Te Nehenehenui Group CE, Sam Mikaere has announced this morning that Peter Douglas (Ngāti Uekaha) has been elected as Chair of Te Nehenehenui, with Bella Takiari-Brame (Apakura, Ngāti Tu, Ngāti Waikorora, Ngāti Te Waha, Ngāti Rōrā, Ngāti Waiora) elected as Deputy Chair.
The new appointments were confirmed at the first meeting of the initial trustees of Te Nehenehenui yesterday, following elections held in July-September.
“We’re privileged to have two leaders of such a high calibre. Their experience, skills and leadership will be invaluable for Te Nehenehenui and our people” says Mr Mikaere.
Mr Douglas was pleased to be elected by his fellow trustees and looks forward to continuing the momentum achieved by Te Nehenehenui over the past 12 months.
“It’s an honour to be given an opportunity to Chair the Board. My mother, Rāhera Barrett-Douglas, became Chair of the Maniapoto Māori Trust Board in 1998, so I’m fortunate to be able to follow in her footsteps. As one of the negotiators in the Maniapoto Treaty Settlement process, it’s exciting to be a part of the next steps of our journey.”
“This is a time of great opportunity for us. We have a lot of work to do, but I’m confident we can continue the momentum. We’re at a crucial phase as we look to implement our long-term strategy, Te Kawau Rukuroa.”
In 2021, Ms Takiari-Brame was appointed as the Establishment Chair of Te Nehenehenui following the path of many influential leadership within Maniapoto including her tuakana Rāhera Barrett-Douglas. “It was an honour to withdraw my nomination and support Peter as Chair. My hope is many of my tuakana and tamāhine see themselves as future Chairs of Te Nehenehenui and myself and Rāhera are not the only ones in the next 40 years.”
“I look forward to serving our people under Peters leadership alongside my peers. We will work together over the next two to three years bringing us closer to achieve the punga phase of Te Kawau Rukuroa.”
