Fletcher Tabuteau new chairman of the Te Puia New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Board in Rotorua

Former New Zealand First MP and Rotorua mayoral candidate Fletcher Tabuteau is the new chairman of the Te Puia New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute (NZMACI) Board.

Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka confirmed the appointment this week.

Tabuteau (Ngāti Ngāraranui, Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāti Whakaue) is also a former Rotorua Boys’ High School teacher, economics lecturer and head of the Business School at Waiariki Institute of Technology.

Fletcher Tabuteau is the new chairman of the Te Puia New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute (NZMACI) Board. Photo / NZME

He now runs Hoporona Consulting and serves as director of capital government relations and communications.

“I want to congratulate Fletcher on his appointment to the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Board,” Potaka said in a statement.

“His experience in governance, management and business will be an asset to the board and the important work they do to encourage and promote ahurea and toi Māori.”

NZMACI is based in Rotorua and is home to Te Wānanga Whakairo Rākau (National Wood Carving School), Te Takapū o Rotowhio (National Stone and Bone Carving School), and Te Rito o Rotowhio (National Weaving School).

“At its core, NZMACI fosters the protection and transfer of mātauranga Māori,” Potaka said.

“It is an integral part of the Rotorua economy and the wider Māori economy, contributing to the sustainable development of scenic and tourist attractions in the Rotorua district and across the motu.”

Tabuteau was deputy leader of NZ First from 2017 to 2020, and Rotorua mayoral candidate in 2022.