Te Korowai o Ngāruahine Trust Pouwhakarae Report

POUWHAKARAE REPORT

Tēnā tatou e te whānau

It is my privilege to present the Pouwhakarae Report for Te Korowai o Ngāruahine Trust Group (‘the Group’) for the financial year 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021.

This Annual Report is dedicated to our pahake, whaene and uri who passed away during this period and our aroha goes out to all our whānau who have lost their loved ones.

The unfolding Covid-19 crisis sent shock waves through our hapori, our six hapū and our ten marae. It challenged both our tikanga and our way of working. However, it was our tikanga that united us and got us through - including an election and a subsequent change in Trustees.

As we continue into the third tenure period and the seventh year of Te Korowai Board, we acknowledge the mahi of previous trustees who moved us through the establishment phase of Te Korowai. They are: Bev Gibson (chair), David More, Wendy Eynon, and our long-standing trustees Cheryl Luke, Ngawai Henare and Will Edwards (founding chair). The first six years of Te Korowai board set the tūāpapa for growth moving forward.

Ngā mihi hoki kia koe Allie. The Board would like to thank Allie Hemara-Wahanui who served tirelessly as Pouhoutu for more than three years and was our first uri who sat in this position.

Working around the challenges of Covid-19, the new Board has come in with a fresh focus and a reaffirmed commitment to our important hapū-centric characteristic. We acknowledge our people participate at different levels across our iwi which is why we are ready to get in behind the good work of our existing Ngāruahine entities, marae, whanau and interest groups – near and far – and who are helping to advance those things that matter to us.

Te Korowai o Ngāruahine Trust 5 Year Strategic Plan (2021-2026)

Picking up on the good work of the previous Boards, our job as the incoming Board has been to establish critical direction and priorities for Te Korowai over the next 5 years. An important step in the process of developing a new strategy was the series of facilitated sessions with uri, whanau and hapū.

We heard you talk about tino rangatiratanga, mana motuhake, manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga across these themes: education and employment; protection of our whenua, our awa, our coastline, and a call for support to have our whenua returned and be developed. Investing locally with more tangible benefits to our people; ensuring safe and warm homes for uri; and culture and identity, from which all things should be developed from – we are highly visible, heard, valued and respected as Tangatawhenua-Manawhenua who are important in our communities.

From this, we distilled these overarching themes as our four strategic pou:

• Ngāruahinetanga

• Tupua te Mauri (Taiao)

• Poua te Pātūtū (Kāinga)

• Te Kawa Whanakeora (Mahi)You can see more detail on our strategy on page 14-17.

Financial Performance and Position FY2020/21

Despite Covid-19, it’s been a great year in terms of our financial performance and position of Te Korowai Group.

In 2019/20, the Group received total income of $3.61m and had expenses of $2.74m for a profit of $871k. By comparison, in 2020/21 the Group received total income of $4.27m and had expenses of $2.85m creating a profit of $1.4m. This is an increase in operational profit of $547k before tax.

The total comprehensive income for 2020/21 was $10.46m which contributed to the growing total asset base of $99.1m to 31 March 2021. This is a $6.08m increase in comprehensive income on the previous financial year. Since we settled with the Crown in 2014, our overall assets have grown in value by $31.2m (as at 31 March 2021). This is further explained in the Te Kiwai Mauī Ltd Pouwhakarae Report.

Thank you to Hinerangi Raumati as chair of Te Kiwai Mauī and our independent directors Tari Nicholas and Dion Maaka, along with the team led by Jim Jessep of Koau Limited with Emma Park, for ensuring a great commercial performance during the 2020/21 financial year. This is the best performance year since inception and the growth of our asset base is a key enabler to resourcing initiatives for our uri. Ka nui te mihi kia koutou.

Looking forward

Thank you to our present Board which took the reins over in November 2020. Nau mai hoki mai to our previous trustees: John Hooker (deputy chair), Caroline Scott, Ferinica Hawe-Foreman, Allen Webb and Te Aroha Hohaia. Nau mai e rarau to our new trustees; Grant Weston, John Kahu, Ngawai Hernandez-Walden, Kiri Erb, Te Aorangi Dillon and Te Ahu Rei. I am heartened by the wealth of knowledge, diversity of perspectives and commitment to our whanau and hapū voice at the table, provided by our board. Thank you for your support and I look forward to us amplifying our impact over the coming year.

You can find out more about the current Board on pages 24-31.

Our deepest gratitude to Emma Gardiner for joining us during this transition period as Pouhautu Kairiwhi in April 2021 until we secure a permanent Chief Executive. To Emma’s husband Andrew, and her parents Eleanor and Frank Gardiner, thank you for your commitment and support to Te Korowai, covering childcare and the two home bases of Tauranga and Hāwera so that Emma can work for her people. Ngā mihi nunui.

Huge praise to our Te Korowai Kaimahi. You have navigated this period of change amazingly well and I am proud of your individual leadership and the range of initiatives you are developing. Tenā koutou.

Ngā mihi nunui kia tatou o Ngāruahine. I’m heartened when I meet and see our uri and the amazing mahi that is going on.

Te Korowai wants to become an enabler for our iwi aspirations, so please reach out to your hapū trustees on Te Korowai Board and keep an eye out for the exciting announcements we have for the year ahead.

Pai marire

Paula Carr, Pouwhakarae