The life and times of Sandy

The short version...

I was born in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1965. I have an older sister, 2 older half sisters and 2 younger brothers.

I grew up in and around Blenheim, Marlborough. When we first moved from Christchurch, we lived in Woodbourne on the Air Force base and went to Renwick Primary School. When I was 11, we moved to Springlands in Blenheim and attended St Mary's Primary school. I attended Marlborough Girls College, leaving during my 7th form year. My parents bought a house in Grovetown- a rural community a few minutes out of Blenheim.

When I left school, I was unemployed for some time, before getting a job spraying noxious weeds for the Marlborough County Council. I did this for 2 six month stints and then went on to Salmon farming for the next 5 years. I started on a Salmon farm in Crail Bay,Pelorus Sound and ended in Port Underwood, Cloudy Bay.

After leaving the salmon farming, I gave birth to a son in 1990 and a daughter in 1994. I spent the next 14 years living on a government benefit, which allowed me to be a stay-at-home mother to my kids.

I took a course in computing through Te Wananga O Aotearoa which led to a voluntary job assisting the Te Atiawa Trust with their Waitangi Tribunal claim.

I lived in Picton for 10 years and then moved to Lower Hutt, taking with me only what I could fit in my car at the time. I have been back once for a few other boxes of personal effects and a second time to retrieve my lawn mower.

I began working at boarding kennels, where I have worked since Oct 2004. I met my partner in 2006 and we bought a house together, in Stokes Valley, in 2009.

I have a son born in 1990 and a daughter born in 1994. Their father was a friend with whom I shared a house periodically while living in Picton. They are of Te Atiawa/Ngai Tahu descent.