It's all change for leadership of iwi

Vanessa Eparaima has been elected chairwoman of South Waikato iwi Raukawa.

Mrs Eparaima was elected by a clear majority to replace departing Raukawa Settlement Trust (RST) chairman Chris McKenzie who did not seek a second term as chairman.

The election of chair occurred at the quarterly RST board meeting held at Mangakaretumarae, near Putaruru, last month.

Mr McKenzie was recently appointed as a senior political adviser, a position which required him to stand down as chairman, but he remains on the trust's board.

Mrs Eparaima, who is the Mokai marae representative on the RST, said she was honoured and humbled by the strong support from her fellow board members.

"These are exciting times for Raukawa. I am honoured to be in position where I will work with my fellow trustees and Raukawa staff, to continue the strong momentum already achieved for our iwi to date."

She said there were significant milestones on the horizon for the iwi, including the completion of outstanding Treaty of Waitangi Settlement negotiations, and the review and implementation of the post settlement structures best suited to ensure Raukawa achieves its potential as a post-settlement iwi.

"We are confident we will conclude our settlement negotiations with the Crown in the coming weeks, and we are continuing to review and enhance our governance and management structures to ensure we are using our resources and man-power most effectively to drive Raukawa development."

Mrs Eparaima is the inaugural chairwoman of Raukawa Iwi Development Ltd (RIDL), the commercial arm of the iwi, set up to protect tribal assets and to grow the wealth of the tribe. A share of profits from RIDL fund social and cultural initiatives for Raukawa marae and hapu.

The company which has an asset and investment base of more than $47 million was formed in July 2010. Mrs Eparaima will stand down as chairwoman of RIDL in June this year, once remaining director vacancies has been filled and the process of electing a new chair has been completed.

Mr McKenzie said he was grateful to have someone with Mrs Eparaima's talents and dedication.