Hapū Ngāti Kahu o Torongare (Taitokerau) Position Te Taitokerau Māori Wardens Regional Coordinator What do you do at Te Puni Kōkiri? I work from a satellite office in Kamo, on the outskirts of Whangārei. My job is to support Māori Wardens by making sure resources and training are available to them. Part of my role is also to build capacity and capability. The ultimate aim for the wardens in Te Taitokerau is to become effective, independent and sustainable. How long have you worked at Te Puni Kōkiri? A little over two years. However, my time as a servant of the Crown spans a period of 50 years, 33 years with the Army, three years as a fraud investigator with the Department of Social Welfare and 12 years as a funding advisor, community development advisor and hapū development trainer with the Department of Internal Affairs. How did you come to work for Te Puni Kōkiri? I was in the last month of a two-year contract with the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) having come out of retirement to fill a service delivery gap. I didn’t fancy returning to “retirement” and the Warden Coordinator job description seemed to mirror where I had been. Encouraged by my DIA colleagues, I went for it. What has been a memorable moment at Te Puni Kōkiri? It’s been a whole series of positive experiences and learnings that I can add to my toolkit. Personal interests Obviously my immediate whānau play an important part in my life and I have an obligation to ensure the whakapapa line remains strong. My focus is preparing my eldest grandson to take his place as a hapū leader. Favourite kai Boil-up...I know, I know...but all my life my weight has hovered around 12 stone (see how old I am, still back in the pounds, shillings and pence!)