Mana whakahaere
Our board
Piri Te Tau
Board Member
Ko Kurahaupo te waka
Ko Rangitāne te iwi
Ko Ngāti Hamua te tangata
Ko Rangitumau te maunga
Ko Ruamahanga te awa
Ko Te Ore Ore te marae
Ko Nga Tau e Waru te whare tupuna
Tihei mauri ora!
Ko Kahungunu ratou Ko Kai Tahu Ko Raukawa ngā Iwi
Ko Piriniha Edward Tikawenga Te Tau tōku ingoa, he uri o ngā whānau o ngā hapū mea nga marae ki Wairarapa
I am Piri Te Tau. I come from a large whānau, being the third of thirteen children born to Hinerau and Ted Te Tau. Through my lineage, I am honoured to hold the position of mana whenua, along with my whanaunga and Co-Chair Andrea Rutene.
My life has been shaped by a rich heritage and an unwavering commitment to serving our community. My experiences span several fields including 23 years in the freezing work industry, leadership in the union movement, graduating from Victoria University, and working in social services and community development.
I retired in 2020, and even in retirement I hold multiple trustee roles and embrace the chance to shape policies, provide direction and ensure accountability from service providers to our whānau. My unwavering belief in the inherent value of every individual, irrespective of their circumstances, demeanour, or status, drives me to work toward improving the health and wellbeing achievements of our whānau
Andrea Rutene
BOARD MEMBER
Ko Takitimu te waka
Ko Aorangi te pae maunga
Ko Wairarapa moana te karu o te ika
Ko Ngāti Hinewaka te hapū
Ko Kohunui te marae
Ko Iraia Te Whaiti rāua ko Kaihou Aporo ōku tipuna
Ko Ngāti Kahungunu te iwi
I’m Wairarapa proud! I have lived most of my life right here, at home. I appreciate the beauty of our rohe, spending time with my whānau, watching sport, and chasing cows. I’m a lucky mum to five beautiful daughters, two of whom work as kaitiaki in taiao – protecting the environment. The other three work in hauora (two as nurses and one studying to be a counsellor).
I have a passion to make a difference by contributing to my whānau, hapū and Iwi – from whānau support at kōhanga and kura to participating in planting days near our marae, church, and representing and working for whānau within local government as a member of the Māori Standing Committee for South Wairarapa. I have worked both in te taiao and in hauora, most recently as a Kahungunu representative on Te Poari.
It is these things that I love. Tihei Kahungunu!
Yvette Grace
BOARD MEMBER
Te Tipuna waka e heke nei, ko Kurahaupo
Te maunga e karapoti nei, ko Rangitumau
Te wai e kōripo nei, ko Ruamahanga
Te iwi e takahi nei i te whenua o kui mā, o Koro mā ko Rangitāne raua ko Ngāti Kahungunu
Ko Yvette Rewa Hikitapua-Grace toku ingoa
I have been in the health sector at both a governance and operational level for over 20 years. I understand the experience of the health system and its shortfalls for our whānau.
I want to be part of the solutions that ensure we as tangata whenua o Aotearoa have equitable access and outcomes as a result of engaging with either the New Zealand health system or our own systems of hauora and wellbeing.
I love the adventure of travel overseas, but more importantly I love to come home to my whānau, my tamariki and my mokopuna. They are my ‘why’ for everything I endeavour to do and part of the reason I have taken up the CEO role at Te Hauora Rūnanga o Wairarapa and this important role with Te Poari.
Leah Hēmi
BOARD MEMBER
Ngā rangi kapua, o te kahu kura
Kakahuria ngā pokohiwi, ō tararua maunga
Ki ngā ao ō te rangi
Nā te hā, ō te pō ō ngā tini whetu
E riporipo ana ngā kōrero, taonga tuku iho
Ki rō te whenua ō Wairarapa
Ki rō te whatumanawa ō ngā iwi ō Rangitāne, me Kahungunu.
Ko Waiohine te awa
Ko Pāpāwai te marae
Ko Hikurangi te whare whakaruruhau
Ko Leah Hēmi Cunningham tōku ingoa
My moemoea is to ensure that tāngata whenua ō Wairarapa and their experiences of healthcare services, homelessness, mental health and addiction, counselling, and Oranga Tamariki services, are all reflected and factored into the kōrero that will create new pathways that whakamana Māori, Wairarapatānga, and the Hauora of our community.
As a regional manager of Mental Health & Addictions Services Te Wahapūahoaho – Yellow Brick Road, I was able to capture the unique demographic and social analysis of our people living within this rohe.
Te Karu ō te Ika Paori Hauora is mā ngā iwi ō Wairarapa, mō ngā iwi ō Wairarapa. We are committed to our iwi, hapū, whānau & tāngata, accessing the appropriate resources and supports, with a delivery that is tika!
It is a privilege to contribute as a director on Te Poari, under the korowai of Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, kei raro I te maru ō Piri Te Tau and Andrea Rutene.
Kim Smith
BOARD MEMBER
Ko Tararua, ko Rangitūmau, ko Maungarake ngā maunga
Ko Ruamāhanga te awa
Ko Te Oreore, ko Hurunui-o-rangi, ko Papawai ngā marae
Ko Ngāti Hāmua, ko Ngai Tāneroa, ko Ngāti Moe ngā hapū
Ko Hinetearorangi, ko Tāneroroa, ko Moeteao ngā tīpuna
Ko Rangitāne, ko Kahungunu ngā iwi
After completing a degree in psychology at the University of Auckland, I knew I wanted to help whānau through my mahi. I subsequently worked for a Māori provider, in public health (with a particular interest in oral health), with and for Iwi, and – for more than a decade – for central government in Wellington. My work presently centres on the government’s anti-racism strategy.
I am the current Chair of Te Hauora Runanga o Wairarapa which, in addition to my role with Te Poari, allows me to continue my commitment to the health and wellbeing of whānau Māori.
Marise Stuart
BOARD MEMBER
Ko Tutahanga Otekai Arahi Ngātuere toku koro
Ko Pheobe (Ruhe) toku kuia
Ko Maryann Kerehi Stuart (Ngātuere) toku mama
Growing up on a sheep and beef farm in the Wairarapa, I was inspired by the kōrero and life experiences of my kaumatua.
As a doctor I think it is important to work beyond the clinic walls to impact the spaces required to promote overall wellbeing for Māori, focusing on sectors fundamental for living: kai (food), wai (water), warmth (energy), shelter (housing), as well as digital technology as a requirement for future work.
I have had a really varied career to date. I have worked with Māori and non-Māori, Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups internationally, across public and private health and social entities, within governance, operations, and investment roles. In 2020 through Harvard Kennedy School, I worked with Dineh’ (Navajo Nation), assessing strategy for both government and private enterprise, to promote and sustain self-reliance in Navajo Nation.
I recently graduated from Harvard University with a Masters of Global Health Delivery. My thesis explored Māori health service expectations with the establishment of the Māori Health Authority.
My aim is a future where every Māori child is capable of achieving their hopes and aspirations, with the understanding that free and full participation in economic environments is essential to fully realising a holistic approach wellbeing.
Mike Hollings
BOARD MEMBER
He uri ahau nō Ngāti Raukawa me Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi. Heoi anō rā i whānau mai, i tipu ake, i kuraina, i mahi hoki ki te Wairarapa.
I have a long affiliation with the Wairarapa. Both my parents were born in Whakaoriori as were the majority of my extended whānau. I grew up on sheep and beef farms all around the Wairarapa. I began my working life as a teacher at Hiona Intermediate, Mākoura College and the Wairarapa Community Polytechnic.
The later part of my career was teaching at the University of Waikato before moving to Wellington as a senior public servant in Te Puni Kokiri, Ministry of Education, Education Review Office and was the Chief Executive of te Maangai Paaho. I recently stepped down after 17 years as the Chief Executive of Te Kura – The Correspondence School.
I am currently working as a part time education consultant for Ako Panuku. I also work part time for Te Royal Commission of Inquiry into Covid and am an advisor to the Medical Sciences Secretariat. I have recently been appointed to the Te Puni Kōkiri Audit and Risk Management Committee.
I have had a long career working in the area of Māori wellbeing, education and Te Reo revitalisation and I am keen to bring that experience to the work of Te Karu o Te Ika IMPB
Ā mātou
Our team
Nicky Poona
Business Manager | Kaiwhakahaere Pakihi
Contact: 021 360 368 | nicky@tkoti.nz
Alesha Garrity
PA | Kaiwhakahaere Tari
Contact: office@tkoti.nz
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