Moira Lawler

Moira Lawler is a strategic thinker with a technical background in social, economic and community development. She is a specialist in community education and has worked in key social policy roles as well as strategy, planning and change management.

Previously the Acting Chief Executive of Te Kahui Tika Tangata, the Human Rights Commission, New Zealand’s National Human Rights Institute, Moira led the Commission through a transition period as they explored te tiriti based leadership models.

Moira’s work and thought-leadership centres on her philosophy of a more equitable and abundant society for people and the planet, by facilitating positive change at a community, organisation and systems level.

She is inspired by tackling complex issues, engaging a wide range of voices and building unusual partnerships. Recently she has been working on solutions to homelessness, alternatives to taking children into care, and is interested in ways to circuit-break intergenerational disadvantage. Understanding colonisation and building capability for te Tiriti based work in Tangata Tiriti organisations is a particular passion.

She holds a BA in Education and Psychology, and a Masters of Public Policy and was a finalist in the Westpac Woman of Influence Awards, which recognised her involvement in helping create a system to address homelessness. She was also a finalist in the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards, in acknowledgment of her role in changing the national conversation about homelessness.

Moira is equally determined in her free time, and is a dedicated ocean swimmer, spending as much time as she can in the water. She is also part of several activities within her local community that focus on the environment. Raised in Tāmaki Makaurau, Moira has settled in Porirua.