Embracing new role at SGT

New role: SuperGrans new general manager Sarah Elliott begins her new role on Monday. A pōwhiri to welcome her was held last week. Picture by Liam Clayton

Sarah Elliott is about to step into her role as the new general manager for SuperGrans Tairāwhiti. The Gisborne Herald’s Gillian Cowperthwaite chats to Sarah about her background, her connection to Gisborne and how the timing of this role is just right.

Compassion, the determination to make a difference and a proven “can-do attitude” are just some of the attributes Sarah Elliott brings to her role as the new general manager of SuperGrans Tairāwhiti (SGT).

Sarah has lived in Gisborne for the past nine years with her husband Frazer (of Ngāti Porou descent). His family whakapapa to whānau in Tokomaru Bay.

The couple’s two children (aged five and three) were born in Gisborne, and the district is the heart and home of this family who love to be engaged in community, Mangapapa School and outdoor activities.

Sarah’s parents and her sister’s family-of-four have also moved here.

Wellness and self-care are important to Sarah, as is a work/life balance. In her free time Sarah loves to attend live music concerts. She is part of a dance class twice a week and dancing has played a big part in her life. Yoga and meditation are also ways she likes to unwind, along with spending time with whānau and friends, camping and watching her husband playing soccer in a local team.

Hailing from north Auckland, Sarah showed leadership skills from an early age. She was head girl of Mahurangi College (Warkworth). With a passion for human rights and community development work, she attended Waikato University to achieve a Bachelor in Social Science degree (BSocSc) majoring in Political Science and Human Resource Management in 2007.

Sarah continued to study during her career in the social service sector. In 2010 she received distinction in a Post Graduate Diploma of Social Work and Community Development programme at Otago University and in 2016 she received first-class honours in a Master of Social Work at Auckland University.

Sarah has put these impressive qualifications to good use over the years in both paid and voluntary roles.

In 2006, as part of the Human Rights Foundation, Sarah was involved with the draft submission for the ‘Corrections  (Mothers with Babies) Amendment Bill’ for mothers in prison. In 2008, she spent four months in Ghana, West Africa as a voluntary aid worker in orphanages and schools.

Sarah reflects: “This was a life-changing experience for me which reinforced my belief in human rights and social justice which has been driven by my own morals and values growing up.”

Sarah’s extensive career in social services has included employment as a social worker, practice leader, manager and various contract roles.

In 2011, Sarah held the position of freedom challenge coordination at Amnesty International which is designed to activate all youth in Aotearoa New Zealand to take action for human rights around the world. This position led to other opportunities including working as a Fiji project supervisor for Projects Abroad, which is an organisation that runs volunteer placements in developing countries.

This role enabled Sarah to plan, design, coordinate and manage a programme for groups of youths for community volunteer projects in Fiji. Sarah went on to become the New Zealand manager of projects abroad where her directive was to manage the recruitment, training and support of volunteer New Zealand representatives.

Sarah spent eight years as a social worker for the Haemophilia Foundation of New Zealand. As an outreach worker, she was based in Auckland and worked remotely to advocate and empower patients with blood and platelet disorders throughout New Zealand.

Sarah’s career in social work and human rights has also presented overseas travel opportunities as a guest speaker and to attend, facilitate and chair conference presentations and workshops.

Since moving to Gisborne, Sarah has immersed herself in the social service sector in the community and has undertaken a number of employment opportunities and contract work.

These different roles have included being a practice leader at Gisborne Oranga Tamariki, an external social work supervisor, senior academic lecturer and site coordinator for the Bachelor of Social Work at EIT (2018-2022). Sarah was proud to be involved with the design and delivery of the papers covering Biculturalism, Te Tiriti and Responding to Abuse during her time at EIT. This work inspired Sarah into further research and academic publications.

In her most recent role as social work service leader at Stand Tū Maia, she had the privilege to grow and lead a strong team of social workers who support children who have experienced trauma.

The kaupapa or nature of these roles has given Sarah the opportunity to really get to know the community of Tairāwhiti and what works best for those who are vulnerable or in need of assistance.

“My past roles have allowed me to gain a deep understanding of community systems and processes and to be at the forefront of leadership, development and the review of these. I am passionate about promoting and ensuring best practice by building bicultural practice with innovation and creativity in assessing new ways of doing things that is of benefit for all involved.”, says Sarah.

Stepping into her new role as general manager at SuperGrans Tairāwhiti has Sarah motivated  to continue the outstanding work SGT contributes to the community and she believes the timing is perfect.

After Cyclone Gabrielle, the street Sarah resides in was badly affected by floods and her neighbourhood pulled together to support each other. SGT leapt into action as one of the first responders in the aftermath of the floods and provided many people with food, water, clothing and bedding.

Sarah also leapt into action.

“I was involved with disaster relief effort earlier this year and post cyclone Gabrielle I independently ran trauma, resilience and wellbeing initiatives for individuals and community groups. I volunteered with needs assessments and as the street I live in was badly affected, I pulled up my sleeves alongside my amazing neighbours, to help and provide support. I also ran street meetings to ensure connections were continued as community spirit, pride and support are of huge importance to me. SuperGrans’ ability to pivot their service to respond to community need in a disaster situation was an outstanding resource in that time of crisis.

“I have so much respect for Linda Coulston’s (former general manager of SGT) brave and pivotal response to meet the needs of the community.

“I am humbled and excited to take on the role of general manager of SuperGrans Tairāwhiti. I know I have very big shoes to fill, but I am not going to try to fill them . . . I am going to put my own shoes next to them.

“SuperGrans Tairāwhiti Trust has stated that it is time to take a step back from immediate disaster relief and to refocus on providing its community initiatives and workshops. Given my experience in these fields I am looking forward to helping refocus back to their core work — providing people with the tools, skills and knowledge to meet their identified goals and needs.

“Stepping into this role provides me with the exceptional opportunity in an area I am extremely passionate about at ‘flax-root’ level. I am looking forward to meeting everyone, connecting with stakeholders, networking and building relationships. That will all take time, and the time for this to happen just feels right.”

A pōwhiri for Sarah was held last week at SuperGrans Tairāwhiti and she will officially begin her role on Monday.