Massey post for Rangitāne CEO Oriana Paewai

Rangitāne o Tamaki nui a Rua chief executive Oriana Paewai who has been appointed a member of the Massey University Council.

Rangitāne o Tamaki nui a Rua chief executive Oriana Paewai has been appointed to the Massey University Council by the Minister of Education.

She is one of two new members. The other is Traci Houpapa who was named as a vice chancellor nominated member.

The appointments boost the council's Māori representation to four of the 12 members, alongside council member Tina Wilson and chancellor Michael Ahie, who was also re-elected as Massey University chancellor.

Rangitāne o Tamaki nui a Rua is a large iwi health and social service provider based in Dannevirke. Paewai became involved in the health sector in 2001 when she joined the MidCentral District Health Board public health service as Kaihapai, Toiora Māori (health promotion adviser), where she now serves as deputy chair.

Houpapa specialises in strategic and economic development advice to Māori, iwi, public and private sector clients and is known for her strong and inclusive leadership, with a clear focus on building the wealth and prosperity of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Ahie said the appointments reflected the university's aspiration to be a Te Tiriti-led institution.

"As chancellor I'm extremely pleased to be able to welcome two such highly-talented directors to the university council," Ahie said.

"Both bring a wealth of experience and I am confident will be an asset to the university in addressing the challenges ahead.

"In 2017, our university took the bold step to be Te Tiriti-led institution and commit to authentic leadership in Aotearoa New Zealand, upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its principles through our practice, and these appointments reflect the strides we have taken to begin to realise that ambition."

The new appointments bring the total number of Māori members on Massey University's council to four, meaning that together with Nigel Barker, who is of Fijian descent, nearly half of the council now come from Māori or Pasifika backgrounds, ensuring that the university has diverse representation at its highest level.