Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu, the South Island Whānau Ora commissioning agency, today announced the appointments of Simon Heath (Ngāi Tahu) and Rebecca Mason (Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Koata) as new directors to its board.

The Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu General Partnership Ltd board also paid tribute to Glenice Paine (Te Atiawa, Ngāi Tahu) who has completed her three-year term of tenure on the board.

“Whānau Ora welcomes scrutiny from all walks of life,” said board chair Tā Mark Solomon. “Our new directors bring with them skills and experience across education, business and local government; all areas of great relevance for whānau.

“Simon Heath has been a leader in education for 35 years in Te Tau Ihu as a teacher and principal. He holds Ministerial appointments, including on the Education Council Aotearoa NZ, and was the establishment chair of the philanthropic trust, Mistletoe Charitable Foundation.

“Rebecca Mason has extensive executive management and governance experience across iwi, government, business and the health sector. She has a background as a chartered accountant and operates a successful Blenheim-based business, Meihana Consulting. She is currently the chair of the Economic Pou for the Te Tauihu Regional Intersector Forum, which is a key partnership mechanism between iwi and local/central government in Nelson-Marlborough.

“As an organisation dedicated to supporting whānau wellbeing we know there are many diverse and complex issues ahead as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We were excited by the great pool of talent represented in those who applied to be on the board and look forward to the fresh perspectives that Simon and Rebecca will bring to the board,” said Tā Mark.

“We are also extremely grateful to Glenice Paine, who was a foundation board member of our iwi stakeholder group, Te Taumata, in 2010 and was then invited to sit on our general partnership board in 2017. She has been an important member of the board serving as chair of the Performance and Remuneration Committee. Glenice is a woman of great integrity who has brought a particular passion for environmental management.”

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