Teen at the table

The words still ring in Hunaara Waerehu’s ears – “Shut your mouth and listen”. He did and his actions now speak louder than words.

Waerehu MInstD, who at 19 (he will turn 20 in August) is the youngest of the IoD’s 10,260 members, took that advice to heart as he stepped into his first governance role, as an associate director of Hikurangi Enterprises at the age of 16, while still at school. He then became a full director in July 2021.

“I’m quite outspoken in the community but the first advice my mother gave me when I was invited to take on a governance position was ‘shut your mouth and listen’,” says Waerehu.

“She said, ‘You are young and in a new space like governance, your objective is not to make yourself look good but it is to listen and learn’.”

Hikurangi Enterprises is owned by the Hikurangi Huataukina Trust, which supports community-led economic development in the communities between Waipiro Bay and Rangitukia on the East Coast of the North Island. It was the parent company of medicinal cannabis firm Rua Biosciences, which in 2020 became the first NZX company headquartered in Tairāwhiti and the first to be founded by a Māori community.

In December 2020, Waerehu also joined the board of the Waiapu River Restoration Project, a 10-year programme, funded by the Provincial Growth Fund, to restore the Waiapu catchment.

He combines his governance commitments with his studies, including for his Bachelor of Commerce (BCom, Finance and Economics) at Victoria University of Wellington, as well as running his own business, Paronga Limited, which supports clients to meet their te reo translations and cultural advisory needs.

He is also co-project lead for the Te Taura Tairāwhiti Carbon Credits Project, part of NIWA’s Deep South National Science Challenge, looking at the impacts of ‘carbon farming’ of permanent exotic trees on the local environment and economy.

Waerehu says he used his time as an associate director very much as a learning opportunity.

“I have been very fortunate to have very good mentors in governance who have supported and advised me. Sheryl Smail, the independent chair on the board of Hikurangi Enterprises, has been a huge help and Panapa Ehau, managing director of Hikurangi Enterprises and director of Rua Bioscience, as well as the other directors on the board of Hikurangi, such as Mateawa Keelan, Eliz Ngarimu and Bella Paenga, who is a former director.

“I also have been supported by Manu Caddie, one of the founders of Rua Bioscience who has been a huge help to me, as well as my uncle, Hilton Collier, chair of the Waiapu River Restoration Project, who has also been mentoring me.

“Every day that I am in the boardroom is still a learning experience, but now I can also build on the skill sets I am learning at university and take that to the board table to benefit the organisations.”

“Ngāti Porou are a different kettle of fish to other tribes. We are flamboyant. We do not like being told what to do, but we like telling other tribes what to do. We have a distinct dialect, we chop words and use a lot of body language when we speak, especially on formal occasions.”

Driven by dialect

Waerehu grew up in remote Tikitiki, two hours’ drive from Gisborne, and studied at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Te Waiū O Ngāti Porou in nearby Ruatoria where he gained the country’s top NCEA results for te reo Māori and was awarded The New Zealand Scholarship – Te Reo Rangatira.

He is passionate about the genealogy, customs, traditions of Ngāti Porou and, in particular, helping to preserve and promote the tribe’s unique traditional dialect.

“I come from a very rural background,” he says. “The community of Tikitiki is overwhelmingly Māori – about 95% – and that extends to most of that East Coast community. Most of the people in Tikitiki are my relatives. We share our genealogy, our land, customs and tradition. I will introduce myself as Ngāti Porou before I say that I am Māori.

“I grew up in a low income, tightknit multi-generational family. My grandfather was retired, my father was a seasonal labourer and my mother and grandmother were the main breadwinners. We live in a three bedroom house on a small farm. It was my grandmother and the other elders in my community who instilled in me and my younger sister the traditional tribal customs and Ngāti Porou dialect.

“Ngāti Porou are a different kettle of fish to other tribes. We are flamboyant. We do not like being told what to do, but we like telling other tribes what to do. We have a distinct dialect, we chop words and use a lot of body language when we speak, especially on formal occasions.

“I am passionate about the revitalisation of the dialect for Ngāti Porou people living outside of Ngāti Porou areas, which is most of them. They pick up the dialect of other tribes, but I think it is important to be able to speak the dialect your ancestors spoke.”

“From a young age, I have always believed you should identify problems, say what they are and work collectively to solve them. I think those were the qualities the directors first saw in me.”

Speaking his mind

Waerehu says he believes speaking out about the need to create opportunities for the East Coast community was what led him to be initially invited to become an associate director.

“Before I got that call, I had gone to some community huis and, of all the young people there, I was probably the most outspoken.

“In our region, we have one of the highest unemployment rates, the highest poverty rates. Many people struggle to put food on the table. The Hikurangi Huataukina Trust, and by extension Hikurangi Enterprises, was set up to try to create opportunities for whānau and community members to be employed, and to create employment that would also benefit the environment and the wider community.

“From a young age, I have always believed you should identify problems, say what they are and work collectively to solve then. I think those were the qualities the directors first saw in me. People started taking notice of what I was doing and that led to me being invited to join the Waiapu River Restoration Project board, too.”

Waerehu says he was keen to become a member of the IoD in order to find opportunities to connect with the wider governance community.

“I would like to connect with people from a variety of governance backgrounds and find mentors outside of boards that I am on. I’d also really like to connect with other young directors.

“Due to last year’s lockdown and my university studies, I haven’t been able to make a real commitment to the IoD yet, but I find the ongoing updates the organisation provides around governance really interesting, and useful and affirming around my commitment to governance.

“I have found a real passion for governance and I want to develop my skills further and really upskill in terms of what I can deliver – where I am currently and where I will be in the future.”

Alongside his degree studies, Waerehu is also undertaking part time distance studies towards a BA degree in mathematics and philosophy through the University of Auckland. He had begun his studies there before switching to Wellington where he has many relatives.

“Ultimately, my goal is to go into finance – the banking space,” he says. “And continued governance. I have a passion for economic development, not just to create financial gains but to create economic equality and opportunities for our communities.

“I come from an area where it might seem we have nothing, but if you look closer you’ll see we have the tools we need to succeed. You don’t have to be the best at accounting or know the KPIs off by heart, as long as you bring the skills and experience you have to the board table.

“I think the most important thing is building on that and constantly learning. I want to merge my finance skills, my economic skills and my cultural and te reo skills and bring that to bear on governance and on my career. I don’t know exactly how yet – but where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

This article features in our upcoming Winter 2022 issue of Boardroom magazine.