Our Trustees

Raewyn loves the sea. Born and grew up in Maketu with her grandfather, a traditional, subsistence fisherman. Raewyn wants to revitalise Maketu as a puna of knowledge holders and practitioners in kaitiakitanga of the sea. She says that more than ever we need to step up to protect the oceans.

Raewyn’s kaitiakitanga submissions include the customary fisheries statement for the Te Arawa Fisheries settlement, Foreshore and Seabed, NZ Coastal Plan, and latterly the Te Arawa response to the Rena disaster.

Raewyn has 30 years’ experience in voluntary Māori community development initiatives. She has been a representative in forums advancing Māori/indigenous rights, including the Indigenous Peoples Forum at the United Nations in Geneva, Fiji, and Greenland. She spent 9 years as a Māori elected representative on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, chairing the Strategic Planning and Policy.

She also was instrumental in the Council endorsing and funding the return of the Kaituna River to Ōngātoro.

Her governance roles include:

• BOP Regional Council

• Tauranga Moana Māori District Council

• Bay of Plenty Polytechnic

• Ngāiterangi Iwi

• Two school Boards of Trustees

She had the honour of being elected Co-Chair at an Indigenous forum on education at the Working Group on Indigenous Populations at the UN.

Raewyn has extensive educational and science networks and has developed educational programmes for both adults and children. She says the environment is as important to sustaining culture and identity as Te Reo Māori.

Raewyn has a Chair Endorsement as a commissioner for RMA Hearings. She has a B.Soc Sc (Hons) degree (1st Class Hons) with majors in Anthropology and Education.

Dr. Heeni Hope belongs to Waikato-Tainui iwi: Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Wairere, Ngāti Kauwhata, and Ngāti Pou. She has a PhD in Education, a Master’s degree in Science (1st Class Hons), and is also a qualified secondary school teacher.

She has taught at kura kaupapa Māori for the past 15 years. She is fortunate to be part of a whānau actively involved in te reo Māori revitalisation, and has continued those efforts by committing to kōrero Māori with her son, attending reo wānanga (including Te Reo o te Kaākaho and Te Panekiretanga o te Reo), and normalising te reo with whānau, friends, and colleagues.

She is a licensed te reo Māori interpreter. She has taught pūtaiao and other kaupapa in te reo Māori at several kura, including:

• Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Matai

• Te Kura o Mauao

• Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ruamata

She has also been involved in pūtaiao curriculum and teacher development, worked for Te Mauri Tau / Enviroschools and NIWA, and supported Māori science initiatives within Te Arawa and nationally. Heeni is acknowledged by TAKT for her mātauranga Māori.

Heeni has always had a particular interest in mahinga kai, para kore, and kaupapa supporting sustainable living, and has recently ventured into amateur beekeeping.

She is Chair of the Ruamata Waka Ama Club (2020) and considers waka to be a philosophy through which one can aspire to oranga tinana, oranga whānau, oranga taiao.

Pia is a coastie at heart. She was a co-cordinator of the Rena Oil Clean up for Te Arawa/Maketu, project managed the beads debris clean up and the complicated Te Arawa response to the Rena hearings and Environment Court which involved unending hui with a variety of organisations and people from a variety of backgrounds.

Pia is an original Trustee arising from her voluntary Rena position and work. She has a history of advocating for matauranga Māori and tikanga Māori being appropriately recognised in protecting the environment. Pia has a working knowledge of local statutory plans regarding the environment and led a successful case for the recognition of the cultural flow of the Waitahanui River.

Her professional employment history has been in kaitiaki taiao positions, including the Ministry of Fisheries, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa tutoring, and Ngāti Mākino Heritage Trust, besides assisting many iwi in a voluntary role with their taiao work.

Pia is currently Environment Manager for Ngāiterangi Iwi. Pia has demonstrated her ability time and time again to attract and work with young adults needing support in their school and post-school situations.

She has undertaken personal research on many marine issues adding to her knowledge on the realm of Tangaroa, including tohorā and associated tikanga.

Her qualifications include:

• PADI Open Water Diver Instructor

• Boat Masters

• RMA Hearings Commissioner (Excellent)

• Bachelor of Applied Science

• Diploma in Marine Studies

• Diploma in Māori Leadership

• Diploma in Te Reo Māori

Pia was recently awarded a Master’s Scholarship to Waikato University to study Public Policy. She lives in Maketu and has three children.

Laise is a small-town girl at heart. Before her family shifted to Australia, she lived in Tokoroa. Her family often came to Maketu to get their kaimoana and she loves and knows the area well.

Her family then shifted to Australia with her dad working in the logging industry. Laise never forgot Maketu and the sea and went on to gain degrees in Marine and Freshwater Science and Environmental Science at Deakin University. She also fitted in Diplomas in Management and Business. Wow.

Laise says that she and her family decided to come home when they heard about the Rena disaster. Laise is a great role model for our young wahine, with her approach to life-long learning.

Since coming home, Laise has embraced and extended her Te Reo, tikanga and Rongoā knowledge through Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

TAKT were lucky enough to have Laise do contract work for the Trust where she did a variety of work for us. We were sad to see her go, but she left to take up a position with Ngāti Raukawa as Programme Lead – Policy and Strategy, Pūtake Taiao where she thrived.

Laise has since taken up a position with a National Science and Research Agency. The Trust is fortunate and delighted she agreed to take up a Trustee role with us.

Haere mai, nau mai Laise.

Ko Jimi McLean tēnei, he uri o te waka Arawa, ko Ngāti Mākino, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakahemo, Ngāti Rangiwewehi ngā iwi, te taha tētahi atu kai roto i te Rohe Pōtae o Tūhoe.

Jimi is currently employed by the Māori Land Court, where he is responsible for providing specialist facilitation, analysis, and information services to Māori landowners to enable them to access specialist resources and professional advice. Jimi is also a Deputy Registrar.

Previously, Jimi was Project Manager at Ngāti Mākino Heritage Trust, where he managed the Ngāti Mākino Historical Treaty Claim in direct negotiations with the Crown (2008–2014). He managed and co-ordinated a team of researchers and negotiators, plus operations within the Mākino iwi strategy in our engagement with the Crown and its agencies.

In that position at the time of the Rena disaster, he was instrumental in ensuring that the Rena mess was cleaned up, overseeing the sub-projects and providing the infrastructure and admin support which was critical to the success of the Rena clean-up effort. Subsequent to the clean-up, he ensured that the Environment Court case that followed maintained a genuine Te Arawa coastal tangata focus on ensuring the best outcome for the taiao.

Jimi subsequently became the first Chairman of the Te Arawa ki Tai Trust, and resigned when the Trust was underway. He was invited to retake a Trustee position in September 2024, on the resignation of a Trustee, which we are glad to say he accepted.

Jimi has a background in Māori liaison and engagement, and supporting rangatahi initiatives. He maintains his Ngāti Mākino interest now as a Trustee of the Ngāti Mākino Iwi Authority.

Alongside other Trusts, he has also been a Trustee of Te Papa Tākaro o Te Arawa (2009–2013) and has an excellent rapport with rangatahi.

“Ihu nui e Peru I moea ra te po i waho

Ka hoki taka mai nei

He maire nga pakahiwi

He rakau ra mau e Peru

Rakau nui tonu

Ko taku ringaringa”

“Mā te whiritahi, ka whakatutuki ai ngā pūmanawa ā tāngata”
(Together weaving the realisation of potential)

"As a trustee, we all have a responsibility for working together in ‘the realisation of potential’ for those within the taiao community. The realisation of potential emanates from one’s desire to develop, achieve or succeed.

My goals will be working to achieve a cleaner, healthier environment for those of our whānau, tamariki, mokopuna.

Nō reira, ka mihi ki a koutou."