Meredith Youngson

Meredith Youngson returned to New Zealand from England 20 years ago with a background in Medical Microbiology. She and her husband Robin were drawn to the wild West Coast and the wonderful Waitakere Ranges and made their home in Swanson with their 3 young daughters.

Meredith soon became involved in the Swanson Railway Station project, which proved to be a life changing experience as her interest in community development quickly became a passion.

Since that time Meredith has been involved in a number of community development projects in both paid and voluntary roles including Waitakere Health Link (a community organisation which promotes the inclusion of the consumer voice in healthcare planning and decision making) and in more recent years with Project Twin Streams. Meredith is especially passionate about her own local community of Swanson and is very involved in various events and activities that mostly stemmed from the Swanson Railway Station project.

Today the Swanson Railway Station is a key focal point for community in Swanson. “We had never heard of community economic development when we carried out this project, and only now are coming to understand just how much our community has gained from owning this asset, both in terms of community pride and in economic benefits.”