Our People
From Irish stock, I grew up in Rotorua in a large family (three brothers, two sisters), and family is central to who I am. I have been married to Craig for over thirty years and we have three gorgeous (now adult) children. I love living in the Bay - looking out every day to Mauao from our lifestyle block in the hills. I love to read, to cook and create (I have an overwhelming stock of craft materials and cookbooks that I hope will one day be transformed into something fabulous!)
Ko wai au?
Nō Airani ōkū tīpuna
Ko Galway Bay te moana
Ko Celt te iwi
Engari, he Tangata Tiriti ahau ināianei ki Aotearoa
E tipu ake au ki Rotorua
Kei Pāhoia tōku kāinga
Ko Liz Flaherty tōku ingoa
Experience & Expertise:
I’ve worked in community organisations (in governance and hands-on practice roles) over many years – from grassroots community groups in social justice, education (school board and Playcentre roles), to tertiary teaching roles, supporting people to address family violence, and in social research and programme evaluation. My background is in Community Psychology – I have a Masters in Social Sciences from Waikato University. I’ve been at SociaLink since 2020, privileged to share and grow our shared understanding of what works in community and using my skills in research and knowledge-building to support groups in whatever way I can.
What I can help with:
My mahi at SociaLink is leading the Community Insights (CI) team. We help identify, access and use data to strengthen the work of groups across the community and social sector. Whether you are a small volunteer-led group or a large more established organisation – we can tautoko your mahi by helping streamline your data collection, make sense of your data you hold, help you measure and report on the difference you are making, and/or point you to relevant external data sources to inform your work. Have a look at some of our mahi at www.communityinsights.org.nz.