Our People

Pepeha

Taku piki amokura, nō tua whakarere, nō te pae ururangi he tipua ee! He mana hikinuku, he mana hikirangi nō te pae ki tawhiti anei tata ee! He uri nō ngā marae o Ngāti Rangi me Ngāti Uenuku. E noho ana ahau ki Raetihi, ā, he pānga anō ōku ki Ngāti Maru, Te Ātiawa me Ngāti Tūwharetoa.

Ngāti Haua

I was born and raised in Taumarunui. My upbringing features first and foremost te ahi kā o Titi Tihu. My grandfather Titi Tihu provided the learning that ensured that I would always bring my family home to Tawata for Christmas and New Year, learn the skills required for successful māra kai and what would one day be my key involvement in issues facing the iwi, hapū and whānau of Te Awa Tupua.

I see my role as a representative for all our people from the upper to the lower reaches of our Awa. I have no doubt that good governance with good strategy will ensure safe outcomes, with our first accountability to our marae and people. Communication is an imperative, kanohi ki te kanohi, I hope that my appointment provides an added opportunity to ensure our people continue to be involved in decisions which affect them both now and in the future. 

Pepeha

Ngā Paerangi, Ngāti Tuera, Ngāti Hinearo, Ngāti Rangi
Tū ana te kāhui maunga i te pito o te ika a Māui Tikitiki-ā-Taranga
Taka wai rā te mātāpuna, ngā kōrero, me ngā whakapapa
E rere kau ana ngā tikanga o ōku tupuna
I rō ngā riporipo, ngā ngaru o te awa o Whanganui Tae atu kautau ki te punawai, ki te puna ora, ki te puna aroha o Tangaroa
Tūturu whakamaua kia tina, tina!
Haumia hui e! Taikī e!

Tū mai rā taku manu ki ngā tihi tapu o Paretetaitonga, o runga o Koro Ruapehu
Mātai atu taku titiro ki Tongariro maunga, te mātāpuna o te inu wai mōhio
Tērā a Te Wainui-ā-Rua te tere atu ki te ākau ki Te Kaihau-ā-Kupe Tere whakauta taku manu ki te riu o Kaiwhaiki, ka tau taku noho ki te tangi a Te Rongo o Te Poi a Tohu Kakahi. Tū mai rā Tunuhaere hei āhurutanga mō te iti, mō te rahi o te iwi o Ngā Paerangi. Kiritahitia mai ki te whare o te kōrero ki a Te Kiritahi rāua ko Te Whakahāwea te tū mai hei whare wānanga mōku.

He tama whakatipuria ahau e ōku kaumātua a Wipaki Peeti rāua ko Te Kuia Peeti (nee Tawaroa), ki te reo me ōnā tikanga o Whanganui ake. He whakapono nui nō rāua ki te ahurea Māori me ōna taonga katoa.
Tēnei ahau a Tamahaia Skinner, he uri whakaheke mai i te tupuna a Paerangi e
whakamānawa atu nei.

Pepeha

He uri āhau nō ngā wai e rua e rere mai i Te Kāhui Maunga. Ko Waikato taniwharau, he piko he taniwha. Me ko Te Awa Tupua o Whanganui, kei kō iti atu rā te kōrero: Ko au te awa ko te awa ko au. Flowing from the Clan of Mountains are two mighty rivers that I descend from. Waikato of a hundred leaders, where every bend there is a chief. And the sacred Whanganui, where its people say: I am the River, and the River is me.

Candidate Statement

E te iwi, maranga ake ai!

I tupu au ki raro i te aroha o Te Awa Tupua me ōna kiore. Nō taku whānautanga mai, ki Te Kōhanga Reo o Te Kohinga Aroha, ki Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Tūpoho, ki Te Aute Kāreti, ā, ki Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato hoki. Nā te whāriki a tō koutou aroha i whai tohu au hei ringa mahi mō te iwi.

I hold 3 degrees (Law, Māori, and Development). And yet, I know that my qualifications, mean nothing when I go to our marae and get thrown the smelly damp tea-towel to do the dishes, peel the potatoes, cut meat with the semi-blunt butcher-knife (sorry Uncle) or participate on the paepae.

Working in both worlds is key, in my legal mahi and amongst our people, this is something that I have been nurtured and raised to do by our people, for our people. Now, I have been encouraged to step up as a Trustee for Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui, and aim to do our Kaumātua, Rangatakapū, and Rangatahi justice.

My main aim is for us to take better care of ourselves so that we can take better care of our River.

I will focus on investing in ourselves, using our Treaty partners to our benefit, employing our own uri for our own mahi, and be a sound voice against bad property and business investments that do not reach our people.

NGĀTI TUPOHO, NGĀTI RANGI

Ko Raymond Tauroa tōku pāpā, Ko Nga Puhi me Ngati Kahu ki Whangaroa te iwi, Nō Kaeo hau kāinga. 
Ko Aria Pohe-Graham tōku māmā, Ko Ngāti Tupoho me Ngāti Rangi ngā hapū, Ko Taihape te hau kāinga. 
Ko Siani Walker tōku ingoa, Nō Whanganui ahau.
I grew up in Whanganui, holidayed in Taihape, and tripped up and down Te Awa Tupua with my nanny Ani-Paki Waitai Haapu.

Those are times and memories that have ignited my desire to reconnect with Te Awa Tupua, be informed by Te Awa Tupua hapū, and especially important is to make time to enjoy with my whānau.  As an appointed Advisory Trustee to Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui Trust, I am humbled by the knowledge, passion and commitment of those before me who have incrementally and staunchly lead the kaupapa for Te Awa Tupua. I hope to contribute to that kaupapa and the mahi needed to have the voice of Te Awa Tupua heard, to have the recognition of Te Awa Tupua clearly understood by communities and to make a contribution and difference in the care, nuture and management of this taonga.

NGĀTI RURU, NGĀTI UENUKU

Sheena has spent more than 15 years working for the River having started at the Whanganui River Māori Trust Board under the leadership of the late Sir Archie Taiaroa.  In 2012 Sheena took an active role in the management of the Trust Board as they transitioned through the Whanganui River Claim and supported the negotiation team.  Sheena worked through the establishment of Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui as a senior member of the staff until leaving to establish her own consultancy company Raukura Ltd.  Sheena was appointed to Ngā Tāngata Tiaki through the Te Rūnanga o Te Awa Tupua process and was elected Chairperson by her peers upon their appointment in 2021.  

Ngāti Uenuku, Ngāti Ruru, Ngāti Kurawhatia, Ngāti Huirapa

Nancy has whakapapa connections to Whanganui (Te Atihaunui-a-Pāpārangi, Ngāti Rangi) and has extensive experience in governance, management and Māori and iwi development.

She has held senior management roles within the public sector, including serving as chief advisor to the chief executive of Te Puni Kōkiri/Ministry for Māori Development for three years, and serving as the chief executive of Whanganui health provider Te Oranganui between 2012 and 2016.

Nancy was an initial Trustee for Ngā Tāngata Tiaki Trust when it was first established in 2015, and again in 2018 as she supported the establishment phase of the Trust.

Nancy also represented the Trust on Te Whawhaki, the Whanganui Iwi Development Trust as the elected Chair. 

In June 2021, Nancy stepped down from her governance roles to take on the job of Kaihautū of the Trust.

This role is the next step in Nancy's life-long journey and commitment to Te Awa Tupua.