Kiriwaitingi Rei-Russell has a legal and governance background.
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See below for English translation
Kua tohungia a Kiriwaitingi Rei-Russell e te karauna ki te poari o Scion.
Nā Dr Ayesha Verral te minita Rangahau me te minita Pūtaiao te pānuitanga.Ka whakapāohotia hoki e ia ko Nicole Anderson me Phil Taylor kia noho mai ki te poari mō ngā tau e toru.
Hai te Hūrae te rua tekau mā whitu te whakatau matua i ēnei rangatira ki te pae nui. Nō Ngāti Whakaue, Tuhorangi, Ngāti Wahiao, Ngāti Toa Rangatira me Ngāti Awa a Kiriwaitingi.He mātanga nui ia.
He wahine mātauranga nui ki te ao kawanatanga-ā-rohe, he wahine mātauranga ture hoki.He māngai whakapiki i te kaha o te ohaoha Māori. Ka pau i a ia te kotahi ngahuru o ngā tau hai Tumuwhakarae mō te kamupene Māori Investments. Kai Māori Alliance kei Zespri ia e whakahaere ana i tāua kamupene.
Kai Maunganui e noho ana tēnei kamupene. He ahakoa kai te pākihi hua kiwi ia e mahi ana, kai te noho hoki ia hai rangatira whakahaere i te tūnga o Ngāti Awa Group Holdings Ltd, Waiu Dairy LP me Putauaki Trust.
Ko ia hoki te pikituranga mō Māori Kiwifruit Growers Inc, engari i mōhio hoki rānei kotou ko Kiriwaitingi te wahine tuatahi i whakawhiwhia ki te turanga nui ki te Ūniana o Bay of Plenty Rugby.
Ko ia hoki te wahine whakahaere i te poari o Auckland International Airport mai i te tau e rua mano kotahi tekau mā ono tae ki te tau e rua mano,kotahi tekau mā waru.
He kaupapa mana nui te whakahaere e ai ki a Kiriwaitingi.Ko te whakahuringa o te tai e kaha ai tātau te Māori ki tēnei ao. Ko tana kaupapa whiwhita tēnei, e noho rangatira anō ai te Māori ki ngā wāhi e kore e kitea te Māori.
E ai hoki ki a Kiriwaitingi’ Kia mātau marama kehokeho ai e te tangata ki ngā whanonga pono e ora roa ai te mauri o te whare.
Engari kua huri kē ngā whakaaro a te pahi ki a kaua noa e warea ki te pūtea engari ko te whakakaha i ngā ama o te waka, ara ko te pou-tiakitanga ko te manaakitanga otīā te mana o te waka e heke iho ēnei whakaaro ki te tangata’.Atu i tana mahi, he wahine pūrei netiporo tonu a Kiriwaitingi, kai te whakapakari tinana hoki ia, kai te ātamira o te kapa haka hoki ia.
E wehi ana a Dr Helen Anderson i te mana o ngā mema hou ki te poari.He mōhio nōku ko te wana kai a rātau ka heke iho ki a tātau katoa e ora ai te whare nui o Scion.’
Kai te whakapae pono hoki te poari, ko te whakahaere tika i te whare tētehi o ngā pou huriropa matua o te whare. Ka māturu iho mai te mātauranga o enei rangatira hai painga mō tātau katoa e hinga ai ngā taupa nui kai te aroaro o ā mātau kaupapa’.
Nō Ngapuhi, Te Roroa me Te Aupōuri a Nicole Anderson. He rangatira whakahaere ia. Kua puta hoki te hau rongo o tēnei tupuna ki ngā koko o te motu. Ko ia te rangatira whakahaere mō Kāinga Ora, Homes and Communities, Far North Holdings, Top Energy whaihoki ko ia te tiamana kei Northland Inc, Northland’s Regional Economic Development Agency.
Kātahi nei ia ka whakaeke atu hai tiamana mō te poari kai te International Accreditation New Zealand (IANZ).Ko te whare nui tēnei e aromatawaingia ana i ngā kaupapa whakamātautau ā Pūtaiao.
Kua wha tekau o ngā tau a Phil Taylor ki te ao o te nehenehe.Kua puta hoki tona hau rongo i ngā poari huhua o te hāpori me ngā tini taumata whakahaere kamupene he aha noa atu. Kāua ki Aoteaora anake engari ki tūā o te moana nui a Kiwa hoki.
Kua noho rangatira hoki a ia hai Tumuwhakarae ki te ao tiaki ngāhere mai i te tau kotahi mano, e iwa rau, e iwa tekau mā tahi te tau.Inaianei, kai Port Blakely ki Waitaha ki Te Wai Pounamu ia e whakahaere kaupapa ana.
Kai te poari o New Zealand Forest Owners Association hoki ia me te taratī o Forest Growers Levy.
Koia ēnei ngā rangatira hou ka noho ki te kāhui o Scion engari enei tokotoru ka whakapiritahatahi ki a Greg Mann, Stana Pezic, Dr John Ryder, Steve Wilson me Brendon Green. Nō Ngāti Hikairo nō Ngāpuhi tēnei rangatira.
—Na Raimona Inia i whakamaori
Rotorua born and raised Kiriwaitingi Rei-Russell has been appointed by the Crown to the board of Scion.
Her appointment was announced by the Minister of Research, Science and Innovation, Dr Ayesha Verrall.
Dr Verrall also announced the appointment of Nicole Anderson and Phil Taylor to the board for a three-year term.
They will be officially welcomed at a board meeting on July 27.
Kiriwaitingi has whakapapa to Ngati Whakaue, Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao, Ngati Toa Rangatira, and Ngati Awa. She has a legal and governance background with a strong focus on primary industries.
An advocate for Māori economic and commercial development, she was the chief executive at Māori Investments for 10 years and is now the Head of Māori Alliances at Zespri based in Mount Maunganui.
While being heavily involved in the kiwifruit industry, Kiriwaitingi currently holds directorships on Ngāti Awa Group Holdings Ltd, Waiu Dairy LP and Putauaki Trust. She is also the deputy chair of the Māori Kiwifruit Growers Inc and was the first woman appointed to the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union.
She was also a Future Director to the Board of Auckland lnternational Airport from 2016 to 2018.
Kiriwaitingi believes governance is important because it’s about making a difference, and she is passionate about changing the status quo around how companies and trusts operate. She says: “an understanding of the fundamental principles of good governance is crucial to the long-term stability and success of any entity.
However, the sole instrument for measuring success is no longer just economic outcomes - it is about complementing this with values of kaitiakitanga (environmental stewardship), manaakitanga (social responsibility), diversity and inclusion, and social equity”. In her free time Kiriwaitingi follows netball, F45 and kapa haka.
Scion board chair, Dr Helen Anderson, in welcoming the new board members said she was delighted by the calibre of the individuals appointed.
“Their passion for sustainability, economic development and good governance aligns perfectly with Scion’s mission, and I am confident that their contributions will be instrumental in shaping our organisation’s future success.
“Our board firmly believes that effective governance is the cornerstone of achieving long-term stability and excellence. Their collective experience and expertise will ensure that as a board, we are well-positioned to tackle the challenges and seize the opportunities ahead of us in the forestry and biobased sectors.”
Nicole Anderson (Ngāpuhi, Te Roroa, Te Aupōuri) is a chartered professional director, who has governance experience across a range of sectors, including strategic analysis, business planning and commercial development.
She is currently a director at Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities, Far North Holdings, Top Energy and is the chair at Northland Inc, Northland’s Regional Economic Development Agency. She has also recently become board chair at International Accreditation New Zealand (IANZ), the national authority for the accreditation of testing and calibration laboratories, inspection bodies and radiology services.
Phil Taylor brings four decades of experience in commercial forestry.
He has served on numerous boards and directorships, primarily focusing on research and development and community service organisations. He has international experience in forestry and governance and has held chief executive roles in forestry since 1999.
Currently, he is managing director at Port Blakely in Canterbury, overseeing all of NZ Forestry’s holdings. He also serves on the board of both the New Zealand Forest Owners Association and the Forest Growers Levy Trust.
The trio joins existing Scion directors Greg Mann, Stana Pezic, Dr Jon Ryder, Steve Wilson and Brendon Green (Ngāti Hikairo, Ngāpuhi).
Walker mentors six jade carvers in Rotorua.