Mairehe Tankersley

Mairehe Louise Marie Tankersley is a New Zealand social worker. In 2021, Tankersley was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to prisoners' welfare and Māori.

Career

Tankersley is Māori and affiliates to Kāi Tahu, Kāti Irakehu, and Kāti Huikai iwi.

Tankersley was chair of the Te Rūnaka ki Ōtautahi o Kāi Tahu Trust. She had been Kaiwhakamana (advocate) and had been delivering tikanga Māori programmes at the prison for fourteen years prior to the creation of the Pou Tikanga role. In 2023 Tankersley supported the first te reo Māori muster at the prison, which was held at 2pm on 14 September, to commemorate the moment the Māori Language Petition was presented to Parliament in 1972.

Earthquake When the Christchurch earthquake occurred on 22 February 2011, Tankersley was leading a cultural awareness workshop on the fifth floor of the CTV Building. She had her 8 month old daughter with her, and they were both rescued from the rubble after the building collapsed and caught fire. Tankersley was injured in the fall to ground level, breaking several ribs. Tankersley has talked publicly about the trauma of the earthquake, the effects it had on her and her daughter, and the work that was required before she could talk about it to the press.

Honours and awards In the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours, Tankersley was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to prisoners' welfare and Māori.