Meet the Team

Kia ora,

My name is Tracey Cannon. I’ve been the co-coordinator at Te Ata since the beginning of 2023.

I’ve been married for over 30 years and I have two grown up kids and two adorable grandchildren.

I’m an artist, writer and very keen kayaker. I live in the Waitakere ranges and love the bush, the birds, the sea and have been privileged to travel to some amazing places including Iceland and Sri Lanka.

My life took a sharp turn after I had some intense mental health experiences in my early 20’s. At the time things were very challenging but in the long run I feel incredibly blessed to have had the chance to find out why and where my mental health experiences came from. The journey that started from there has given me more than I could ever have imagined … including this job!

Being the coordinator at Te Ata is my absolute dream job for so many reasons but probably mostly because I get to be with people that I believe have more to offer the world than often they or the world believes is possible.

I’m incredibly grateful to be at Te Ata and enjoy the uniqueness that every person that walks through our doors.

Hi, my name is Nicky and this is Griffy, my wee fur baby.  I started at Te Ata as Programme Coordinator in March, 2024.  Before coming to Te Ata, I was working at Lifewise, Housing First supporting people with housing needs and Merge Cafe in a peer support role.

I have a long history working in the ‘lived experience’ area and I have experience of mental distress and addictions.  I initially started at Mind and Body Peer Support Service in 2004 and worked there for about 13 years in a variety of roles including peer support worker, team leader and training manager for our Certificate in Peer Support (Mental Health), Level 4 which was NZQA accredited for around 10 years.

I enjoy art and craft, especially painting and crochet. I love walking in nature and enjoying the many gifts Aotearoa has to offer.

I look forward to meeting you here at Te Ata.

Kia Ora,

My name is Aimee Waihi.  I am a staff member at Te Ata, I completed my Mental Health and Addictions, Level 4 certificate in 2024. My student placement was at Te Ata. I am a New Zealand Maori, born in the Waikato and raised all around New Zealand.  I have five kids and come from a beautiful family.

Welcome to Te Ata, have a beautiful day.

Kia ora. Talofa. Greetings. My name is Alofa and I’m a Kiwi of Samoan descent.

Welcome to Te Ata.

I am a Peer Support Worker with five and a half years experience at Counties Manukau Health. I enjoy engaging with others and having meaningful conversations as well as fun. I love helping others become truly happy and believe each person, without exception, has unlimited positive potential.

I enjoy listening to music, being creative and would love to learn to play the piano.

Hello, I’m Joel

I’m very grateful to be a part of the team and community here at Te Ata. I’ve been supporting many people with disabilities and mental health struggles for almost two decades, and my biggest passions are promoting mental wellbeing, philosophy, and psychology.

I am teaching mindfulness groups here on Fridays, I find them immensely helpful as part of a strong foundation for psychological wellbeing.

After struggling myself for over twenty years and overcoming the depths of depression and anxiety, I now want nothing more than to give back to the community with the mental health knowledge and skills that I’ve acquired over the years, and help create the motivation to put them into practice.

There is always hope for the future..

I was born in the late 1950’s to an American mother and a Kiwi father, and I grew up in Mt Albert. I was not a sporty kid and I loved reading and listening to pop music on my radio.

I did well at school and wanted to become a doctor, so I studied hard and got into Otago Medical School. However, the strain of study got to me and I had my first mental breakdown there. Later on I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Some time after that, I was able to finish my Psychology degree at Auckland University, which I am proud of given my health challenges. I worked in mental health for many years, including a stint at Waitemata Health in the 90’s. While there, one of my tasks was to talk to people in West Auckland about what they wanted from a new community mental health service. The information I gathered was used to help establish Te Ata.

I was a founding member of Psychiatric Survivors Inc. in the 1980s.

My hobbies are reading about current affairs and the latest developments in sustainable technology. I am a musician and a poet, and have written songs and play guitar and harmonica.

Hey I’m Josh, born and raised in West Auckland,

I’ve been a proud resident of Titirangi for the past 18 years, and counting. I have worked in various roles in my 45 years, coffee roasting for CCA (Coca-Cola) for 5 years, and now as a Barista/peer support here at Te Ata.

When I’m not making great coffees, with and for great people, you can find me at the gym or the library, writing. My passion for coffee comes from my years roasting from green bean to roasted, and my greater passion, people, is from my journey through over 20 years of (S.P.D), Serious Panic Disorder.

I can relate with the process of recovery, how anxiety physically feels, and how that looks differently for others, we all have our testimonies. So if you’d like a coffee, a chat, or some breathing techniques, come and find me (I’m usually by the coffee cart).

My name is Junior Apisaloma, and I am proud to be of Samoan descent. I am dedicated to my role as a Peer Support Worker here, finding immense satisfaction in the opportunity to connect with and support our community.

My professional journey with Te Ata began during my placement, and I am a recent graduate, holding the NZ Level 4 Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Mental Health and Addiction Support). Drawing on this expertise and my lived experience, I currently co-facilitate our Addictions Recovery group.

In my personal life, I am a father to three young boys, and spending time with them is a priority. I also strongly value my own self-care, which includes prioritising my mental health through regular workouts at the gym. I look forward to connecting with you and supporting your journey at Te Ata.

Kia Ora Te Ata whanau,

How blessed am I…. what an awesome job I have here at Te Ata, combining my joy of the ritual of coffee and my love for people and their potential.

My working background is vast and varied, ranging from being a sales representative in the electrical industry to a stage manager in theatre and live events. From running my own business offering therapeutic massage to people and elephants (yes there’s a story here) to working as a training manager in the coffee realm in London.

I am English born and emigrated to New Zealand with my family when I was 8 years old and Aotearoa is where I call home.  I love to travel, meeting the local people and immersing myself in their culture and trying the local food!  My other delight is Mother Nature in all her glory, and it is here I come to find my balance and connect with my heart.

Looking forward to connecting with you all, arohanui