Managing Director
Tara Moala
Rākau Tautoko founder and Managing Director, Tara Moala, has worked alongside communities for 20 years in various capacities and on diverse projects. She is well-networked across Tāmaki, the community in which she also lives and raises her whanau.
She has complemented her Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Masters of Social Work Applied (1st class honors), her thesis focusing on Māori cultural identity based in an urban setting. She currently works at Tāmaki Regeneration Company as a Service and System Designer and is furthering her education doing a fellowship at University of Melbourne in a Masters of Social Change.
Tara offers a kete of knowledge and skills required to facilitate social and community change. Her collaborative approach has motivated many community members and groups to take action and ownership of local initiatives. Tara creates opportunities for other organisations, practitioners and community members to co-design, participate in and take shared ownership of developing projects. As our lead practitioner, Tara oversees all other Rākau Tautoko practitioner work and manages all contracts Rākau Tautoko holds.
See the projects Tara has worked on with Rākau Tautoko to date.
Our Rākau Tautoko Practitioner Whānau
We currently have eight Rākau Tautoko practitioners in our collective, we come together regularly and support each other in the work that we do. Our Senior Practitioners support our Community Practitioners as per the tuakana-teina model. Read more about our key practitioners below.
Senior Practitioners
Jo Flavell
Jo is a skilled Social Worker that has worked in the field for many years including working alongside young mums with a caseload and programme management at Te Waipuna Puawai. Jo is currently working part time for ACC managing a caseload for Specialist Rehabilitation Services across Auckland and the Bay of Plenty. In her Community Development work, she has worked as a mentor in the Technical Training programme for young people, and facilitated Capability Workshops for the communities of Maungakiekie and Tāmaki. Jo has also co-developed with the community of Tāmaki a Live Lightly project to help build awareness around the impact on the earth and ways of educating people to shift their habits. She was involved in The Early Years Hub Empathy interviews for Tāmaki Response – supporting the young families of Tāmaki to share their thoughts around what would be ideal for an Early Years Hub to be like.
The latest projects Jo has been involved in, is the Capability Growth in Panama/Riverside Community, supporting a local residents group and wider community development initiatives. The other being involved with the Kai Collective project under Aotearoa Kai Journey, providing communication support with the community groups engaging with the community and working on developing wider social responses and supports in this sector.
Jo is passionate about people and making positive connections and has a love for hearing each person’s individual journey.
See the projects Jo has worked on with Rākau Tautoko to date.
Ren Joe
Ren works across Tāmaki and Maungakiekie in a variety of different capacities. As well as being a Rākau Tautoko Community Practitioner, Ren is a refugee resettlement volunteer with the Red Cross, an Independent Celebrant and has completed a Bachelor of Leadership for Change.
She has been a Rākau Tautoko practitioner since 2017 working on community development, workshops, empathy interviewing, capability building and project management. She loves to see positive change and is an admin and organisation Queen!
She loves meeting new people and has a knack for making everyone feel relaxed. If she looks familiar, it may be because she is Tara’s sister!
See the projects Ren has worked on with Rākau Tautoko to date.
Community Practitioners
Carla Perese
Carla lives in Tāmaki with her husband, tamāriki, mokopuna and parents in a papa kainga setting. She whakapapas to Ngāti Paoa and is passionate about food security, helping whānau have safe homes and waste reduction. Carla is a pastor at Faith Family Connect and is manager at Te Pera Mahi Oranga Trust. She has been working alongside Rākau Tautoko in partnership for years and is now joining our team of practitioners.
See the projects Carla has worked on with Rākau Tautoko to date.
Gloria Tuitupou
Mālō e lelei! Gloria hails from the villages of Kolomotu’a, Tongatapu and Hihifo, Niuatoputapu. She is an ex-student of Tāmaki College, a current University of Auckland student, and a Youth Coordinator/Advisor for WayFYnders. She graduated with a Bachelors of Science in 2023 but has since slightly shifted gears into community development, youth work, and public health. Raised in East Auckland, Gloria works closely with rangatahi from Tāmaki and is passionate about youth advocacy, agency and action! Gloria is deeply committed to Pacific health and wellbeing, and is very proud to serve the communities she belongs to. Outside of work and study, Gloria plays volleyball, loves being with her mates and trying new hobbies! Guided by her cultural values, her goal is to work alongside her community to collectively achieve better health outcomes for her people.
See the projects Gloria has worked on with Rākau Tautoko to date.
Currently Inactive Practitioners…
We have had many different people join us at different times for our projects and in their community work journey. Special acknowledgement to one of our original practitioners – Dickie Humphries, who is now working at Auckland Council and has his own social enterprise Tu Moana, who we love to work alongside. Other practitioners we have worked with are Jasmine Hope, Haare Kutia, Kim Jeffrey, Trish and Nat Atasani, Melefatai Palavi, Simon Li, Latisha Kauta, Loma Pepa, Prerna Chaudhary, Rosita Sua, Nikki Korte, Candace Weir, Alex Johnny, Tyrone Tangata-Makiri, Julia Friedwald and Mara-Shelle Slatter.
Board Members
Tracey Wakefield
For four years Tracey managed Tāmaki Community Development Trust. During this time she was actively involved in Rākau Tautoko projects, served on the HEART Movement Advisory Board and the board of Tāmaki Budgeting. She now lives in Central Christchurch and is the Manager of Restorative Justice Services Ōtautahi Christchurch. Tracey is also currently a category judge for the New Zealander of the Year Awards. She is passionate about community-led development as well as supporting the wellbeing of those who work in the community and social service sector.
Anna-Jane Jacob
Anna has a long and treasured connection with the Tamaki community, starting her career as a Youth Worker in the area. Her career has spanned across a range of sectors but has always had a focus on creating space for family and community to lead. Now, 20 years later, Anna enjoys the opportunity to give back to Tamaki in different ways, previously as a member of the board of Te Waipuna Puawai and now through Rakau Tautoko.
Partners of Rākau Tautoko
We love working with the following groups and organisations in partnership. We are committed to working with and supporting these groups and value their expertise.
Rākau Tautoko 