About Tyla
Ngai Tahu, Ngāti Porou, Te Atiawa
Raised in Ōtautahi, Christchurch, I have been involved in communities my whole life. I have an immense passion for the climate, social equity, business and youth. I started as a young entrepreneur at the age of 21. I am a family-man based in Sockburn with my best friend/daughter, 2 y/o Anayah Noor and my wife, Saba.
Now, in my 30's, I have travelled the world (Germany, Japan, Australia, UAE and the USA) speaking to young and old about the importance of community, resilience, humanity and developing oneself to be the best they can be whether it be in sport, business, non-profit or community development.
Through my own lived experiences, I have connected to people through public speaking engagements, workshops, youth meetings, governance panels and countless initiatives.
In the professional space, I have experience across the board. I am currently a director for two businesses. My first business, Crossover Coach, is a youth-focused basketball business with the goal of providing equitable access to sport in deprived areas; I also run a consultancy business that is aimed at building cultural competency and providing funding advice to small and large organisations. In the past decade, I have been a personal trainer, landscaper, community development advisor, manager of a sports club and operations manager for a charitable trust.
After the Christchurch earthquakes, my life has shown challenges throughout, including losing my childhood home in a house fire, surviving two car crashes and my family being directly affected by the Christchurch mosque attack. Instead of seeing these experiences as negative, I turned my energy toward helping others through my family and being close to the community. My community and my whānau drive me to stand for local government.
In the governance space, I am involved in the Canterbury West Melton Water Management Zone Committee, Mahaanui Kurataiao as a shareholder, a member of a local youth advisory panel and a member of the World Muslim Communities Council. He holds many other roles in committees across Canterbury.
My main reason for standing for local government is to address the massive inequity that Riccarton has succumbed to. I am also very local-focused on ensuring every voice is heard in speaking on behalf of residents to address their issues with housing, infrastructure and contentious issues.
It's time to provide solutions and address issues and problems that are longstanding and get them sorted.