Te Āti Hau Trust: "It's where all the magic happens"

Jonelle Hiroti-Kinane is one of the fresh faces appointed to the Te Āti Hau Trust.

She joins Te Āti Hau Trust chair Shar Amner, Dr Rāwiri Tinirau, Mavis Mullins, fellow independent trustee Aaron Rice-Edwards and associate director Tukariri Dryden.

Born and raised in Whanganui, she has strong whakapapa connections to Ngāti Rangi, Te Ātihaunui-āPāpārangi and Ngā Wairiki-Ngāti Apa.

Her koro is Stafford Tawhati Te Hauparoa Hiroti, who links her to the Whanganui River.

Although she wasn’t brought up fully immersed in te reo and tikanga Māori, she says working for her iwi has helped to reconnect her with her roots.

“I didn’t know a lot about iwi organisations and te ao Māori and how we govern ourselves.”

Jonelle spent some time working for the Ngāti Rangi Trust in Ohakune before returning home to Whanganui.

“When I first moved to Ruapehu and started engaging in te ao Māori, quite often the mentors who made the greatest impression were actually the tamariki, who have a gentle and subtle way of teaching you.”

Jonelle, 32, and her tāne Jamie Hughes have two boys – Hoani, aged eight, and Matiu, seven – and their three-year-old daughter Miriama-Rose. She says they were all raised in the tari (office).

Working in the Ātihau-Whanganui Incorporation space as a shareholder engagement officer after returning home led to Jonelle wanting to become an independent trustee for Te Āti Hau Trust, she says.

“In my time there I did a lot of research and understanding the whakapapa of the Incorporation, the Trust, the people and the mahi they had done.

“It just sparked a lot of inspiration for me, because I quickly identified that Te Āti Hau Trust is where all the magic happens for our shareholders.”

She describes Te Āti Hau Trust as being caring and forward-thinking.

“Te Āti Hau Trust offers a space for really progressive initiatives to help the wellbeing of whānau and uri – no matter where they are in the world.”

Jonelle says when she was a shareholder engagement officer, she was nurtured by iwi leaders such as Che Wilson, Shar Amner, Keria Ponga and former trustee Jessica Smith, who continue to keep pushing her.

“A lot of mentoring and coaching in my mahi by various people... and really lucky to have iwi leaders and those on our boards who were very good at challenging you.

“Succession is really important for me and making sure that there are visible pathways and support into leadership for others who want to pursue it.”