Huia grew up knowing that change begins with community. A Māori woman of Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Tainui descent, her leadership is grounded in cultural identity, systems thinking and a deep belief that families thrive when culture, connection and care are at the centre.
Working across Aotearoa and Western Australia, Huia brings deep experience in strategy, systems and community leadership. She leads strategic work across children and family services, place-based approaches and broader community systems. Her focus is on delivering outcomes that are scalable, sustainable and grounded in real-world need.
Her work spans strategy, design thinking and research, with a focus on evaluation and long-term impact. Grounded in cultural context and driven by purpose, Huia brings a sharp eye for complexity and a steady hand in aligning vision, practice and community voice. Whether strengthening service responses, guiding cross sector partnerships or building capability across organisations, Huia’s leadership creates the conditions for sustainable community led impact.
At KEYS, Huia is leading a values-based strategy that positions the organisation as both a trusted provider and a systems advocate. Her work is focused on embedding a strong commitment to child safety, deepening community partnerships and ensuring KEYS delivers long term sustainable outcomes for families and communities.
Tanya plays a vital role behind the scenes at KEYS, keeping everything running smoothly across our finance, HR, compliance and administration areas. With a talent for creating structure and finding practical solutions, she ensures our offices and systems stay organised, reliable and ready to support the work we do. A valued member of KEYS for over 13 years, Tanya has seen the real difference our services make in the lives of families. Often the first point of contact, she takes great care to ensure every person who reaches out feels welcomed and supported as they connect with the help they need. Tanya is a firm believer in the power of strong relationships, respectful communication and a positive workplace culture. Being part of a passionate, Inclusive and community-focused team is what continues to inspire her each day.
Michelle began her journey at KEYS working directly with families, supporting them through both peer-to-peer support and practitioner-led early years and parenting programs. These experiences gave her a deep understanding of what families need to thrive. Now, in her role as Program Manager, she works behind the scenes to design, improve, and grow the programs that make this support possible. She is passionate about creating sustainable, responsive initiatives that empower families and strengthen the community from the ground up. Michelle's Mantra “From little things, big things grow.” She believes the most meaningful change often starts with small, everyday actions.
Sarina is a proud mum of two young women and has spent over 30 years working with children and families. Her passion for improving the lives of children has been the driving force behind her career. She has learned from leading experts in brain development, behaviour, social and emotional development, life coaching, and child development. Sarina is also a neurodiverse parent of neurodiverse children, which has profoundly shaped her understanding of the parenting journey. This lived experience, combined with her professional background, gives her a deep empathy for the challenges families face. She is committed to supporting parents and carers to develop self-awareness, confidence, and purposeful parenting, while building strong, accepting connections with their children.
Joanna oversees the Family Support Program and its dedicated team. In this role, she supports parents in achieving their goals by fostering positive parenting skills, strengthening safe and healthy family relationships, and helping families connect with their community. Joanna works collaboratively with both families and community partners to ensure families receive the support they need to enhance their overall well-being. She is passionate about creating supportive, non-judgmental spaces where parents feel empowered, heard, and equipped to make lasting, positive changes, for themselves and their children. Believing that every family has unique strengths, Joanna’s goal is to help parents recognise and build on those strengths. Fun Fact: Her favourite colour is blue, and her favourite season is summer.
Catrina is passionate about supporting parents as they navigate both the joys and challenges of raising children. Her work focuses on building positive parenting skills, strengthening safe and healthy family relationships, and connecting families with the support and resources they need to thrive. She creates warm, non-judgmental spaces where parents feel supported, confident, and empowered to enjoy their parenting journey. With over 10 years of experience working with families across Australia, Catrina recognises each family’s unique capabilities and supports meaningful, lasting change for both parents and children. As a mother of four and a grandmother of four, she brings a rich blend of professional experience and personal insight, with a genuine understanding of the rewards and complexities of family life.
Adele believes that a deeper self-awareness is a powerful means of resolving life issues and improving and enriching our personal relationships. Her approach is grounded in understanding each individual’s unique story and helping them build the skills and resilience they need to move forward with more confidence. Adele provides a safe space, in which clients can express their feelings and concerns, without judgement. She is passionate about empowering people to make the best decisions for their lives. Adele is a compassionate and empathetic counsellor, who brings a holistic approach to her counselling. Finding the client’s strengths and assisting them toward solutions and change, is a central part of her work. “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
Joanne works at KEYS as part of the Parents as Teachers (PAT) program, where she visits local families to support their children’s development and help build parenting confidence. She is passionate about supporting families and guiding them through their parenting journey with care and encouragement. A fun part of Joanne’s role is creating craft activities, something she often enjoys just as much, if not more, than the children!
Laura works at KEYS to Play, a playgroup for children aged 0–5 years and their caregivers. She loves creating fun and engaging play opportunities that spark a love of learning from an early age. Seeing little faces light up with joy and wonder is one of her favourite parts of the role, along with supporting families to simply enjoy time together. Fun Fact Laura loves nature and enjoys spending time in her garden and going hiking.
With a background in Early Childhood Teaching, Jenny is passionate about creating engaging learning experiences and is a strong advocate for the power of play in early childhood and throughout life. Drawing on her own experiences as a parent, she understands how overwhelming the early years can feel and how valuable the right support can be. Jenny believes that when we create a space of unconditional love and acceptance, something extraordinary unfolds, within ourselves, our families and our communities.
Sophie is one of our KEYS to Kindy Facilitators, bringing over 10 years of experience in the Early Years sector. She has worked in a variety of roles supporting children and their families and is passionate about creating engaging play-based learning environments. A mum to two beautiful children, Sophie brings warmth, creativity and a touch of fun to everything she does. She’s known for her love of nursery rhymes and isn't afraid to break into song at any moment! She believes that “Play is our brain’s favourite way of learning” a philosophy that shines through at our Keys to Kindy sessions.
Justine overseas communications at KEYS including social media, website content, impact stories, graphic design and supporting staff to share their programs and initiatives with the community in meaningful and engaging ways. With extensive experience in marketing and communications across not-for-profit organisations, local government and corporate sectors, Justine brings a strategic yet creative approach to storytelling and community engagement. As a mother of three, she understands first-hand the joys and challenges of parenting, which fuels her passion for helping families feel informed, supported and connected.
