Queen's Birthday Honours: Rahera Ohia Just like her father did

Rahera Ohia with her dog Scruffy. Photo/George Novak

Following in her father's footsteps Tauranga's Rahera Ohia has received a Queen's Service Medal for her services for Maori.

She is the chief executive of Te Au Maro o Ngati Pukenga, the entity responsible for conducting the Treaty of Waitangi settlement negotiations for Ngati Pukenga.

Her father was one of the earliest claimants for the Waitangi Tribunal and received a Queen's Service Award in 1988.

Mrs Ohia is also chair of Te Tawharau o Ngati Pukenga, the post-settlement governance entity created to receive Ngati Pukenga's settlement assets.

Mrs Ohia said the most important and exciting part of her roles was deciding what happened after the settlements had been made.

"How do we create substantial opportunities for our people and how can things be made a little different for them," she said.

Te Tawharau o Ngati Pukenga had already started developing different projects including a model for micro enterprise for Maori people to set up their own small business as well as a range of commercial investments. It also looks at education strategies to improve education achievement levels for Maori.

She has had a public service career that has spanned 17 years across several departments and a number of diverse roles. Mrs Ohia is serving her second term as a member of the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic Council.