equity, Kathryn supports tino rangatiratanga and is an ally for diversity. She is the co-author of Postpartum Depression and Anxiety: the Ultimate Survival and Recovery Guide (2017). Specialising in ACT, Kathryn cares about helping diverse clients and whānau build strong, connected, and compassionate lives. These values flow into Kathryn’s work as a supervisor, mentor, and facilitator for colleagues.  Kathryn coordinates the Ōtautahi ACT Interest Group, and guest lectures in professional programmes.  Her research relates to mindfulness, ADHD, impulsivity, and temperament.

Cheyenne (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua ki Kaipara, Ngāi Te Rangi) is completing a PhD in Psychology at the University of Canterbury, where she is using a Kaupapa Māori approach to research trauma-informed care for tamariki Māori and their whānau. She is also a researcher with one of her projects exploring rangatahi experiences during the transition to independence from the care of Oranga Tamariki. Cheyenne has worked in therapeutic settings with tamariki, rangatahi and whānau in organisations such as Stand Children’s Services and Oranga Tamariki. She has been involved in the academic space facilitating a Māori health course at UC and was previously in the role of Postgraduate Representative for Te Akatoki | Māori Students’ Association.

Kelly is a licensed psychologist in the U.S. and a registered Educational Psychologist in Aotearoa New Zealand. She is a Pūkenga/Lecturer in Educational Psychology at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington and directs the programme to train future Educational Psychologists. Kelly and Mairin worked collaboratively in Okinawa, Japan researching ADHD and helping families to support their children with ADHD. She completed a PhD in School Psychology where her research focused on language and executive functioning in early childhood. Her current research centres mainly around ADHD.

Annabel (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Kahungunu) Annabel has been actively working as a Māori/public health researcher for 20 years. With her Master’s degree in public health, she has been involved in research relating to Māori advancement including traditional Māori healing and Māori community, iwi and hapū development. Annabel has a PhD in Health Sciences, investigating the relation of identity construction to transformative action.

Aaron is a Māori lecturer within Te Kaupeka Oranga – Faculty of Health at Canterbury University. He is proudly of Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga, Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāti Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Tahinga descent. Aaron’s professional background includes a number of years in Māori health promotion and Public Health. He has also worked in wellbeing kaupapa in Waitaha Canterbury including AllRight?, Sparklers, and Manahau. Aaron’s lifelong interests include a love of Kapa Haka and Māori performing arts, both at home in Aotearoa and internationally, Māori movement, and theatre. He is currently the head kaiako (Taura Pouwhakarae) and chair of Te Whare Tū Taua o Waitaha, the Christchurch branch of Te Whare Tū Taua o Aotearoa – the international school of Māori weaponry. These are all skills, knowledge, and experiences that Aaron aspires to bring to the kaupapa of MindKiwi to support the well-being of whānau.

Caralyn is an Evaluator and Researcher who is driven by the desire to optimise outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and at a population level. She has a background as a Speech-Language Therapist working in the education and justice sectors, and holds a PhD in Health Science. Caralyn has worked and undertaken research in a number of different fields, drawn to projects that have the potential to make a real difference to people’s lives in the long-term. She has been involved in the wellbeing space for several years and considers it a privilege to be working on the MindKiwi kaupapa with the rest of the team.