Mama Tere Strickland or Teremoananuiakiwa Strickland Tahere (15 July 1963 â 3 August 2012) was a transgender woman from Auckland, New Zealand. She was a youth worker, transgender advocate, former sex worker and a life member of the New Zealand AIDS Foundation.
Strickland was of Cook Islands MÃÂori, Te Tai Tokerau heritage. She came from an abusive family and ran away from home in à Âtara at the age of 11 and began living on the streets of Auckland. She was a sex worker for 25 years before leaving the industry and co-founding Te Aronga Hou Inaianei (TAHI), an agency aimed at helping prostitutes leave the sex industry, being run through the MÃÂngere East Family Service.
She was made a life member of the New Zealand AIDS Foundation in 2010 for her work to prevent HIV and AIDS and was a list candidate for the MÃÂori Party in 2005. MÃÂori Party co-leader Tariana Turia described her as a dedicated advocate for at-risk groups.
She died of a suspected heart attack on Friday, 3 August 2012, aged 49. A New Zealand AIDS Foundation spokesperson said Strickland was 'a mentor to many and a mother to all'.