Taumata Aronui reappointments
Taumata Aronui reappointments
Brendon Green (Ngāti Hikairo, Waikato Tainui, Ngāpuhi) and Dr Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal (Ngāti Raukawa, Marutūahu and Ngāpuhi) have been reappointed to Taumata Aronui, with Maru Nihoniho MNZM (Te Whānau ā Apanui, Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tahu) stepping down from the rōpū at the end of her term in December.
Established in 2019, Taumata Aronui supports the Crown to work in partnership with Māori and provides independent advice to help shape a tertiary education system that is responsive to the needs of Māori learners, communities, and employers, and improves Māori learner and community outcomes. Members with iwi/Māori community experience were appointed for three-year terms. Maru Nihoniho, Brendon Green and Dr Charles Royal were appointed as industry experienced members for two-year terms.
Brendon Green’s understanding of the interaction between the tertiary education sector and the Māori economy has helped shape and inform the work Taumata Aronui has undertaken over the last two years.
Taumata Aronui has also benefitted greatly from Dr Charles Royal’s expertise in mātauranga Māori and creative industries. Dr Royal is the main author of Taumata Aronui’s forthcoming think piece which will lay out their vision for the tertiary education system. Taumata Aronui plan to release this report in early 2022.
Taumata Aronui has also benefitted greatly from Maru Nihoniho’s digital sector knowledge, professionalism, and contributions to the work the rōpū does for the betterment of Māori in tertiary education and wider Aotearoa New Zealand.
More information about Taumata Aronui, including its full membership, can be found on the Tertiary Education Commission’s website.
Taumata Aronui | Tertiary Education Commission (tec.govt.nz)
Member biographies
Brendon Green is on the Board of Watercare, where he is the Chair of its Committee for Climate Action and is also a member of their Audit and Risk Committee. He is also the Director of Hiringa Energy Limited and Hiringa Refuelling Investments Limited. He is a Co-Chair of Regional Skills Leadership Group Waikato and a member of Waihanga Ara Rau Construction and Infrastructure Workforce Development Council. He is actively involved in kaupapa Māori through his roles on the Board of Tainui Kawhia Incorporation and the rūnanga of the Manukau Institute of Technology, and holds the Maangai Māori role for the Waikato District Council’s Infrastructure Committee. His experience in primary industries includes dairy, forestry, water, minerals, and energy.
Dr Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal is a freelance composer and musician and an independent researcher, teacher, and consultant in the areas of indigenous knowledge and development. He is a current trustee for the New Zealand Festival of the Arts, former Director of Ngā Manu Atarau: Communities/Repatriation/Sector Development at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and the former Chair of the Board of Trustees for Te Pou Theatre, Auckland. His experience spans across education, mātauranga Māori, and the creative industry.