Prue Kapua - Te Taumata Kaiwhakahaere

Prue grew up in Rotorua and is of Ngāti Whakaue, Te Arawa and Ngāti Kahungunu descent. She is the immediate past president of the Māori Women’s Welfare League, a position she held for eight years and is the principal of her law firm Tamatekapua Law. Prue is the current chair of Māori Women’s Development Inc. and since 2019 has been a member of the Waitangi Tribunal.

Liz Mellish

Liz is of Te Atiawa, Taranaki and Ngāti Ruanui descent and is chair of the Palmerston North Māori Reserve Trust. Liz is involved in many sectors as a trustee in the Ngahuru Charitable Trust, Wharewaka o Poneke Charitable Trust and Matiu Island Charitable Trust. She is also an adviser to the Lion Foundation, the Māori Heritage Council Te Kaunihera Māori o te Pouhere Taonga, and director on Wharewaka o Poneke Enterprises Limited and Federation of Māori Authorities.

Shirley Ikkala

Shirley Ikkala is of Ngāti Whātu ki Orakei and Cook Island descent. She currently holds the position of Professional Teaching Fellow/Pouarataki in the faculty of education and social work at the University of Auckland. Her professional background is in social work, management, leadership and social work education with a strong focus on indigenous/bicultural bodies of knowledge and practice. Shirley’s focus in her personal and professional career is to ensure social justice prevails towards a strong social and economic base that takes people forward. She is passionate about ensuring the voices of whānau are heard and that the decisions made are done so with integrity and honesty – tika, pono, aroha.

Eugene Ryder

Community worker/kaimahi hapori, Eugene Ryder’s personal journey took him through a challenging childhood, State care and prison onto E Tū Whānau-aligned social worker, legal student, kapa haka stalwart and dedicated husband and father. His journey is proof that the moemoeā of a better life is always achievable.
Eugene has spoken publicly about the abuse he suffered as a child in State care and the sense of belonging he found in joining the Black Power gang as a teenager. As a young parent, he came to question the gap between his own behaviour and the rules he was laying down for his tamariki, and he began to turn his dream of a better life for his whānau into reality. Despite having left school at 13, he began studying as an adult, successfully graduating with a social work degree.
As well as currently studying law at Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka. He is also a member of the Oranga Tamariki Māori design group, kaitiaki on the Climate Commission’s Inaia Tonu Nei programme and a member of the Independent Children's Monitor’s Kāhui group.

Haimona Waititi

With te reo Māori as his first language, Haimona grew up in Te Kaha in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, immersed in his culture and raised within a Māori worldview. He was awarded a Master of Psychology with distinction from Victoria University of Wellington Herenga Waka, and has held roles in research for Whānau Ora and Enviroschools, rangatahi development through the Tuia Trust and his iwi, and stakeholder engagement at the University of Waikato. Haimona recently started his own consultancy to provide cultural training, reviews and supervision to organisations and individuals wanting to build their understanding and better connect with Māori. He also helps non-Māori connect with their Pākehātanga.