Te Arawa Whānau Ora Appoints Kurupā Paiaka – CEO

Paora Te Hurihanganui (Te Arawa, Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Ngāti Awa) comes to the organisation from Te Papa Tākaro o Te Arawa, where he has been chief executive for the past 15 years.

TAWO Acting Chief Executive, Eugene Berryman-Kamp, says Paora has been involved with Te Arawa Whānau Ora since before its formation as a trust and will step into the role with ease.

“We’re excited to have Paora join the team. He comes to our organisation with a sound knowledge of its inner workings so we’ve no doubt he’ll hit the ground running with confidence and candour, while bringing an innovative new approach to the role.

“He has been involved in indigenous and Māori transformation practices for many years, and will bring his aspirational strategic visioning and business acumen to Te Arawa Whānau Ora,” says Eugene.

Paora has experience leading the strategic direction and planning for the Te Arawa Whānau Ora Board, its partner managers, and the organisation in general; and has developed Whānau Ora services and strategies that reflect whānau needs and aspirations by focusing on whānau potential.

“Te Arawa Whānau Ora had strong iwi-focused leadership through our dear Mala Grant, who was a true pioneer for Māori and our organisation. We were then fortunate to have Lorraine Hetaraka at the helm with her expertise in change management.

“Paora will bring a new energy to the position and we look forward to having him onboard. He’s keen to engage with whānau and support systematic change, while maintaining Te Arawa Whānau Ora’s position as an iwi connect, and supporting iwi and hapū to reach their health and wellbeing aspirations,” says Eugene.

Paora has been on the Rotorua Police advisory board for over 10 years, a current trustee on the Recreation Aotearoa Māori Advisory Board, president of Kī o Rahi Aotearoa, and trustee on Te Arawa Waka Taua Trust. His past involvements include chair of Te Arawa Crime Prevention Trust, chair of Te Koutu Kōhanga Reo, trustee on Rotorua Bike Festival Trust and New Zealand Community Research Board, and contributor to the Te Arawa Vision 2050 strategy.

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