Merlin has over 30 years experience providing a listening platform to people who are looking for support. A trained and qualified social worker with experience in child care-and-protection, community work, community development and professional supervision.
“The guiding ethos to my work & personal life has been a commitment to supporting people to thrive – working with and respecting age, race, religion, ethnicity and identity, as crucial elements of our diversity. My own background has been influential in building a career, working alongside people from a broad range of ethnicities, cultures and contexts. I was born in Nigeria to New Zealand citizens who were involved in development work.
Uniquely, my career has spanned both social work and the music industry, at times running in parallel and often intertwined. These intersecting paths have confirmed to me that each one of us has collected many life experiences and tools that can help us develop our own solutions when we are given the space and skills to recognise them.
Our personal and professional lives are often interwoven with each other. It is important that we can navigate our way through the challenges that develop when these two parts of our world are not coexisting in a healthy way.”
Merlin is a keen listener and a sounding board for people to bounce their thoughts, ideas and experiences off. A father of four adult daughters and grandfather of three, his partner Nerida is a teacher in Rotorua with over thirty years in primary school education and has five children and one grandchild, who all add to a rich and dynamic family life. He has experience on school boards of trustees, not-for-profit boards and is currently the chairperson of the Rotorua Community Hospice Board.
Providing services to a wide range of people; from chief executives to health clinicians , women in leadership to concert production managers. Across a wide spectrum of roles, ages, ethnicities, responsibilities and experience
A consultant for not-for-profit social service organisations on project design and management
25 yrs experience in the music industry, local and internationally (tour, production and event management)
An advocate in NZ music industry to initiate positive change for the wellbeing and benefit of its community
Merlin is based in Rotorua, providing services to clients around Aotearoa and internationally.
