2 Here-turi-kōkā 2023

Pahia Turia (Ngā Wairiki, Ngāti Apa, Ngāti Rangi, Whanganui, Ngā Rauru, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) has been announced as the new Chair of Te Ohu Kaimoana, as of 25 July 2023 following a meeting of the Board in Te Whanganui-a-tara last Tuesday.

Current Director and former Chair, Rangimarie Hunia and fellow Directors made the decision to appoint Turia to ensure strategic continuity and consistency going forward, following the appointment of five new directors who will be joining the Board over the course of November and December 2023.

Pahia joined the Board of Te Ohu Kaimoana in 2019 and has served as the Deputy Chair since 2021. He has also served as the Chair and a Director of Māori freshwater fisheries entity, Te Wai Māori Trust.

He has been involved in iwi governance for over 25 years and has been a servant to iwi throughout his entire life, holding the paepae at Whangaehu Marae since the age of just 14. He has been a treaty settlement negotiator for (and is current Chair) of Te Rūnanga o Ngā Wairiki – Ngāti Apa. Pahia is a highly regarded kaupapa Māori advocate and is passionate about being true to the reciprocal principles that underpin our relationship with Tangaroa.

“To me it is the greatest honour to lead and represent our people. I believe passionately in our duty to act in the best interests of Tangaroa. The 1992 Fisheries Settlement secured our rights and interests. However, it is our obligation and responsibilities to Tangaroa and to our mokopuna that must guide and inform our interactions.  It is a role I accept with great pride, but also with a great sense of responsibility and accountability to our people. I want to acknowledge the incredible work and leadership that Rangimarie Hunia has exhibited throughout her tenure as our Chair. She has proudly led us through some exceptionally challenging times and kaupapa and we are very thankful to her and the job she has done for our iwi.” says Turia.

“We have some real challenges ahead of us as Tangata Whenua, and in Aotearoa generally going forward in regard to our relationship with our moana. We are going to need to action our intergenerational view and not shy away from having some hard conversations about our duties as kaitiaki moana”.

Rangimarie Hunia has served on the Board of Te Ohu Kaimoana since 2015 and was appointed as the first wāhine Māori Chair in the history of the Trust in 2019.

Rangimarie’s pioneering, leadership and trail-blazing has been in the same proud tradition of previous game-changing wāhine Māori directors at Te Ohu Kaimoana such as Dame Miraka Szsászy and Dame Naida Glavish.

Throughout Rangimarie’s tenure as a Director and Chair, she has faced a myriad of challenging and exciting kaupapa to navigate including the implementation of resolutions passed by iwi in the 2015 review, as well as the introduction and implementation of two organisational strategies for Te Ohu Kaimoana.

Rangimarie has led by example and has never shied away from challenging our Board, organisation, companies and iwi to think big, to think differently, and most importantly – to think about the legacy we are leaving behind for our future generations. Rangimarie will remain as a Director on the Board of Te Ohu Kaimoana until November of 2023.

Te Kāwai Taumata, the electoral body established to appoint and remove directors to Te Ohu Kaimoana have finished their recruitment process and we are proud to announce the appointments of five new directors to the Board of Te Ohu Kaimoana.

Gail Thompson (Ngāi Tahu, Kāti Mamoe, Waitaha)

Gail has been the Awarua Rūnanga (Ngāi Tahu) Manager since 2005, working on behalf of the Trust to provide leadership and as a point of connection for hapū and whānau entities. Gail has a wealth of knowledge and experience in fisheries management and in particular the customary fisheries space and the restoration of mahinga kai.

Gail is currently the representative for Te Rūnaka o Awarua (to Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu), a director for Te Ao Mārama Incorporated, Bluff Oyster Management Company, Te Wai Parera, Bluff Community Charitable Trust, Te Waiau Mahika Kai Trust and a member of the Bonamia Governance Group.

Nicole Anderson (Ngāpuhi, Te Roroa, Te Aupōuri)

Nicole has a background in finance and is a business owner within the manufacturing and primary sectors. She has experience across health, energy, conservation, housing and economic development. Nicole is passionate about value add to our economy at whānau, hapū, regional and national levels.

Nicole currently serves as a Director for Kāinga Ora Limited, Top Energy Limited, NZ Blood & Organ Service and is Chair of Northland Inc and the International Accreditation Council.

Bayden Barber (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāpuhi)

Bayden is the current Chair of Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated, the third largest iwi in Aotearoa with over 100 hapū and 90 marae. It also has the second-largest coastline of iwi in Aotearoa. Bayden is from Waimārama and is of Ngāti Kurukuru descent. He is a mandated kaitiaki over his rohe moana and has played an active role in ensuring their local pāua stocks are protected through reseeding and rāhui.

Bayden is a member of the Mai Paritū ki Tūrakirae collective of Kahungunu hapū that work together to support the kaitiakitanga of its coastline. Bayden is also an Independent Director of Beef &Lamb NZ, a Commissioner for Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, and a Trustee on the Māori Education Trust. Bayden is a Chartered member of the Institute of Directors.

Dion Tuuta (Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Tama, Te Ātiawa, Taranaki)

Dion is the Pouwhakahaere (Chief Executive) of Te Kotahitanga o Te Ātiawa Trust, where he is responsible for the strategic leadership and direction of the Post Settlement Governance Entity, managing $140m of assets on behalf of Te Ātiawa iwi.

Dion previously held the role of Chief Executive of Te Ohu Kaimoana from 2016 to 2020 before returning home to Taranaki to take up his current position.  He is an experienced director and is the current Chairman of Parininihi ki Waitōtara Incorporation, former Chairman of Port Nicholson Fisheries LP and former director of Seafood NZ.

Dean Moana (Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau ā Apanui)

Dean is a Chartered Accountant Fellow (FCA) and has a decorated career in the seafood industry across commercial and customary fishing sectors, in both governance and management positions. He was in the senior leadership team at Aotearoa Fisheries Ltd (now trading as Moana NZ) and previously Chief Executive of Prepared Foods Limited and Managing Director of Prepack Ltd.  Dean has worked at Te Ohu Kaimoana as Commercial Manager.

Dean has extensive governance experience and currently serves on a number of Ngāti Porou and Iwi Partnership Boards including, Director Te Rūnanganui o Ngāti Porou, Chair Ngā Hapū o Ngā Rohe o Ngāti Porou Takutai Trusts, Deputy Chair of Ngāti Porou Holding Company Ltd and Chairs subsidiaries Ngāti Porou Seafoods Limited and Akaroa Salmon NZ Limited.

Dean represents Ngāti Porou on the Iwi Collective Partnership and Port Nicholson GP Ltd.  He is a director of two Crown Research Institutes, NZ Institute for Plant & Food Research Ltd and NIWA Research Limited and on the boards of Asure Quality Limited, BV-AQ (Singapore) Holdings PTE Limited and the NZ Food & Beverage Group.

Gail Thompson will commence as a Director in November to fill the current vacancy of previous director Tā Mark Solomon; with Nicole, Bayden, Dion and Dean to commence their terms as directors in December of 2023 to succeed four directors whose terms will expire. The Board is also pleased to announce the re-appointment of Alternate Director Maru Samuels for a further four-year term.