Meet the team

A registered nurse from Cape Town, South Africa, Odette has worked for tlc4u2 as a Service Coordinator since May 2018. Her diverse role sees her looking after clients with complex care needs and/or who require 24/7 care, and ensuring that they receive holistic care. She does this by liaising with MDT teams and works closely with her support workers to improve their skills to better support their clients. She has recently obtained her InterRAI CA (Contact Assessment) Assessor License and is currently working towards achieving her InterRAI CHA (Community Health Assessment) License. Odette believes in kindness, honesty and integrity and, all importantly, holds punctuality dear to her heart! Outside of her work, Odette can probably be found with her husband Adrian, on the sidelines of a netball or soccer game, cheering on one of their two children.

Originally from South Africa, Catharine is proud to call Northland her home. She is motivated to facilitate positive changes and has 15 years’ experience in disability support and age care.

As a Resource Coordinator, Catharine’s role entails assessing support needs to identify and roster the most suitable support workers to assist tlc4u2’s clients in addressing these needs. She works largely with ACC Funded Care clients that have sustained an injury and require short term assistance to return to independence.

Catharine arrived in New Zealand in 2002 and gained citizenship in 2005. She spent a year and a half in Sydney but missed New Zealand and so subsequently returned to Whangarei.  She enjoys reading, films, theatre, beach walks and spending time with good friends.

Catharine’s favourite thing about her work is the shared values and supportive environment at tlc4u2, as well as the opportunity to make a difference.

Emelda is originally from Zimbabwe and has worked as a registered nurse since 2004. She joined tlc4u2 in June 2022 as a service coordinator.

Emelda is compassionate, caring, and enjoys spending time with clients to listen to their experiences. She is passionate about spinal cord injury clients and ensures that they get quality care from the skilled team.

In her spare time she takes walks with her husband and experiments cooking different meals with her two lovely kids.

Hayley joined the tlc4u2 team in July 2023 as a Resource Coordinator. Hayley’s experience includes administration, veterinary nurse and dairy farm co-owner, and, more recently, supporting the disability community as a Resource Coordinator for Needs Assessment. 

Hayley has lived in Whangarei for 15 years and is passionate about our local community, having volunteered for numerous organisations, the most recent being the Whangarei theatre company. She is outgoing, empathetic and enjoys building relationships with those around her.

Outside of work she enjoys Northland’s beautiful beaches, snorkeling, roller skating and salsa dancing with her partner and 2 children.

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Kristy Toia has returned to Northland and is happy to be home with her Whanau and friends after living in Australia for 16 years.  She has worked in the Disability & Aged Care sector and gained a wealth of experience within Operations and Community Care.  Kristy joined TLC4u2 in September 2023 as a Resource Coordinator.

Diane joined tlc4u2 in July 2020. In her role as HR Manager, Diane leads our people-related initiatives while balancing the needs of our people and the interests of the organisation. Her typical day includes recruiting and onboarding, revising HR related policies, forms and documents and identifying learning and development opportunities. Diane’s personal values of respect, empathy, and striving for excellence, as well as her passion for working with people and organisations to help them achieve their goals, is recognised throughout her work.

Diane moved to New Zealand from the UK back in 2005 and has never looked back. She enjoys the Kiwi lifestyle and exploring this beautiful country, most recently from the back of a motorbike!

Jia joined tlc4u2 in Feb 2023 as HR coordinator to support and assist recruitment process and various HR functions within an organization.

I feel privileged to work with great colleagues and honour to be part of the team.

I spent most of my childhood in Japan which gave me a deep appreciation for multiculturalism and diversity. After moving to New Zealand 20years ago,  I have worked in a different industry prior to pursuing my early childhood education and worked as a teacher before taking a break to raise my three children.

Although I am new to the HR role, but I love the challenges and enjoying supporting HR department and work collaboratively with the team.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with family, friends, gardening and going to the beach.

Sharon joined tlc4u2 as the Community Liaison Manager in March 2023.

The Community Liaison Manager role is an exciting new role within the tlc4u2 team and Sharon will be working closely with everyone within the tlc4u2 whānau to see how we can continuously improve and work collectively better together.

Sharon came to tlc4u2 after working at Parafed Northland where, for the last 4 years, she worked as a Community Sports and Events Co-ordinator. Parafed Northland supports those living with disabilities within Northland by assisting with opportunities through inclusive sport, play and active recreation, so Sharon comes to us with a huge passion for ensuring there are as many accessible and inclusive opportunities within our community as possible.

Sharon lives in Bream Bay with her husband, children and her two energetic dogs. She is also heavily involved in activities and events and regularly volunteers for lots within the local community. She is also passionate about health, wellbeing and being active and wants to continue to challenge people’s mindsets around equitable access and accessibility within our society.

Jacqui got her first taste for financial management working alongside her husband, a self-employed dairy farmer. Initially responsible for managing their business’s finances, planning and human resources, Jacqui continued to up-skill in finance, becoming a freelance bookkeeper, and eventually completed her Diploma in Accounting in 2019. She loves helping others grow their business through professional financial management.

Jacqui lives by the words ‘work hard, play hard’. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her husband, their 3 daughters, and friends, going to the beach and bicycle riding.

Liezl de Beer joined tlc4u2 in February, and her passion and talent within this business is PAYROLL! She loves working with payroll and finds it a pleasure ensuring all our employees are paid correctly and figuring out complex payroll queries.

On the weekends, she swaps her calculator for a bicycle or a hockey stick as she and her family are a very active and (competitive!) family of four.

Judy began her work at tlc4u2 in Feb 2023 as part of the Quality Team, supporting the Quality Manager with the development and maintenance of all quality related tasks.  Her 25 plus years of working in the disability sector has given her insight into how important a robust quality system is in giving the best service possible to the clients.  

The bulk of her career was spent as a residential manager for people with intellectual disabilities then a move to Hamilton saw her manage a day service for people with brain injuries.  

After eight years in Hamilton, Judy and her husband returned to the north to be closer to family, including a never-growing brood of grandchildren! Weekends and holidays she can be found in her happy place, the kitchen, cooking for family and friends as well as doing the odd bit of babysitting!

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Tori is originally from the UK and moved to New Zealand in 2010 where she found her true home and calling after she completed her BA in Nursing in Whangarei.

She started her nursing career in the Emergency Department but has always had a passion for teaching. She joined tlc4u2 to pursue this passion to help educate and train support workers in the most up to date information and techniques to ensure that they are equipped to provide the best care possible for tlc4u2’s clients.

Tori believes in client centred care and that clients should be empowered and supported to live life to their full potential.

Outside of work Tori enjoys spending time with her two young children.

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Lisa has been part of the tlc4u2 Team since 2019 and has worked in various roles throughout the years.

She has just recently returned from her second maternity leave and continues to be part of the Quality Team.

Lisa is originally from Germany where she has studied Physiotherapy. She fell in love with New Zealand during her working holiday in 2011.

Together with her husband, two children and dog she lives in the sunny Bay of Islands and enjoys the beach, outdoors and horse riding.

Olga Rachkovskaia is originally from Russia and lived in Europe for a few years before moving to New Zealand a year ago. For most of her career, she has worked as a business assistant in various industries, and joined tlc4u2 in September 2023 as an Executive Assistant.

Mya joined the tlc4u2 team in April 2024 as an Administrator. She has a background in healthcare and previously worked as an Administrator in the motor industry.

On the weekends she likes to play guitar and explore the beautiful north. Mya also enjoys engaging in the community and you will often find her at the Whangarei Growers Markets or local small businesses.

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Micaela Tanner is the Clinical Resort Manager at the new tlc4u2 Resorts Beachlands facility in Auckland. She worked for many years at the Auckland Spinal Unit as a registered nurse and nurse manager. She also has experience as a manual handling educator and as a Service Coordinator in home care before joining tlc4u2 this year.

Sabreen's journey in healthcare began in Fiji in 2008, where she cultivated her passion for nursing. In 2017, she embarked on a new chapter in New Zealand, bringing her expertise and dedication to the field.

As a Clinical Coordinator, Sabreen played a vital role in the Auckland community, specializing in caring for individuals with spinal cord and brain injuries for 3.5 years. Alongside her clinical work, she also served as a trainer and educator, sharing her knowledge and skills in essential healthcare practices.

Sabreen’s commitment to excellence and compassionate care continues to positively impact the lives of those she serves.