We are so excited to officially welcome Sasja Mazurkiewicz, our new kai systems innovator to the Healthy Families Far North team.
Born in Belgium, Sasja moved to Takou Bay at a young age and has called Aotearoa home since.
Sasja brings a wealth of experience to our team. She spent 7 years in Wellington after finishing her degree in design at Massey University and has worked in numerous innovation roles, primarily in government, digital and service design spaces.
In her spare time, she spends her days on the ocean, living off-grid in her tiny house with her partner Jonty and being part of the community.
Welcome to the Healthy Families whānau, Sasja!
Meet our new kaimahi and get to know what makes her tick.
Why did you decide to join Healthy Families Far North?
Having worked in a few government spaces, I first hand saw the need for local and decentralised change. Being able to return back to this work and join a team with a focus on whānau-centered innovation in Te Tai Tokerau is beyond exciting to me!
What does systems change mean to you?
Constantly listening and learning from whānau and community on what works and what doesn’t, then connecting the dots to find opportunities. In the kai space, this can be small wins like supporting community to plant more fruit trees, or dreaming big and working with system partners to facilitate policy change conversations.
What do you hope to do at Healthy Families Far North to affect and create change?
To listen, learn and be challenged! I’m excited to learn how I can blend my experience in design thinking to support the matauranga within our team. I’m looking forward to making connections in the community – if you’re in the food systems space, please reach out, I’d love to chat.
What is your vision for Te Tai Tokerau?
A place where communities can be self-reliant, where small businesses/initiatives thrive and it’s easy and affordable to support our local.
What are you doing in your spare time?
In my spare time, I’m either upping my gardening skills, spending time with loved ones or helping my partner Jonty with his coffee cart business in the weekends. I’m a bit of a wannabe surfer, you’ll find me surfing the baby waves at the beach while my partner is shredding out the back. I also learnt to sail two years ago, and join the rum races in Opua every Friday.