Ani Pahuru-Huriwai is an Indigenous woman from a remote Maori community on the East Cape of the North Island of Aotearoa/New Zealand. She is of the tribal group of Ngati Porou, her sub-tribe, Te Whanau-a-Tuwhakairiora/Te Aotaki. Ani is a single Mama to three grown children, and is Director on her mandated tribal authority Te Runanganui o Ngati Porou. She holds directorships on other tribal boards as well, and was recently elected as Councillor on the Gisborne District Council, in the inaugural Maori wards. Ani is trustee and volunteer contracts manager for Te Aroha Kanarahi Trust, and is actively involved in all matters affecting her community. Ani’s “day-job”is Executive Director of Tairawhiti REAP, a rural education provider that services schools and early childhood education centres, as well as delivering foundation programmes to adults in rural areas of the East Coast, including the provision of an award winning driver licensing programme, GDL Growing Drivers Locally. Through her work with Te Aroha Kanarahi Trust, most recently Ani was a key lead in the covid response for the area of Matakaoa, since 2020, working with an amazing team to keep her communities safe from covid with high rates of vaccination, and strategies to keep covid out for as long as possible, resulting in a Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year, Community of the Year Award for 2022. Te Aroha Kanarahi Trust is actively working on ensuring their community not only survives, but thrives through these challenging times of pandemics and extreme weather events.