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Ngāti Koata • Ngāti Rārua • Wakatu Incorporation • Ngāti Tama • Te Ātiawa • Management Staff

Roma Hippolite

Iwi affiliations: Ngāti Koata, Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Toarangatira, Te Ātiawa, Ngāi Tahu

Roma has gained a wide range of skills throughout his professional career, which he now uses to assist small to medium (SME) businesses, Iwi trusts, Government agencies and other organisations to achieve their goals and potential. He has a high level of accumulated knowledge, skills, and understanding about the roles of governance, management and business functions, and his experience encompasses education, health, private enterprise including international trade, social service, and local politics.

Roma's understanding and empathy for Māori underpins his experience as CEO and as Claims Manager for an Iwi Trust where he successfully guided participants through two sets of Treaty of Waitangi hearings. He has gained an enviable reputation for superb facilitation, consultative communication skills, and organisational ability.

He has a sound working knowledge of commercial operations including senior level multinational sales and marketing, marine farming, commercial fishing, distribution and he understands the intricacies of preparing and implementing business and strategic plans, and personnel and financial management. Roma has tutored at the business school of the local polytechnic on Change Management, Corporate Insolvency, and International Business.

In his work in Conflict Resolution, Roma constantly strives for the uplifting 'win-win’ result. He has also been involved in Strategic and Policy Planning for several organisations.

Formal Qualifications and Memberships:

• Bachelor of Management Studies (Accounting & Finance), Waikato University
• Post Graduate Diploma in Business Studies (Personal Financial Planning), Massey University
• Member, NZ Institute of Directors

Current Governance Roles:

• Chair, Tainui Taranaki ki te Tonga Ltd
• Board member, Te Rau Matatini Ltd
• Board member, Nelson Tasman Primary Health Organisation
• Board member, Tasman Broadcasting Trust, which operates Fresh FM
• Board member, Nayland College Board of Trustees

Allen Hippolite

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Lee Luke

Barry Mason

Barry is a retired Chartered Accountant, with experience within large business, Inland Revenue and public accounting.

He is actively involved on the Boards of his local marae, church and the Ngāti Rārua Iwi Trust. In his spare time, Barry enjoys music and film.

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Rore Stafford

Rore Stafford lives in Maniapoto, and is of Ngāti Rārua, Kinohaku, Tama and Maniapoto descent.

He has been a Wakatu board member since 1985. Rore has chaired the Ngāti Maniapoto Marae Training Agency for almost 20 years and is a previous chairman of the Ngāti Maniapoto Trust Board, resigning from that to apply himself to the huge workload generating from Wakatu Incorporation. He is chairperson of the Regional Marae Committee in Hau a ura Ki Uta, Maniapoto and chairman of his local marae, Kaputuhi. Rore is also general manager of his family's private, Motueka-based company and family trust.

Rore has always made himself available to represent Wakatu Incorporation and his Iwi in the Te Tau Ihu Waitangi claims. He was also involved with the Māori Reserve Land Amendment Act 1997 and the Schedule 5 (past losses) settlement.

He strives to ensure that tikanga and acceptable protocols are adhered to when dealing with issues related to whenua or marae.

Waari Ward Holmes

Waari Ward-Holmes, (BCA, FCA) is of Ngāti Tama and Te Ātiawa descent and has been a member of the Committee of Management of Wakatu Inc since 2000.

He represents Wakatu on the Boards of Tohu Wines Ltd and Aotearoa Seafoods Ltd. and is a director of several private companies.

Waari held a number of financial positions with the Foodtown group over a 20 year period and was a director of Progressive Enterprises Ltd for 6 years. Other past directorships have included ASB Bank Ltd, Farmers Deka Ltd, SkyCity Ltd, Moana Pacific Fisheries Ltd and for 12 years was a trustee of the ASB Trusts.

He was brought up in Nelson but has lived in Auckland since 1968. He is married to Margaret and they have 4 adult children of whom 3 are living overseas and 1 grandchild.

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Fred Te Miha

Fred Te Miha was brought up in Lower Hutt but did his secondary schooling at Te Aute College where he obtained a Diploma of Agriculture through Massey University.  Early in his working life Fred became qualified in two quite different trades  -  as a Certified Lineman and a Certified Meat Grader  -  before spending more than twenty years as a self-employed Commercial Hunter, operating in many districts of the North Island.

Fred has whakapapa connections to many Iwi and has inherited interest in Maori reserved lands in several rohe throughout Aotearoa.  In the late 1980s he returned to his mother’s whenua tuturu no Ngati Tama me Te Atiawa ki Motueka where he soon became very active in iwi affairs.  Fred was a foundation member and trustee of Ngati Tama Manawhenua ki Te Tau Ihu Trust since its inception in 1992, representing the Motueka takiwa.  He has been Chairman of the Ngati Tama Trust since 2000.  He has also been Managing Director of Tama Fishing Company Ltd since 1992.

In the wider commercial fishing sector, Fred is an elected Director of the Challenger Scallop Enhancement Company Ltd, the Challenger Dredge Oyster Company Ltd, and the Area 7 and 8 Finfish Company Ltd.  He has been appointed to represent iwi on a number of advisory committees to the Ministry of Fisheries and Te Ohu Kai Moana, dealing with several important regional and national fisheries issues, including South Island Eel Fisheries Management, Paua Quota management regimes, fisheries research and planning, etc.  Fred was Ngati Tama’s representative on the Management Committee of the Treaty Tribes Coalition, a national collective of iwi who shared the philosophy of “manawhenua – manamoana” as fundamental guiding principles for the allocation of fish quota from TOKM to iwi.

Fred has also been deeply involved with customary fisheries issues.  He was one of the two Te Tau Ihu representatives on the South Island Customary Fisheries Regulations Committee which established the regime for the management and control of customary sea fishing throughout the South Island;  subsequently he was appointed one of Ngati Tama’s Tangata Tiaki, responsible for the control of Ngati Tama’s interests in customary fisheries within the Motueka coastal marine area.  Fred is a Ministerial appointee to the Wakapuaka Taiapure Management Committee, established by the Ngati Tama Trust for the management and control of customary, commercial and recreational fishing in the coastal marine area north of Nelson City, from Cable Bay to Delaware Bay.

Fred represents Ngati Tama on the committee of Te Awhina Marae in Motueka, and Whakatu Marae in Nelson.

In his spare time Fred breeds native and exotic parrots and restores elegant old cars.

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Rob McKewen

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Harvey Ruru

Harvey is currently employed as Kaitakawaenga (Iwi Liaison Officer) with the New Zealand Police, Nelson Bays. He is Vicar General for Te Pihopatanga ki Te Waipounamu and also holds the position of Archdeacon in the "Top of the South Island". Harvey is a Registered Comprehensive Nurse formerly for Nelson Public Hospital, working mainly in the Acute and Long Term Residential Rehabilitation mental health area. He is an honorary priest for Nelson Anglican Cathedral where he formerly held the first appointed Māori position as Associate Vicar. A former member of the Nelson Marlborough Medical Ethics Research Committee and now a member of the Tasman Police District Ethics Committee.

In Iwi affairs, Harvey is a foundation trustee and Chair of Te Ātiawa Manawhenua ki Te Tau Ihu o te waka a Maui Trust and President of Te Tau Ihu o te waka a Maui District Māori Council as well as an Executive Member of the New Zealand Māori Council. He is a member of the Motueka Māori Committee and Te Ātiawa proxy to Whakatu Marae Committee, Nelson.

He was the first appointed Chaplain and former Academic Staff Member and member of the Academic Board at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) and former Trustee and Chairperson of Belmont House which was an alcohol and drug residential rehabilitation center located in Nelson.

Personal achievements have included:

• Recipient with wife Gloria, Certificate of Appreciation Nelson City Council in 1999
• Queens Service Medal for services to the community in 2000
• NZ Police Iwi Liaison Officers Royal NZ Police College Qualifying Course
• Post graduate studies Victoria University Advanced Nursing (Mental Health)
• Clinical Supervisor (Mental Health) for Nelson hospital
• Post graduate nursing studies - Bachelor of Nursing degree
• New Zealand Registered Comprehensive Nurse
• Diploma in Comprehensive Nursing
• St John Theological College Auckland Diploma in Theological Studies
• Registered Community Nurse - Wellington Hospital School of Nursing
  

Sharon Barcello-Gemmell

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