We know how challenging recovery can be

Zoë is an experienced Peer Support Specialist who walks alongside people in Counties Manukau experiencing harm from alcohol or other drugs and/or mental health distress. In recovery since 2013, she is passionate about creating safe, welcoming spaces where people can explore recovery at their own pace, find connection, and build new ways of living. As a neurodivergent, rainbow-identifying person in recovery who also lives with anxiety-related diagnoses, Zoë brings authenticity, empathy, and diverse lived experience to her role as Team Lead. She cares genuinely about the people she works with and holds firmly to the belief that “the opposite of Addiction is Connection,” a value that guides her work every day.

Edith, of Cook Islands Māori and Tahitian Māori heritage, was raised in Manurewa and carries her community with her in every space she steps into. A mother of two and grandmother of three, she leads The Recovery College NZ and co-facilitates Peer Employment Training. She is also a co-founder of Drua Va Manuia, a national village within the 3Village1Island aiga for Pacific people with lived experience of addiction harm. Her work is grounded in a clear purpose: to strengthen and grow a Pacific lived experience workforce that is led, shaped, and driven by Pacific people themselves. Through leadership development, service innovation, and intentional training pathways, Edith is committed to creating the systemic change Pacific communities deserve.