Founder Story
Ko Dandelion Ahau was founded by Holly, a mother of seven, social worker, and author whose work is deeply shaped by lived experience of family harm, healing, and transformation.
For over 13 years, Holly was in a relationship that caused significant harm—much of it hidden behind the pressure to maintain a “good image.” What followed was a long and ongoing journey of rebuilding. For the past nine years, she has raised and nurtured her children through the impacts of trauma, walking alongside them as they each faced their own challenges.
Her story is one many people never see.
From silence to speaking truth.
From survival to strength.
From financial hardship and working tirelessly to make ends meet, to becoming qualified, publishing books, and achieving home ownership—one of her proudest milestones.
Not as a measure of success, but as a message to her children:
Where you start does not define where you can go.
Holly created Ko Dandelion Ahau to challenge the systems that often caused more harm than help. She brings a rare perspective—having sat on both sides of the table: as someone who needed support, and now as a practitioner delivering it.
Her work is grounded in honesty, accountability, and the belief that real change requires us to face the hard truths. As she will often say with any of the programs that she has created "It is steeped in everything I didn't have when I needed it".
The name Ko Dandelion Ahau carries deep meaning.
The dandelion represents resilience, transformation, and the power of change that spreads across generations and communities.
When people say it, the intention is simple:
to remind them of their own strength.
their own ability to rise.
their own power to create change.
Formal
Qualifications
Holly is a qualified and registered social worker with a strong foundation in bi-cultural and indigenous practice, supporting whānau impacted by family harm, trauma, and complex life challenges.
Her qualifications include:
Manaakitanga Certificate in Social Services
Bachelor of Social Work (Bi-Culturalism in Practice)
Registered Social Worker
Kaitiakitanga Bi-Cultural Clinical Supervision
He Waka Hiringa – Master of Applied Indigenous Knowledge
Her formal training is grounded in both professional standards and indigenous frameworks, strengthening her ability to deliver culturally responsive, ethical, and effective support for individuals, whānau, and communities.
Holly brings a depth of real-world experience that goes beyond qualifications—shaped by years of working across diverse industries and alongside people from all walks of life.
From a young age, she worked in roles including door-to-door sales, telemarketing, hospitality, healthcare, community support, and disability support. These experiences built resilience, adaptability, and the ability to connect with people in both everyday and highly vulnerable situations.
Whether engaging with people who didn’t want support or walking alongside those in crisis, she developed strong communication skills, emotional intelligence, and the ability to build trust in challenging environments.
Within the social work field, Holly has extensive experience in:
Parenting support, including child development and milestones
Advocacy for whānau navigating complex systems
Facilitating safety programmes for women, children, and caregivers impacted by family violence
Dispute resolution and assessment for mediation around the day-to-day care of children
Child voice practice, ensuring tamariki are heard and represented safely
Designing and delivering programmes grounded in mātauranga Māori and indigenous approaches
Developing parenting programmes for communities and within prison settings, supporting fathers to maintain and rebuild connection with their children
The family harm and parenting programmes Holly has developed and facilitated have been widely recognised for their effectiveness in supporting long-term change. This has been reflected not only in the feedback and outcomes shared by whānau themselves, but also in the recognition from programme managers and funders who have seen the value and impact of this mahi.
She has developed and facilitated programmes for:
Couples wanting to eliminate violence from their homes
Wāhine, tāne, and rangatahi healing from trauma and abuse
Delivering impactful parenting programs for parents navigating trauma, family harm, addiction, incarceration, and crisis — supporting stronger whānau connection both in the community and within prison settings.
Developing practical resources, safety plans, and wellness plans
Supporting behaviour change and long-term healing
Authoring books and training materials focused on growth, accountability, and transformation
Holly’s approach is known for being honest, practical, and willing to challenge the hard realities—while still holding space for growth, healing, and change.
Work Skills
&
Experience
Get in Touch!
Contact:
admin@kodandelionahau.com
02041495613