Ko Wai Mātou
About Us
Te Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea is the post-settlement governance Iwi entity established to manage the settlement assets as well as the assets and liabilities of the Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board.
Te Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea
Te Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea is the Post Settlement Governance Entity (PSGE) established to receive and manage the Treaty settlement assets as well as the assets of the Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board. You can find out more about the Board’s assets at the Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board website.
Te Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea will:
- Receive, hold and manage settlement property for the benefit of its members
- Support the maintenance and establishment of places of cultural or spiritual significance to the Iwi
- Promote the educational, spiritual, economic, social and cultural advancement and well-being of the Iwi and its members
- Undertake commercial activities to support its objects and purposes; and — any other purpose that is considered from time to time to be beneficial to the Iwi and its members
- Provide the flexibility for both commercial functions as well as distribution to members

The Trust is currently governed by 8 Establishment Trustees who were appointed by the Whakatōhea Pre-Settlement Claims Trust with a specific role to complete the elections for the Initial Trustees. In accordance with the requirements of the Trust Deed, the 8 Establishment Trustees must retire at the AGM where the newly elected trustees will be officially appointed.
Te Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea will then have a governance structure, consisting of:
- 12 Hapū Trustees – 2 to be elected from each of the 6 hapū Ngai Tamahaua, Ngāti Ruatakena, Ngāti Patumoana, Ngāti Ngāhere, Ngāti Ira and Ūpokorehe
- 4 General Trustees, at least one 1 of which will be a Rangatahi Trustee (aged 18 to 35 years old)
The Settlement assets will be transferred to the Trust once Parliament pass legislation that gives effect to the settlement and transfers the redress to Te Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea.


Establishment Trustees
The Trust is currently governed by 8 Establishment Trustees who were appointed by the Whakatōhea Pre-Settlement Claims Trust with a specific role to complete the elections for the Initial Trustees. In accordance with the requirements of the Trust Deed, the 8 Establishment Trustees must retire at the AGM where the newly elected trustees will be officially appointed.
The role of the Establishment Trustees is limited to:
- signing the Deed of Settlement;
- supporting the Whakatōhea settlement legislation through the legislative process;
- preparing for and holding the elections for the Initial Trustees to Te Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea Trust; and
- convening the first Annual General Meeting where the Initial Trustees will officially take office
The Establishment Trustees for Te Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea are:
- Vaughan Payne – Chair
- Anau Apanui
- Erin Moore
- Robert Edwards
- Graeme Riesterer – Deputy Chair
- Bruce Pukepuke
- Kate Hudson
- Tahu Taia

Vaughan Raymond John Payne
Vaughan has had a long involvement in the Whakatōhea claim, including as a member of Te Tāwharau o Whakatōhea in 1996 and more recently as a member of the raupatu working party that prepared Te Ara Tono – a report recommending how we could settle our claims which was adopted by Whakatōhea hapū in 2007.

Donald Graeme (Paki) Riesterer
Graeme has been involved in Marae and Iwi politics for over 30 years serving as the current Chair of Waiaua Marae Committee as well as a current sitting Trustee for the Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board. As a retired farmer Graeme has also lent his skills as a Trustee to 3 dairy farms within the Whakatōhea rohe.

Anau Edna Apanui
Anau has been involved with different Whakatōhea Iwi Raupatu roopu since 2006. She has been on the Whakatōhea Pre Settlement Claims Trust as the Ngati Ira hapū representative for almost 4 years. Anau believes in our Whakatōhea whānau, hapū and iwi having a prosperous future just as our Tīpuna desired prior to colonisation. Over the past 15 years Anau has joined other Whakatōhea leaders in various hapū and iwi kaupapa, and like many other Whakatōhea leaders, she is dedicated to her hapū and Iwi.

Bruce Pukepuke
Bruce currently serves as the Kaumātua marae representative on the Whakatōhea Pre Settlement Claims Trust and is an active member of Whakatōhea Taumata Kaumatua and the Komiti Whiriwhiri Hitori advisory group. Bruce has also served on the Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board as one of the two representatives for Ūpokorehe.

Erin Linley Rangiwhakarewa Moore
Erin has been directly involved in the Whakatōhea Settlement since 2003 when she was elected as one of the Ngāti Patu reps to the Whakatōhea Working Party. Erin currently serves as the Waiaua marae representative on the Whakatōhea Pre-Settlement Claims Trust.

Kate Hudson
Better known as Keita, she was born in the Waiotahe Valley where she has resided for most of her life. Keita has served her marae of Maromahue, Roimata and Kaumātua, tirelessly for over 37 years. Within that time Keita also represented her hapū Te Ūpokorehe and marae on the Whakatohea Maori Executive, for two terms as one of the 2 Ūpokorehe reps on the Whakatōhea Maori Trust Board. Keita was also the selected rep for Maromahue Marae to the Whakatōhea Pre-Settlement Claims Trust.

Robert Tuahuru Edwards
Robert has been involved in hapū and Iwi development since returning home to Opotiki. Robert is one of Ngāti Rua’s representatives on the Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board where he serves as the Chair and the Board’s rep on the Whakatōhea Pre Settlement Claims Trust..

Tahu Alfred Taia
Tahu served as the Secretary to the Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board as well as serving as an appointed member to the Whakatōhea Raupatu Committee for the initial settlement negotiations with the Crown 1993 – 1998. Tahu is the Terere Marae representative on the Whakatōhea Pre Settlement Claims Trust.
Next Steps - Initial Trustee Elections
The next step is the elections for the Initial Trustees to Te Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea.
Two elected members from each of the six hapū and four elected members Iwi wide will make up the sixteen elected members to the Te Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea governance board.
Duties of Trustees
In exercising the powers and functions under this Deed, each Trustee must have regard to the context of the Trust and the Trust’s Purpose.
Mandatory Duties
Each Trustee is required to comply with the Mandatory Duties. For the avoidance of doubt, each Trustee must:
- know the terms of this Deed;
- act in accordance with this Deed;
- act honestly and in good faith;
- hold or deal with the Trust Assets and liabilities and otherwise act for the benefit of the Membersof Whakatōhea, in accordance with this Deed and the Trust’s Purpose;
- exercise their powers for a proper purpose; and
- Act in accordance with any Code of Conduct developed by the Trust.
Candidates must meet the eligibility criteria set out in rule 2.1 and 6.8 of the Second Schedule of the Te Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea Trust Deed. The eligibility criteria are outlined on the nomination form.
Candidates are required to declare if elected, that they agree to be bound by the terms of Te Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea Trust Deed, Te Oatitanga, any other relevant Trustee obligations and to publicly swear on an oath to do so.
Elections will then be held every three (3) years which is the term of office with the maximum of any one person serving on the Trust being 3 consecutive terms.
For more information on the role of the Trustees and Te Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea, follow the link to read the Trust Deed.

Key Dates
Monday 28 August 2023
Nominations open
Monday 25 September 2023
Nominations close 12 noon
Tuesday 24 October 2023
Voting opens
Tuesday 21 November 2023
Voting closed 12 noon
Confirmation of results and AGM notice to follow

