Our Trustees

Te Pohawaiki Wiringi Jones is an active member within the Te Arawa peoples, and especially Ngati Te Roro o Te Rangi through Owhata Marae. He has been a strong advocate for unity within Te Arawa and the consolidation of assets and resources. He is a supporter of tino rangatiratanga and has been a driving force behind lifting governance and management expertise among affiliate iwi and hapu. Te Pohawaiki has more than 30 years experience as a Maori Warden and was instrumental in the introduction of the first tertiary recognised training programme for wardens.

John Waaka is passionate about creating opportunities for his people. He is chairman of the Rahui Trust and a driver of initiatives to rebuild homes and businesses within the small community. This focus has now shifted to tourism and providing income and employment for the region. He was a strong supporter of the direct negotiation model proposed by then Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Margaret Wilson in 2002 to resolve outstanding Te Arawa land claims.

Anaru Rangiheuea is a 30-year veteran of the former Te Arawa Maori Trust Board, with six years as chairman. He was a key figure in driving the Te Arawa Lakes settlement which secured the return of 13 lakes. He has spent a lifetime working for the community on numerous committees and boards.

Anaru is a Kaumatua of Te Arawa, Ngati Awa and Mataatua

Eva Moke brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to her governance role, accumulated through her employment and as a member of the Ngati Pikiao Claims Committee. She says her time as a trustee has been a "significant learning curve" and an opportunity. "I also feel that a female perspective adds a different dynamic to discussions across the board table".

Fred Cookson is a chartered accountant and senior partner in the firm Cookson Forbes KCSM Ltd based in Opotiki. The firm employs 17 staff, including the principals, with offices in Opotiki and Hamilton. Fred has more than 20 years' public practice experience. He has worked with clients in the primary and commercial sectors, including Maori Land Trusts and corporations throughout the Waiariki and Tairawhiti districts.

Edwin McKinnon has spent most of his working life in manual labour roles. He has developed an appreciation of the value of hard work and has a passion for working with his iwi. He brings more than 20 years' experience as a trustee on a number of Ngati Pikiao trusts and corporations.

Education has remained Jim Schuster's focus throughout his career. For almost 30 years, from primary through to tertiary education, Jim has worked to lift the opportunities of the regions people through learning.  He currently works for the NZ Historic Places Trust. His work takes him to many marae around the central North Island.

Mita Pirika brings years of experience gained in the banking sector and management roles in the Labour Department. He has worked in the kohanga reo and kura kaupapa sector, most recently as an administrator for Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Ruamata.

For Roger Pikia, maximising the potential of land and resources has been a lifelong focus. With more than 20 years' work in the agribusiness sector, he brings a wealth of practical and business experience. He is National Maori Strategist with AgResearch, based at the Ruakura Research Centre in Hamilton. He is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors and is studying towards a Master of Professional Studies, majoring in Agribusiness Management, at Lincoln University .

Wi Keepa Te Rangipuawhe Maika has had a stellar career in what was then the Labour Department for more than 40 years. This included stints in Wellington, Napier, Auckland, Wellington, Timaru and Lower Hutt before returning to Rotorua in 1988, as Area General Manager. He also maintained a strong commitment to his marae and iwi, while involving himself in regional and national Maori organisations. In recognition for his work for the Maori community he was awarded to the Queen's Service Order in 2007.

A 13-year veteran of the former Te Arawa Maori Trust Board, Ruka Hughes has been involved in community programmes, including the Community Law Centre, as Maori Adviser to Police, Safer Communities, Te Arawa Standing Committee and the Okataina Scenic Reserve Board. He has more than 20 years' experience in telecommunications. In 2005 Mr Hughes helped coordinate the first tertiary recognised training programme for Maori Wardens, a service he went on to join the following year and to which he was seconded as a councillor in 2007.

Wallace (Wally) Haumaha's position as the country's top Maori Police Officer hasn't hindered a lifetime of dedication to his Te Arawa and Ngararanui people. He has had an outstanding career as a teacher, a frontline police officer and as a detective. Currently he is Police National Manager, Maori, Pacific and Ethnic Services. He was awarded the Queen's Service Medal in 1996 for services to the community. In 2000 he was awarded the Police Commissioner's Commendation for establishing the first Memorandum of Understanding signed between police and 14 major iwi groups in the Bay of Plenty District. In 2002 he graduated from Waikato University with a Masters in Business Administration with Distinction.

Kaumatua Te Paroa Malcolm has dedicated a lifetime to education and working for the people of Te Arawa. Educated at Auckland Teachers Training College, he went on to become sole-charge teacher at Whaka Road School, Taihape; First Assistant Master at Whangamarino Maori School, Rotorua; head teacher at Pukenui Primary School, Te Kuiti, and later at Lichfield Primary School, Putaruru. He was then appointed Lecturer at Wellington Teachers College.