Kāhu ki Rotorua: Lakes Trust’s Karen Vercoe going to job at Tari Taiwhenua

Te Arawa Lakes Trust ceo Karen Vercoe is moving on to a new role. Photo / Supplied

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See below for English translation

He māhiti ki runga, he paepaeroa ki raro

Kua pau i a Karen Vercoe e ono o ngā tau hai tumuwhakarae mō Te Arawa Lakes Trust. Hai te Āperira o tēnei tau ka nuku ia kia tana tūnga hou ki Te Tari Taiwhenua hai tumuwhakarae tuarua mō te wāhanga Māori whakarite rautaki.

Koia tētehi wāhanga o Te Tari Taiwhenua. He Ngāti Pikiao, he Ngāti Makino, otīā he Ngai Te Arawa a Karen. He mātanga whakahirahira ia ki tēnei momo mahi, kua niho roa ki tēnei ao whakahaere.

Hai tā te tiamana o te taratī o Te Arawa ki a Geoff Rolleston, e hakū nei, e tangi mapū nei te tini tangata o Te Arawa i tana wehenga atu. E tika ana ko ia te kanohi kitea o te iwi, te pou tokomanawa i ngā wā o te taumahatanga.’ Ka pōuri tātau i tana wehenga engari anō ngā painga nui ka hua i tana haerenga hou. Mō Te Tari Taiwhenua otīā mō tātau te Māori. ' Hai tāpiritanga ki ngā mahi kua oti noa i a ia, tērā ko te wāwāhi i ngā ngaru taioreore e kaha ai te oranga-ā-putea, ā-ahurea, ā taiao mō tātau katoa te iwi Māori.

Nō te wā o te kōwheori, ka whakaturia hoki e ia te whare haumaru mō te iwi. Kai taua wā tonu, ka whakapakaringia e ia te rautaki taiao o Te Arawa’.

Ko te nuinga o āna tūnga mahi he papa hāpai, he papa kawe i ngā hiahia me ngā wawata o te hapū me te iwi ki raro iho i te mana o Te Tiriti o Waitangi, hai whakakōkiri i te iwi Māori ki ngā pae huhua o te ao hou, pēnei me te ao pākihi me te hauora me ētehi atu wāhanga. He ahakoa kai te wehe ia i tana mahi, hai tāna ka pūritia e ia te mauriora o āna poumahi ki ngā kokonga huhua o tana ngākau. Ā kāore e ārikarika āna kupu aroha ki āna rangatira katoa. ' Kai te ngāua tonutia tana puku i tēnei whakaaro āna, engari kai te whakapono ia ki te mana o āna poumahi, ka tiakina tonutia e rātau te wai, te whenua me ngā tini whānau e pakari katoa ai tātau ā te pae tawhiti’.

Kua whakamihia hoki āna mahi e te motu.

During her time at Te Arawa Lakes Trust Karen Vercoe reached out into the community to create jobs and prosperity.

Nō te tau, e rua mano, e rua tekau mā tahi ka whakawhiwhia e ia ki Te Tohu Āpiha mō āna mahi rangatira i te ao porohīanga me te mana whakahaere. Nō te tau, e rua mano, kotahi tekau mā ono ka whakawhiwhia hoki e ia ki te Dame Mira Szászy Māori tohu ākonga o mua. Nō te tau, e rua mano, e rua tekau ka whiriwhiringia e ia mō te kaupapa Common Purpose global leadership, ā, nō te tau e rua mano, kotahi tekau mā waru koia tētehi o te kāhui wāhine toa, e rua tekau mā rima kia tū hai kanohi mō te wahine Māori ki te hui Australia New Zealand Indigenous Women’s Business Network.

Kai te pae o Hākinakina Aotearoa ia hai mema pōari, ā, koia hoki te tiamana mō Te Pūmautanga o Te Arawa me te Data Iwi Leaders Forum.

He toa porohīanga onamata. Nō te tau kotahi mano, e iwa rau, e iwa tekau mā ono, koia tētehi o ngā toa pūrei pā-whutuporo me te whutupōro mō Aotearoa.

He mema pōari tawhito hoki ia i noho ki te pae Sport Industry Training Organisation Māori me te kaupapa OSCAR. He kāhui atawhai whutupōro tēnei rōpū puta noa te ao. Ka oti, Nō te tau e rua mano, kotahi tekau mā whitu, koia hoki tētehi o ngā pene tuhituhi mō te Sports Review Māori. Ka nui hoki te mihi ki a Shine Collection mō ngā korero nei. — Na Raimona Inia i whakamaori

English Translation

After six years at the helm of Te Arawa Lakes Trust, Karen Vercoe is leaving the organisation in April to take up an exciting role with Te Tari Taiwhenua, Department of Internal Affairs.

Vercoe (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Makino, Te Arawa) takes over as Deputy Chief Executive | Māori, Strategy and Performance with the department.

She has extensive experience in governance and working for her hapu and iwi.

Trust chairman Geoff Rolleston says Vercoe’s departure will be keenly felt across not only Te Arawa Lakes Trust, but the wider iwi, whose wellbeing and prosperity have been her primary focus and driving force, particularly in recent times.

“While there is an element of sadness to Karen’s departure, her new role will see her make a meaningful contribution to Te Tari Taiwhenua, and in turn, positively impact the mahi it does with, and for, Māori.”

Vercoe has been an invaluable asset to Te Arawa Lakes Trust, undeniably helping to improve the lives of whānau across the rohe, Rolleston says.

Te Arawa Lakes Trust ceo Karen Vercoe is moving on to a new role. Photo / Supplied

“In her time leading the Trust, Karen has grown the team from two employees to more than 100, growing its environmental contracts immeasurably to support our mandated mahi through our lakes settlement.

“In doing so, she has created dozens of jobs for whānau across Te Arawa rohe.

“In addition, she has led other kaupapa to help drive better social, economic, cultural and environmental outcomes for Māori, including establishing Te Arawa COVID Hub, while also actively enabling the development of Te Arawa Climate Change Strategy,” Mr Rolleston said. Ms Vercoe’s existing and previous roles have centred around honouring obligations to hapū, iwi and Māori under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and the advancement of Māori across business, development, health and other areas.

She says she will treasure her time at the Trust and is incredibly proud of the mahi her team does across the rohe.

“It has not been an easy decision to leave the organisation that I feel so passionate about, but I know our incredible team will continue to carry out the Trust’s crucial mahi, protecting our wai, whenua and whānau, now and into the future.”

Her work has been recognised by the nation.

In 2021 Vercoe received the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Sport and Governance and was awarded the Dame Mira Szászy Māori Alumni Award in 2016. In 2020 she was selected for the Common Purpose global leadership programme and in 2018, one of 25 Māori women selected for the Australia New Zealand Indigenous Women’s Business Network.

Vercoe is a current board member for Sport NZ, and was the elected Chairperson of Te Pūmautanga o Te Arawa and Data Iwi Leaders Forum. A double sports international, Ms Vercoe represented Aoteaora in touch and in rugby for the Black Ferns in 1996.

She previously served as an elected member on the Sport Industry Training Organisation Māori Board and the OSCAR Foundation.OSCAR fosters football among populations all over the world.

She was also the author of Sport NZ’s Māori Participation in Sport Review in 2017.

■ Thanks to the Shine Collective for this story.