Mary-Lynn is a 23-year-old care-experienced Youth Advocate and Education Policy Advisor from Aotearoa, New Zealand. Her early years were spent separated from her siblings in New Zealand’s foster care system. As a young adult, she has advocated for child-centered policy reform in New Zealand..

Mary-Lynn is the vice-chair of the National Youth Council at VOYCE – Whakarongo Mai  (New Zealand’s national advocacy organization for foster youth) and also sits on the board of trustees as a youth representative. She enjoys engaging with politicians at a legislative level and  representing the voices of those who have been through the system in order to help create informed government decisions.

Mary-Lynn currently resides in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland. For fun, she runs the Auckland Adventures Instagram and TikTok pages, encouraging people to get active and explore their local region.