Abigail McDonald (she/her)

Abigail’s career in the Mental Health and Addictions sector started with advocacy and advisory roles. Her journey began as a member of the Te Whatu Ora Waitaha
Canterbury Youth Advisory Council, where she later became Co-Chair. Her passion and expertise have led her to various external advisory roles, including serving as a
Rangatahi Advisor for the Health Navigator Te Wero Project and as an Expert Advisor for the Australasian Health Facility Guideline (AusHFG) Review of the Child and
Adolescent Mental Health Unit Guidelines. Most recently, she worked as the National Youth Mentor and Consumer Advisor at Whāraurau.

Abigail holds a Bachelor of Performing Arts and a Project Management Short Course Certification from the University of Auckland Business School. She has also completed He Pūawai Manukura (Lived Experience Leadership Training), Training from The Back of the Room (Facilitation training), and WRITE. (Writing for business training).

Her passion lies in empowering kaimahi and the workforce while striving to improve the lives of people with addiction, disability, and mental health needs. Before joining the MH&A KPI Programme as Associate Programme Lead, Abigail was a Stream Lead for the Child and Youth Stream. Her organisational and management expertise, combined with her experience in workforce development, equips her to drive meaningful change, starting with the data.