‘What’s happening globally is already landing in our boardrooms’

The global geopolitical climate is more than a boardroom talking point, says Lisa Tumahai CNZM, MInstD. It is a lived reality with direct implications for the decisions directors are making in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Lisa Tumahai CNZM, MInstD

“We are already seeing the impact on our wee nation,” says Tumahai (Ngāi Tahu, Tainui, Ngāti Hikairo and Ngāti Kahunginui). “Trumpism and the impact of those shifts and pivots, for instance on climate action, ripple through to impact political decisions in our country.  

“As directors, we need to be vigilant and know if the organisation is affected, be cognisant of our risk register and front-foot issues where the geopolitical climate has an impact.  

“I am watching the political environment and ensuring I keep abreast of what is happening internationally and what it means for our country because these shifts affect many of the boards I am on.”

Alongside the difficulties, however, Tumahai also sees opportunity.  

“There are challenges, domestically and globally, but that provides opportunity – because when conditions are tough, you look for solutions. That can lead to new initiatives that might not otherwise have been considered.”

Opportunity through service and leadership

Around 30 years on from the first time she was “tapped on the shoulder” to get involved with Tainui iwi in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Tumahai’s governance portfolio now includes Deputy Chair of the Climate Change Commission; Deputy Chair of the Waitangi National Trust and Treaty House; a trustee for the West Coast Development Trust; and a member of the board of trustees for the West Coast Primary Health Organisation.

She is a director of Te Kura Taka Pini, established to progress Ngāi Tahu rangatiratanga for freshwater, serves on the council of the University of Canterbury, is co-chair of the Hinemoana Halo Partnership Fund focused on ocean conservation and climate finance, and has been on the executive of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Waewae since 2001.  

This is all balanced with her role as chief executive of Pokeka Poutini Ngāi Tahu Ltd, a joint company for both West Coast rūnanga. She also spent 22 years on the Ngāi Tahu board, including serving as chair, and deputy chair representing her hapu (Ngāti Waewae).

Sweeping legislative change is currently a strong focus for many of the boards Tumahai serves on.  

“We have Te Tiriti clauses being removed that might result in significant impacts for iwi Māori. So, it is important to understand which legislation is being amended and what the impact is, and to hold the perspective that this does not abdicate the Crown’s responsibility to Te Tiriti. Those obligations still exist.  

“For a governance board, it means considering how we interpret the changes and what messages we send throughout the organisation.  

“It has created a lot of uncertainty, but boards need to front-foot it and have an agreed position. By and large, from what I am seeing across the health and education sectors, we have continued to do so regardless of those changes.”

Navigating political change with purpose

In 2022, Tumahai was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori development.

“My journey into governance was more of a calling,” she says. “I have a few commercial boards, but most of the boards I am on are focused on wellbeing and social development within communities. I enjoy it when there is a clear outcome or goal for developing people and communities.  

“I started with Tainui iwi in Christchurch, then my parents retired to the West Coast in 1985, and I was visiting them regularly and took over from my father as spokesperson for the family in iwi affairs for our West Coast Rūnanga.

“In 1998, I was appointed to the governing board and it all started from there. Getting involved with the governance of an iwi board is all about calling, expectation, passion and commitment to the wellbeing of our people.  

“That is what drives me – a duty to serve. I value seeing the people of the West Coast, and all our rūnanga, moving forward as careful stewards of Ngāi Tahu treaty settlement assets.

“I think I’m strategic in my approach to things. I go the extra mile to get myself informed. I’m an empathetic leader, which is often not the case in today’s world, but I’m ready to be assertive when I need to be.”

A calling to serve communities and whenua

She laughs that shoulder taps continue as she recalls how, when she agreed to step up as chair of Ngāi Tahu, she told Sir Tipene O’Regan DistFInstD she would stay for one term – and ended up serving six years.  

“Joining the Climate Change Commission board was a no-brainer because I had been involved in the development of iwi climate-change strategy. That project started in 2011, so it was a natural fit.  

“Then there are conservation and environmental focus boards, and the university and health roles, which are more about community development and wellbeing of people and our planet.”  

Succession planning is a concern for Tumahai and she would like to see a stronger pipeline of Māori directors, particularly stepping up to senior governance roles.  

“If you look at Māori participation at senior board level, there are a lot of the same faces who have been there for 10 or more years. They are amazing people, but I worry that succession planning is not at the level we would like and there is a generational divide.

“It is not for lack of effort. A lot of people are working hard to mentor and encourage people to put their names forward, but where are the fresh governance faces and how do we encourage them to step forward?”