Māori governance wānanga

Presentation

Speaker(s): Dr Jim Mather
Date: 9:30am — 3:30pm, 28 February 2026
Venue: Rāpaki Marae
Location: 37 Rāpaki Drive, Rāpaki, Ōtautahi 8971
Price members: $20.00 incl GST
Price non-members: $20.00 incl GST

Te Moana Nui

Te Moana Roa

Au tuke, Au Miha

Ka riporipo

Ka Pari Mai ki Tai o Mahaanui

Ka Pari Mai ki au hāro o Whakaraupō

Ka tau, ka tau au I konei

Tihei mauri ora!

E ngā rangatira, e ngā iwi o te motu

Nau mai, haere mai, tautī mai ki Te Rāpaki o Te Rakiwhakaputa!

Overview

Join us for a powerful day of kōrero, learning and inspiration at our Māori governance wānanga, designed to uplift and strengthen Māori governors, directors and emerging leaders.

Featuring keynote insights from esteemed Māori governance professionals, including Dr Jim Mather (Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tūhoe), alongside other inspirational directors, this wānanga offers a rare opportunity to learn directly from those leading at the highest levels of Māori and national governance.

Come together to wānanga, connect, and be inspired as we collectively strengthen the future of Māori governance.

Nau mai, piki mai, haere mai.

Let’s build strong governance for our people and the generations to come.

Hosted by Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke

Event details

9:30am – Pōwhiri
10:00am – Wānanga
3:00pm – Poroporoaki

Kai will be provided throughout the day

Purpose of the wānanga

The purpose of this wānanga is to:

Create a dedicated space to explore governance through a Māori worldview, grounded in tikanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Support Māori governors - both experienced and emerging - to navigate their governance journeys with confidence and cultural integrity.
Strengthen governance connections and capability across iwi, hapū, and Māori organisations.
Integrate Te Ao Māori governance values with best-practice governance, shaping boards that reflect our people, culture, and aspirations.

Speakers

Dr Jim Mather

CFInstD

Dr Jim Mather is of Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tūhoe and English descent, and grew up in the communities of Te Teko, Ōtara and Māngere.

A Chartered Accountant with the Chartered Accountants of New Zealand / Australia and Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Directors (IoD), Jim has been a professional director and the founder of a specialist Māori development consultancy, holding a Masters of Business Administration from the Henley Business School in England and a Bachelor of Business Studies (Accounting). He also completed a PhD in Māori economic development through AUT University in 2014.

With business management experience spanning 25 years, Jim has held a variety of private sector roles and currently holds numerous governance roles within private, government, not-for-profit and iwi organisations. In 2018 he completed his final Chief Executive role with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa (New Zealand’s second largest tertiary institution) after a 5-year term. This followed a 9-year tenure as Chief Executive of Māori Television, and prior to that he was Chief Executive of the Pacific Business Trust for almost three years.

Jim is passionate about Māori development and contributing to the strengthening of all entities that he is entrusted to support in either advisory or governance roles.

Aligned with his commercial background, Jim is also a former officer in the New Zealand Army, and was awarded the Sword of Honour in recognition of his distinguished achievements in Officer training. He served for six years in the NZ Army before leaving to further his career and educational aspirations.

Additional information

Should you have any dietary, mobility, cultural or other requirements, you can let us know on the registration form.

By registering for this event, you are confirming that you agree to adhere to our event terms and conditions.

Branch event cancellation policy

Regrettably, registration fees cannot be refunded when cancellations are received within two working days prior to any branch event. See our standard terms and conditions for more information.