Nicki Turner

Community Engagement Advisor

Nicki was born and bred in Tauranga but has been away for 30 years, working in Pukekohe in the disabled and social service sector. She worked for Blind Low Vision in Needs Assessment for the midcentral area, and for IHC.

She and her husband took off for Australia for five years, working short term and travelling around the country. Her husband, a farmer, decided to semi-retire from farming and Nicki returned to the same job with Blind Low Vision when they returned to Tauranga in November 2023.

“I’ve always been involved in the volunteer space. It’s just what we do, we’re a family of volunteers. I’m looking forward to connecting with the local community and rebuilding networks having been away so long.”
She lives at Pyes Pā, but her favourite thing to do is walk their springer spaniel on the beach at the Mount.

Reach out to Nicki on nicki@socialink.org.nz or 021 225 2994

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By |February 24th, 2026|News, organisation news, Volunteer Stories|Comments Off on Building Belonging at Multicultural Tauranga

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By |February 23rd, 2026|News, Volunteer Stories|Comments Off on Local Heroes, Global Celebration: IVY 2026 Kicks Off

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By |February 16th, 2026|News, organisation news, Volunteer Stories|Comments Off on Emergency Volunteering in the Bay of Plenty

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By |February 9th, 2026|News, organisation news, Volunteer Stories|Comments Off on Governance Volunteering: why serving on a board can be a win-win

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By |February 4th, 2026|News, organisation news, Volunteer Stories|Comments Off on Volunteer Hop launches across the Western Bay

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By |January 14th, 2026|News, organisation news, Volunteer Stories|Comments Off on Care, Camaraderie and Community at Waipuna Hospice

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By |December 16th, 2025|News, organisation news, Volunteer Stories|Comments Off on Tauranga City Council Builds Guardians for the City’s Natural Spaces

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By |December 10th, 2025|News, organisation news, Volunteer Stories|Comments Off on Celebrating Volunteers: International Volunteer Day 2025

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By |November 25th, 2025|News, organisation news, Volunteer Stories|Comments Off on Community Support at the Heart of Family Works

Feedback That Makes Your Volunteers Shine

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By |November 19th, 2025|News, organisation news, Volunteer Stories|Comments Off on Feedback That Makes Your Volunteers Shine
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