Meet Suzanne

Ko Ruapehu te maunga
Ko Rangitikei te awa
Ko Tūwharetoa me Ngāti Kahungunu me Ngāti Raukawa me Scottish me Vikings nga iwi
Ko Parerukuwai te tupuna wahine
Ko Suzanne Cocker ahau

Suzanne was born and bred in Petone, Wellington. She comes from a long line of people, who on both sides of her family, are steeped in acts of service, compassion and work ethic.
After providing professional Supervision within her various roles over the past 10 years, in 2023 she established Pohutukawa Place to focus on high-quality external Professional Supervision for Social Workers and other helping professions.
Suzanne is focused on supporting best practice, growing a competent and compassionate workforce, and advocating for the critical role Social Work has in advancing social justice.
She has been a Social Worker for over 15 years and held roles in addictions, family conflict and child consultancy, youth health services, Social Work education and held management and professional leadership roles in tertiary health services. She has worked both in kaupapa Māori and mainstream organisations and has been fortunate to practice Social Work in Aotearoa, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Suzanne is passionate about utilising her skills and experience to support Social Workers and other professionals to be the very best version of themselves. Whether it’s testing new theories, advocating for changing systems that don’t work for whānau or ensuring great support for professionals, she is keen to get stuck in. Suzanne loves to spend time travelling, learning about other cultures, and being inspired by Social Work in the global space.