Tuhoe seek to appoint chief executive

Tuhoe have ended the year strongly and are well on the way to setting up a new tribal entity, which will have a $200 million asset base.

The Urewera-based iwi are looking for a chief executive, whom they hope to appoint by mid-February, to head its new tribal authority - Tuhoe - and have recently appointed a trust board.

New chairman Tamati Kruger said the latest moves are a result of the Blueprint - a foundation document - which was completed in July of this year.

"The blueprint outlines what it [the iwi authority] would look like, the work for us to be done, our priorities and how it will operate."

It is the result of two years' collaboration with workshops and input from Tuhoe hapu, kaumatua, pukenga (adults) and Tuhoe iwi entities.

Mr Kruger said the completed blueprint was then referred back to iwi and accepted as the founding document. The vote was by 97 per cent and Mr Kruger said this gave them the "confidence of mandate".

The seven board members are elected according to their geographic regions - two representatives from Waimana, Ruatahuna and Ruatoki and one representative from Waikaremoana. They are appointed for a three-year term but Mr Kruger said in future they are looking at a five-year term.

The trustees are Tamati Cairns, Te Tokawhakaea Temara, Patrick McGarvey, Lorna Taylor, Martin Rakuraku and Matt Te Pou.