From the Chair

Kia ora e te whānau

 

I am pleased to welcome to the iwi, Simon Karipa, who has accepted the position of general manager, on a fulltime permanent basis, based at the Blenheim office. With his background (outlined in the GM corner of this pānui) and experience, I look forward to working with Simon, to advance a number of key matters we are currently involved in.

High on his task list will be to recruit to fill the vacant business support manager role. I am confident that we have the talent to fill this important role from within the Iwi and will ensure that we advise you all of the vacancy once we are ready to formally advertise the position. 

The Board have now signed off on the business plan for the next 12 months including the budget required to achieve the planned outcomes. A significant initiative the Board have agreed to this year is to undertake an ethnographic approach aimed at gaining insights in to what makes our people who they are. Ethnography is the study of people in their own environment through the use of methods such as participant observation and face to face interviewing. A specialist company has been contracted to do this work. They will choose a cross-section  of our people and will apply the methodology to them. We will keep you informed as the programme is rolled out.

Throughout the year we also plan to  build on the positive outcomes from the cultural program achieved to date and to continue the momentum in that area. We also aim to progress the work now under way around whakapapa, as well as developing an education strategy covering a wider brief than the tertiary grants. Identifying how we should best meet our Taiao (environmental) aspirations is also part of our mahi. By the end of the year, we will need to have pushed out and planned for the next five years and beyond.

You may recall that one of the Special General Meetings held in recent years, was to revise the election cycle for Trustee elections, the outcome being that two Trustees will be elected every year. The overall number of Trustees was also reduced from eight to six, and the balance of Hapū representatives, was set at three from each of the two Hapū.

In the 2016 election, the first year the amendment came in to effect, two Tarakaipa Trustees were elected. The outcome of last year’s election then determined that in the second year of the cycle, two Puaha Te Rangi Trustees will be elected, which means that this being the third year of the cycle, one Trustee from each of the Hapū, will be elected. From this year onwards, all appointments will be for a three-year term.

The reason I have raised this now is to encourage any of you who are interested in taking up a Governance role on the Trust, to consider putting your names forward. For interested people, it would be good for you to come to a Trust Board meeting, to get a feel for how the Board functions, and to help you decide whether it’s something you would like to do and would feel comfortable doing. Please contact the office if you would like to take up this opportunity.

Given the likelihood of continuing Trustee turn-over in future years, I intend working with the Board to put in place an associate directorship arrangement. This will allow us to think seriously about a succession plan throughout the next few years.

Until next month

Ngā mihi,
Brendon Wilson, Chairman, Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō Trusts