Gloria Sheridan
Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi, Whakatohea, Te Whānau-a-Apanui, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ronogwhaata
Gloria Sheridan, first and foremost, is a Māori wāhine, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, daughter, and mokopuna with strong connections to Te Tairāwhiti. She is passionate about advocating equity and choice for Māori to counter the ideologies of the current Western medical system.
Currently, she works as part of the support team for Te Kete Pounamu regional representatives, where she works across ten regions throughout Aotearoa to encourage, grow and strengthen the Māori living experience community to ensure the voices of whānau are included in decisions and discussions relating to national health and social policy.
Within this work, she is also involved in the Nōku te Āo National Prejudice and Discrimination project, which seeks to address and reduce institutionalised racism, stigma, and unconscious biases to ensure quality of care and equity for Māori. She also supports whānau with lived experiences of discrimination to ensure their needs are represented in the change process.
As a Mataora, Gloria has trained in the Mahi a Atua wānanga, focusing on traditional methodology and sharing ancestral narratives to connect people to indigenous knowledge and healing through indigenising the mind and space.
Besides witnessing and supporting many Māori individuals through experiences of prejudice and discrimination, Gloria has had her own lived experience and role models on how Te Ao Māori practices can provide healing and restoration.
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