Award winners

2025 Aspiring Māori Director Award

Te Teira Pitama

Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu

Te Teira is a solicitor in the commercial and corporate team at Simpson Grierson. Originally from Ōtautahi, he attended Christchurch Boys’ High School before completing a Bachelor of Arts in Māori and Indigenous Studies and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) at the University of Waikato.

Te Teira currently serves on the board of Te Poho o Tamatea, having joined in October 2024. His governance journey is grounded in a deep commitment to kaupapa Māori and a desire to use his legal and commercial skills to uplift hapū and iwi. He is driven by values of service, integrity, and intergenerational impact.

As a young professional in governance, Te Teira recognises the importance of representation and hopes his journey encourages other rangatahi to step into leadership roles early and bring their unique perspectives to the boardroom. He is committed to growing his governance capability and contributing to high-performing organisations that deliver meaningful outcomes for their communities and Aotearoa as a whole.

Te Teira will serve an internship on the board of Presbyterian Support (Upper South Island), co-chaired by Andrew Johnson and Sharyn Roberts  MInstD, and will be mentored by Jane Huria DistFInstD.

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2025 Emerging Director Awards

Craig Dunstan

Craig is an experienced leader in both the public and private sectors, with a proven track record in customer-centred infrastructure, operations, and strategic leadership. His career spans leadership roles across hospitality, retail, and transport and executive positions in State and Local Government in Australia. For the past 8½ years, he has been a senior leader at Christchurch International Airport, where he is Head of Terminal Transformation.

 

He considers himself quite early in his governance journey, which is an exciting and yet at times daunting place to be. He completed the Company Directors course — an experience that reminded him just how much he dislikes timed exams; and since then, he has focused on governance learning and development, including helping the Canterbury branch roll out the Governance in Action programme.

 

Earlier this year, he joined the Board of Trustees for the Student Volunteer Army (SVA), where he now chairs the Audit & Risk Committee. The passionate team at SVA continues to assist our community in times of crisis, with over 40,000 volunteers nationally. Recently, they deployed over 100 volunteers to the Nelson flood response, helping with recovery efforts and property clean-up.

 

Craig holds an MBA in Sustainable Business from the University of South Australia, a Bachelor of Business in Tourism, and has recently qualified for Chartered Membership.

 

He considers himself extremely fortunate to have secured one of the highly sought-after Emerging Director positions, where he will be able to sit on the Board of Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust in an observational capacity.  It is an exciting opportunity to learn from a group of passionate and talented individuals and right out of the blocks, Craig feels connected to the organisation’s values and vision of helping our neighbours through the provision of affordable homes and building sustainable communities.

 

He is keen to continue exploring good governance foundations, sustainable financial models, and risk appetites for boards overseeing expanding businesses. Craig extends his thanks to the IoD Canterbury Branch, Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust, and his patient wife—who is unwaveringly supportive, even when it includes occasional late-night reading sessions in bed and out loud ponderings. 

 

Craig will serve an internship on the board of Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust, chaired by Darren Evans MInstD, and be will mentored by Brian Wood DistFInstD.

Amanda Ng

 

Amanda brings a strong blend of technical financial acumen, strategic foresight, and people-centred leadership to the boardroom. As an experienced investment adviser, she has seen firsthand how robust financial management and well-structured strategies can transform both organisational outcomes and community wellbeing. She has supported not-for-profit boards and community organisations by applying her technical expertise in risk management, capital deployment, and strategic investment, while ensuring decisions remain grounded in empathy, fiscally sound and purpose-driven for the long-term. 

 

Amanda currently serves on the board of Oxford Health Charity Ltd, and is Chair of the Institute of Financial Professionals New Zealand (INFINZ) in the Christchurch committee, as well a member of the IoD Young Directors Steering Group and IoD Canterbury Branch Committee. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting & Management), Diploma in Chinese Studies, Certificate in Financial Services (Investments & Insurance), and is aspiring towards becoming a Chartered Member. Her previous governance contributions span health, education, and community sectors, where she has developed practical and best practice insights into how strong governance frameworks safeguard organisational sustainability and mission delivery. 

Amanda is excited and honoured to be a recipient of the prestigious IoD Emerging Director award. She is committed to advancing diversity of thought in governance, as she believes that diverse voices bring richer perspectives, challenge groupthink, and foster innovation—helping boards better reflect the multi-cultural and multi-generational communities they serve. This opportunity marks a pivotal step in her journey to build a legacy of governance that balances strategy, accountability, and purpose—ensuring organisations remain resilient and impactful in a changing world. 

As part of her award, Amanda is thrilled to have been appointed to an internship with Canterbury Scientific’s board, where she looks forward to learning from experienced directors in a commercial governance setting. Beyond her internship, she intends to continue formal directorship studies through the Institute of Directors, further deepening her technical capability and strengthening her governance pathway. 

Amanda will serve an internship on the board of Canterbury Scientific, chaired by John Barr CFInstD, and will be mentored by Grant Adams CFInstD.

George Lilley

 

George is an experienced engineering professional with a 15-year career as a civil engineer and project manager, working across the mining, oil and gas, irrigation, and dairy industries in both Australia and New Zealand. He is now based in Methven, Mid Canterbury, where he operates a mixed cropping and lamb-finishing farm alongside his freelance engineering work.

 

In recent years, George has developed a strong interest in governance. He currently serves on the boards of the Lauriston Farm Improvement Club, Lyndhurst Community Society, and Methven A&P Association, and previously completed a year as an intern director with Ashburton Lyndhurst Irrigation Ltd. His governance experience has been further supported by a six-month governance training programme with the Mayfield Group and several short courses with the Institute of Directors.

George holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) and a Master of Engineering Management (Distinction) from the University of Canterbury, along with additional postgraduate qualifications in project management. He brings to governance a practical and analytical skillset shaped by his engineering background, with expertise in cost and schedule oversight, risk management, health and safety, and stakeholder engagement on major infrastructure projects.

He is grateful to the IoD selection committee for selecting him as an Emerging Director and is looking forward to the year ahead with the EA board. During the programme, his focus will be on strengthening financial literacy and broadening his governance capability. Beyond the programme, George is eager to continue building his governance career, with a particular interest in primary industry cooperatives.

George will serve an internship on the board of EA Networks, chaired by Andrew Barlass MInstD, and will be mentored by Graham Kennedy DistFInstD.