Indigenous & Disability Rights.
Campaigns & Communications.
Climate Justice.
Ko wai āhau?
Kera hails from Te Waipounamu - the South Island of New Zealand, and is a proudly Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, and Waitaha Indigenous and disabled woman.
She has tribal affiliations across the Kāi Tahu takiwā but is predominantly engaged with her marae in Moeraki, on the East Coast of the South Island, and Awarua, at the bottom tip of Te Waipounamu.
Current Projects & Affiliations
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Kera co-leads Activate Agency, a social impact agency that specialises in community-grounded campaigns and advocacy, and the intersection Indigenous & Disability rights and climate change.
At Activate we work exclusively with purpose-driven organisations, Not for Profits, governments, and government agencies to co-create powerful campaigns, media, and resources for the greater good.
If you have a project or idea you’d like to collaborate on, book a discovery call with our team by emailing kiaora@activate.film
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DPA is New Zealand’s leading pan-impairment Disabled Persons Organisation (DPO) also known as an Organisation of Persons with Disabilities (OPD). Our mission is systemic transformation for the rights and equity of disabled people.
Kera has been on the National Executive Committee of DPA for several years, and currently leads the organisation as National President.
For media inquiries, public speaking requests, or DPA governance queries please email Kera on President@dpa.org.nz
For operational queries, please contact our Chief Executive, Mojo Mathers, on chiefexecutive@dpa.org.nz
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Kera represents DPA on the DPO Coalition - a Coalition of New Zealand’s DPOs / OPDs that represents the voice of disabled New Zealanders to government, and monitors New Zealand’s implementation of the UNCRPD - the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Through the DPO Coalition, Kera has been appointed to the Strategic Advisory Group of Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People New Zealand and both the Governance and Working Groups of the IMM New Zealand’s Independent Monitoring Mechanism of the UNCRPD.
She is the incoming Chair of the Coalition, and for any requests to meet with or present to the Coalition, please contact the Coalition Secretariat in the first instance via the website www.dpoc.org.nz/
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Kera represents the DPO Coalition on the New Zealand Independent Monitoring Mechanism (IMM) of the UNCRPD (United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities).
The IMM was established under the Optional Protocol of the UNCRPD, and has a tripartite structure with the Human Rights Commission (Te Kāhui Tika Tāngata), the Office of the Ombudsman, and the DPO Coalition.
The IMM is responsible for monitoring and independently reporting on the New Zealand government’s implementation of the UNCRPD.
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Kera is a Climate Reality Leader, having completed her training under former US Vice President Al Gore in Los Angeles in 2018.
She is a frequent public speaker, accredited to deliver Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth presentation.
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Kera currently consults for Philanthropic Foundations and other Grant-making agencies to improve their funding processes in alignment with climate justice, Indigenous & disability rights, and accessibility.
If you’d like support with your own climate justice, Indigenous, or Disability related grants, she can provide independent advice to improve your processes, or directly assess grant applications.
Reach out via the contact page to book a call.
06
Recognition
BBC 100 Women of 2023 - Climate Pioneer
“The BBC has revealed its list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2023.
See further:
1 News: NZ climate advocate named in BBC's 100 Women of 2023 list
NUKU Women #30
“Since age 16, Kera has advocated for Indigenous rights. She is a staunch climate activist and has represented Indigenous Aotearoa a number of times at the United Nations convention on climate change.
In this episode, we talk about climate justice and the effect global warming has on every aspect of life. We learn about how important Indigenous solidarity is when speaking to a global audience and, we kōrero about living with an invisible disability.”
UNLEASH Innovation Lab, 2019 Global Talent for SDG 13 Climate Action, Shenzhen
Centre for Australian Progress, Aotearoa Campaigning Fellow 2017
Full Bio
Kera Sherwood-O'Regan is a Kāi Tahu disabled human rights and climate leader, and not-for-profit consultant from Te Waipounamu, the South Island of New Zealand.
She is President of the Disabled Persons Assembly, and co-founder and Impact Director of Activate Agency – a social impact agency focused on the intersection between human rights and climate change.
In 2023, Kera was named one of BBC’s 100 Women as a "Climate Pioneer" for her work on Disability and Indigenous rights, and climate change.
Working in partnership with Indigenous and Disabled Peoples' Organisations, NGOs, government agencies, and affected communities, her work centers structurally oppressed communities in social change to drive campaigns and policies that are powerful, effective, and equitable. Her practice is grounded in kaupapa Māori approaches and more than 15 years’ experience in the climate movement.
She has participated extensively in United Nations climate processes - with the International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Climate Change and the SustainedAbility Disability and Climate Network, including delivering High Level Closing Addresses for the Indigenous Peoples' Constituency and Disability Caucus at the COP 25 and 27 climate conferences respectively.
Through her consulting work, Kera supports values-aligned organisations with Organisational & Campaign Strategy - including facilitating strategy development workshops; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion related policies & processes; and Philanthropic and Grant making - including reviewing processes to align with best practices, and reviewing grant applications.
Writing:
Kera's recent writing includes co-authoring two works within "Climate Aotearoa", edited by the Right Honourable Helen Clark: "From threat to opportunity: Climate change and health in Aotearoa" with Dr. Rhys Jones and "Nothing about us without us: Climate change and disability justice" with Jason Boberg.
She has also contributed to Bronwyn Hayward’s "Children, Citizenship and Environment"; and "The Intersectional Environmentalist" by Leah Thomas.
Affiliations:
Kera is a Climate Reality Leader; Center for Australian Progress Campaigning Fellow; and NUKU 100 Women #030.
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