Ko te kapa ngātahi o te manawaora o tūtamawahine - Te rau manawaora, the PKW Trust, has a new four-member board - Ā, he wāhine katoa

The new board is made up of Liana Poutu (Te Rau Toi Tauira/Chairperson ), Anne-Marie Broughton, Allie Hemara-Wahanui (Te Rau Ruru/Independent Representative) and Angela Kerehoma (Te Māngai Rautitikura/Shareholder Representative).

Puna Wano-Bryant, Te Rautitikura/General Manager Shareholder Engagement, says that while wahine at the forefront is not new in PKW, this is the first all-wāhine board for Parininihi ki Waitōtara.

“It is not entirely by design – it’s just the way things have landed, the way they’ve fallen naturally – e tū tamawāhine i te wā o te ora, i ngā wā katoa!

Puna said of the new Te Rau Manawaora board, “It is a beautiful thing. It demonstrates the critical role wāhine Māori have – and always have had – in supporting us as Taranaki whānui to achieve our goals and dreams.” It is an example of the steadfast commitment of wāhine o Taranaki and their approach to the health and wellbeing of their people.”

Te Rau Manawaora, the PKW Trust, was established in 1983 to support Taranaki whānui with their education and cultural aspirations. The Trust’s mission is to “seed potential” through wide-ranging financial and other support for shareholder whānau, including a programme of grants and scholarships.

Both Liana and Anne-Marie serve on Te Rau Rengarenga o Parininihi ki Waitōtara, the Committee of Management, and others have key community leadership roles. All four are Rau Titikura shareholder whānau.

Chair Liana said it is not uncommon for Parininihi ki Waitōtara to appoint women to the helm.

“We are able to look to our tūpuna kuia as examples, and, more recently, to committed leaders like Hinerangi Raumati-Tu’ua, Hinerangi Edwards and Bev Gibson, Bev being a recent chair of Te Rau Manawaora,” Liana said.

“I am pleased and excited to be part of this grouping of wāhine o Taranaki, working to carry on the important work of the Trust. It’s an inspiring board to be a part of.”

Above (left to right): Allie Hemara-Wahanui, Angela Kerehoma, Liana Poutu (Chair) and Anne-Marie Broughton.

“Each of these wāhine are culturally and professionally adept and agile, and each have deep and enduring whānau connections with the incorporation. They understand our history and aspirations, and their wideranging experience brings tremendous value to our strategic discussions.”

“The role wāhine play in our everyday lives as daughters, mothers, sisters, partners and members of our communities will naturally provide quite distinct outcomes in terms of social impact and the work of the trust as a vehicle for social change among our whānau. It is just what we naturally do as tamawāhine.”

Born in the year that Parininihi ki Waitōtara was established, Liana is following in her grandfather’s footsteps. Her koroua, Edward (Ted) Tamati, was one of the first members of the inaugural Committee of Management. A farmer, he served as chair for a number of years. Ted Tamati and fellow previous chair Charles Bailey were dual winners of the Ahuwhenua Trophy as individual farmers in 1965 and 1971, and 1970 and 1976 respectively.

Liana is a former Charles Bailey Scholarship recipient with a conjoint Bachelor of Arts (Māori) and Bachelor of Law. She practised law for 15 years, focusing on Treaty of Waitangi, Māori land and Māori governance. She has served on iwi and hapū governance boards, Māori Land Trusts, Te Reo o Taranaki Charitable Trust, Tui Ora Ltd, Toi Foundation, Conservation Boards and advisory boards. Liana has chaired Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa Trust since its inception seven years ago, and is a director of the Te Atiawa Commercial Investment Board.

Anne-Marie Broughton was raised at Nukumaru, Waitōtara, on ancestral land. She is a previous Associate Director for Parininihi ki Waitōtara (2009-2011) and has former management roles with the Māori Trustee and Te Kaahui o Rauru, leading the establishment of the award-winning Te Rua o Te Moko Dairy Farm and Kaitahi Superfoods.

She has also co-chaired the Whanganui West Water Catchment Group, and served as a Trustee and chair of Whenuakura Marae, as a Trustee of Agri Women’s Development Trust and as a ministerial appointee to the MPI Sustainable Food & Fibre Futures Investment Advisory Panel.

Allie Hemara-Wahanui is a previous General Manager Shareholder Engagement at Parininihi ki Waitōtara. She was also the inaugural iwi liaison advisor for the South Taranaki District Council, managed contracts for the Māori Language Commission and Te Puni Kōkiri, and has served as Pouhautū (General Manager) for Te Korowai o Ngāruahine Trust, and Kaiārahi (Deputy Chief Executive) at Te Kura Matatini o Taranaki/The Western Institute of Technology in Taranaki.

Above: Allie Hemara-Wahanui

The Trust’s shareholder representative is appointed by nomination from the floor at the annual general meeting. Raised in the coastal community of Ohawe, Angela Kerehoma has strong whānau connections with Parininihi ki Waitōtara through her grandparents.

Her koroua and kuia, John and Gloria, were integral to the work of the incorporation and the inception of Te Rau Manawaora, the PKW Trust. John was a member of the first Parininihi ki Waitōtara committee of management, and a chair of the PKW Education Committee, while Gloria served for a time as a shareholder representative from 1993. In 2013, Parininihi ki Waitōtara named a postgraduate scholarship after her.

Angela has a background in hospitality and small business experience in the hospitality, entertainment and catering sectors. She is the current chairperson of Aotearoa Marae.

Jacqui King, Te Rau Whakapuāwai / Head of Corporate Services, said Te Rau Manawaora had undergone a governance review over the past five years.

“Our review resulted in a governance restructure and the Trust becoming leaner and more focused in its purpose and function,” Jacqui said.