Te Wānanga o Aotearoa Announce Nine Senior Leadership Appointments
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa (TWoA) has today announced the nine successful candidates from a major senior leadership
recruitment process launched in March.
The recruitment process sought the best candidates from Aotearoa and further afield to take up the new position of
deputy chief executive and a newly expanded senior leadership team made up of a Tumu (director) of academic programmes,
tauira (student) services, education delivery services, marketing, people, information technology, finance, and head of
executive operations.
The new leadership team and structure is part of Te Raumairanga - a progressive redesign of TWoA, to further enhance its
structure and systems and to continuously improve the services delivered to the tens of thousands of tauira who study
with the institution each year.
TWoA chief executive Jim Mather said he was overwhelmed by the high number and quality of applicants for all positions.
“It is a testament to the incredible work being done by our kaimahi (staff) that we have experienced such a high level
of interest and quality of applicants, both externally and internally for all roles.”
Mr Mather said the process emphasised the vibrant future before the institution both in the depth of the people who are
presently part of the TWoA team, but also by the level of interest from those externally who are eager to join the
institution.
“We have focused on appointing the very best applicants for each role, which has ensured the formation of a powerful and
talented team who are absolute experts in their respective fields.”
The appointments included a well-balanced mix of internal and external applicants, he said.
The successful candidates are:
• Te Taituarā - Deputy Chief Executive: John Whaanga
• Tumuakoranga – Executive Director Academic Programmes & Development: Pakake Winiata
• Tumuratonga – Executive Director Tauira (Student) Services: Keri Milne-Ihimaera
• Tumuaramātauranga – Executive Director Education Delivery Services: Nepia Winiata
• Tumukahuroa – Executive Director Marketing: Hone Paul
• Tumuhangarau – Executive Director Information Technology: Garry Johnston
• Tumuwhanake – Executive Director People: Brent Sincock
• Tumutahua – Executive Director Finance: Bronwyn Koroheke
• Tumutaumatua – Head of Executive Operations: Leesah Murray
Mr Mather said as TWoA is the largest Māori organisation in Aotearoa - employing more than 1,500 kaimahi to serve almost
32,000 tauria across the country, more than half of whom are Māori – it was important that all successful applicants
demonstrated a passion and commitment to tikanga and te reo Māori.
“We are an institution guided by Māori principles and values, it is important that those values are embraced by our
leadership and by all within our institution. We are focused on ensuring Te Wānanga o Aotearoa continues in its progress
to become the premier Māori employer in Aotearoa”.
“We are entering the next part of our organisational development programme and I am very excited by the opportunity
before us. We have now completed an essential process of Te Raumairanga to ensure we have the strongest expertise
available across our leadership team to take us to the next level.”
Mr Mather said a pōwhiri to welcome each new tumu would occur in the coming months as they come on board. This would be
followed by a hīkoi to take the new executive leadership team to each of the institution’s six regions to meet staff.
“This appointment process provides solid steps in our progress to ensure a more dynamic and agile Te Wānanga o Aotearoa,
that is better positioned to maximise the exciting opportunities available to serve the people of Aotearoa and to
deliver whānau transformation through education.”
End