Shareholders gain insight at AGM

The 2019 Parininihi ki Waitotara Annual General Meeting began with a beautiful karanga of welcome from the whānau of Pariroa Pā and a mihi placing a korowai of protection around the gathering.

“It has been some time since we’ve held an AGM in this rohe and it was a perfect opportunity to answer the tono of our people to hold our AGM at Pariroa Pā. The Pā whānau and Ngāti Ruanui really opened their arms and enveloped us in a warm embrace of manaaki,” says Jacqui King, Head of Corporate Services at PKW. “There were also a number of new faces at the meeting which was wonderful to see.”

The introduction of the Kaupapa Evaluation Tool (KET) as a way to fully measure the Incorporation’s performance across all its core values of Manaakitanga, Kaitiakitanga, Whakapono, Kotahitanga and Whanaungatanga was a key feature of the meeting.

“The KET shows us where our success really lies – in our whenua, in our people and in the way we conduct our business,” says Hinerangi Raumati- Tu’ua, chair of the PKW Board.

The tool has enabled PKW to assess and quantify measurable outcomes based on its values to ensure core strategies are being followed and reinforced – it has created an outcomes pathway. Consisting of 25 different metrics, each is given a score between one and 10. Any metric scoring less than five indicates an area that needs to be addressed.

Above and below images: The AGM was well attended, with many new faces coming to hear the kōrero.

“Using KET is an exciting way of presenting our annual results because it offers shareholders a clear and transparent picture of what has been achieved during the year, and where attention may be needed,” says Hinerangi. “This year’s results have provided us with a benchmark on which to measure our progress towards our vision of He Tangata, He Whenua, He Oranga.”

Shareholders also received an update on the progress of the implementation of the diversification strategy with an overview of the current investment portfolio. Warwick Tauwhare-George, Chief Executive Officer of Parininihi ki Waitotara also presented the annual financial and operational performance of the Incorporation.

PKW Trust Chair Hinerangi Edwards presented the annual report on behalf of the Trust Board – her final task as she is standing down after 13 years of service.

She was pleased to announce new scholarships and internships created in partnership with Nova Energy, Meridian Energy and Marsh Insurance and spoke about the work the Trust is doing to ensure that opportunities for Taranaki Māori to reach their aspirations are focused and effective.

“It was a bittersweet moment to retire from both the Trust and the Incorporation at this AGM,” she said, ”I leave feeling proud of the quiet things the Trust has achieved and will continue to champion its mission and vision as I move on.”

Above & below images: Shareholders visit Waipipi Wind Farm and learn more about the water monitoring project.

After the meeting, shareholders had the opportunity to visit the Waipipi Wind Farm, a new ground-breaking partnership between PKW, private landowners and Tilt Renewables.

The group heard from the project developer and learned about the eight enormous turbines (each one is three times the height of Hāwera water tower) that will be on PKW Whenua.

“It was a great opportunity for our whānau to be able to ask questions and gain a real insight into the scale of the operation,” says Mitchell Ritai, General Manager Shareholder Engagement.

A visit to Farm 21 also took place with General Manager Ahuwhenua Shane Miles on hand to give an overview of the farm’s operations. Soraya Ruakere-Forbes from Te Whenua Tōmuri Trust explained the work being done on the water monitoring project as part of the Kaitiakitanga Strategy and shareholders were able to see the equipment being used and understand what measurements are being taken and why.

“Our AGM and site visits are a very important part of how we connect with our whānau and we were very pleased that our 2019 meeting was a successful one – He mihi aroha ki te whānau o Pariroa Pā mō tō koutou manaakitanga ki Parininihi ki Waitotara,” says Jacqui.