Lou joined the Te Puawaitanga ki Ōtautahi Trust Board in September 2020. She was born in Wellington and has lived in Christchurch since she was two. Her mother is Māori and her father is Samoan. Her tamariki, whānau and mahi are important to her. She has worked at Whānau Whanaki for the past decade, supporting people with chronic conditions to thrive and is also in the senior management team. As a person who has been challenged with her own chronic health conditions, Lou is passionate about supporting people find their own answers and path in their hauora journey. She is currently the lead for the Day 2 COPD project which aims to reduce overall hospital admissions and provide more convenient care and a step-change in how COPD is managed. Lou studied Māori and Indigenous studies, then accounting and business at Ara Institute of Canterbury where she graduated in 2014. She is a member of the Ōtautahi Māori Women’s Working League. Lou joined the board because she believes in the mahi of the organisation in supporting whānau, māmā and pēpi. Lou says “My passions lie in the normalisation of te Reo Māori, and through manaakitanga and whanaungatanga supporting whānau to navigate any barrier to their hauora aspirations.” In her free time, Lou is a triathlete, training for Iron Māori (something she has done for five years). It is her goal to maintain her fitness, which she enjoys doing alongside a team. Being a parent to her two tamariki aged 12 and 15 keeps her busy! She is currently learning to renovate her whare with her husband.
