Vanessa Sayer

First and foremost, Vanessa Sayer is a māmā to two beautiful tamariki who are her greatest blessings and her biggest why. She is deeply committed to creating change for them and for future generations, so they can grow up standing proudly in who they are, knowing where they come from, and feeling confident in their identity, their mana and their whakapapa.

Vanessa is Pou Arahi – Operations Manager at Mana o te Tangata Trust, a Kaupapa Māori Mental Health and Addiction Peer Support Service. With whakapapa to Ngāti Raukawa, and as someone who calls Taitoko home, she feels incredibly privileged to be part of mahi that seeks to create meaningful and lasting change for Māori and their whānau.

Vanessa comes from a strong line of whakapapa of people who have carried the same ngakau and passion for helping others see the good in themselves, believing in the potential of every person and wanting the very best for everyone. This strong sense of whanaungatanga has shaped who she is and continues to guide the way she approaches both her mahi and her relationships with others.

Her commitment to the mental health and addiction space is also deeply personal. Vanessa, alongside members of her wider whānau, has experienced her own challenges with mental health and addictions and has seen first-hand how difficult it can be for people and whānau to find their way through systems that do not always understand or reflect their realities. These experiences have strengthened her determination to help create systems where Māori voices are heard, valued and genuinely included.

Vanessa is passionate about amplifying the voice of tāngata whai ora and believes that every person has their own moemoea. Her role is not to define their journey, but to awhi and encourage them to find their own voice, stand in their mana, recognise their strengths and feel proud of who they are and how far they have come.

She feels blessed to work alongside kaimahi who each bring their own lived experiences, strengths and journeys to the mahi. Vanessa is passionate about awhi and strengthening kaimahi so they can continue to walk alongside tāngata whai ora in a way that is grounded in kaupapa Māori, lived experience and genuine whanaungatanga.

Vanessa truly believes that kaupapa Māori and lived experience have the power to change the world. For her, this mahi is about creating a future where her tamariki, their tamariki and generations to come do not have to carry the same barriers and struggles, but can instead stand proud in who they are, where they come from, and the mana they carry.