Western Bay of Plenty District mayor Garry Webber is among those present at the pōhiri for Dame Patsy Reddy this morning.
Others include representatives from the Tauranga Art Gallery and The Kollective.
Dame Patsy said she was "very pleased" to be in Tauranga Moana.
She said it was almost 10 years ago she was on Huria Marae as the newly-appointed treaty settlement negotiator.
She said the settlement process was difficult, and the grievances went back centuries.
She said she was able to understand the extent of the injustices suffered by the iwi and hapu during her visits, and the importance of tikanga and te reo Māori.
Her experiences as the negotiator were "among the hardest but most rewarding" of her life and have stuck with her.
Presentations from iwi members and community organisations would follow.
She said she was looking forward to hearing from them, calling for "agile thinking" to succeed in the future.
The Bay of Plenty is hosting the Governor-General for a rare, four-day whistle-stop visit this week, kicking of in Tauranga with a pōhiri at Huria Marae.
This week's visit by Dame Patsy and husband Sir David Gascoigne will encompass Tauranga, Whakatāne and Rotorua.
Dame Patsy has links with the area and Huria Marae as a former chief Crown negotiator of Treaty settlements for Tauranga Moana.
Later today she will officially open The Kollective, a new community co-working space before doing the honours at the opening of the Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service facility.
Tomorrow the couple will visit Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi in Whakatāne where they will spend time with young robotics students and student nurses working with HoloLens technology.
The day ends with a reception for stakeholders and organisations involved with Dame Patsy's visit.
On Thursday Dame Patsy will be officially welcomed to Rotorua at Te Papaiouru Marae.
After the pōhiri in the morning, she will visit the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute at Te Puia, with a reception for Rotorua community organisations that evening.
On Friday she will visit the Fire and Emergency New Zealand National Training Centre before heading to Scion to find out more about their research into kauri dieback.
Then it's a trip to innovative library and children's healthcare hub Te Aka Mauri and a final stop to see the restored Te Arawa Soldiers' Memorial in Government Gardens.
Two big business donations capped off the six-week fundraising drive.