Team Members

Tanya comes from an Arts and refugee background. In October 2019, she co created Cultural Conversations with Padma Naidu as part of Nelson Arts festival.

She believes that to address antiracism we need to commit to real action by stepping back and empowering our marginalised communities.

I'm Prasangie Kamburawala, a Sri Lankan-born, fully qualified hair stylist based in Nelson with almost 18 years of experience in the hair industry. My journey began in Dubai before I returned to Sri Lanka, where I owned and operated my own hair salon.

Lauren is originally from South Korea and first came to New Zealand on a working holiday before Covid. Drawn to life in New Zealand, she returned in 2023 and now lives in Whakatū Nelson.

Hola, I'm Claudia from Colombia.
I have been living in NZ for 4 years and love my life in Nelson. Making gifts in general and toys for Christmas is something I enjoy a lot. I'm so glad to be part of the opportunities Cultural Conversations provides, particularly to join in the many craft activities.

Shakeela, originally from Pakistan, is studying English and is planning to start her nursing degree next year. She first got involved through the Global Stitch up and is now part of Her Business Journey. In 2024, she became part of the Cultural Conversations team.

Chandra, originally from Nepal, came to study the IT programme at NMIT, Nelson. He has stepped up as a freelancer in Web Development and Digital Marketing. He is passionate about helping the community through technology and believes that digital technology can preserve and promote the culture and recreate community connections.