Our Council

Kent Gardner (Chair) brings business and governance expertise to Toi Aotearoa, along with his passion and commitment to the arts and creativity. He is a patron, donor and volunteer to arts, education, and health organisations.

Kent is a trustee and former co-Chair of the Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi. He is co-Chair of Pūtahi Manawa – Healthy Hearts for Aotearoa New Zealand, a Centre of Research Excellence focused on equity in heart health. He is also a Trustee of the Olympic Foundation and a former Trustee of the Te Papa Foundation.

Kent is co-founder of Evans Randall Investors, a London based property investment firm established in the early 2000s and was based in London until 2018. He is the founder of Arc Residential, which focuses on building homes in NZ for long term rental, and Chairs Jasper Property. He is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. 

Kent’s career started as a lawyer with Russell McVeagh in Wellington.

In 2012 Kent was named UK New Zealander of the Year and has been recognised as a Kea World Class New Zealander.

Kent was born in Dunedin and now lives in Auckland.

Bonita Bigham (Ngaruahine, Te Atiawa) brings both artistic and governance experience to the Council. Currently completing a doctorate focusing on the revitalisation of indigenous knowledge, Bonita also brings a kete of governance experience, especially in the local government sector.  She has been chair of Te Maruata, Local Government New Zealand's national collective of Māori in governance roles in local government since mid-2016 and has served on the committee since 2012.

A former South Taranaki District Councillor from 2010-2019, Bonita is Te Maruata’s representative to LGNZ's National Council and LGNZ’s appointee to Te Poutaunaha - The New Zealand Geographic Board. An accredited RMA commissioner, Bonita is also an iwi representative on committees at both South Taranaki and Taranaki Regional Councils. In 2022 she was elected unopposed to Taranaki Regionals Council’s first Māori ward.

Bonita is committed to kaupapa Māori, including her work on her iwi's Treaty settlement work and a Taranaki-wide Māori artists’ collective. She has been appointed to the Lottery Oranga Marae Committee, Te Puna - the Māori advisory committee to Taumata Arowai and the Local Government Commission. She is also a former appointee to the Taranaki Whanganui Conservation Board.

Bonita is an artist whose practice includes raranga, tāniko, instillations and papercutting. She completed her Master’s in Fine Arts in 2018 and Masters in Māori Visual Arts in 2021. Her biggest cheerleaders are her husband Kevin, Mum Hinewaito and son Te Rei.

Helen Klisser During has directed and produced numerous large-scale arts initiatives including #UNLOAD: Arts Trigger a Conversation, a foundation to promote conversation through the arts and education around the issue of gun violence in America, and Voices for the Future, an immersive art installation by Joseph Michael which projected collapsing icebergs onto the United Nations General Assembly and Secretariat buildings in NYC ahead of the UN’s Climate Action Summit and global school strikes in 2019. In 2010 Helen founded The Artist Collective of Westport, which continues to thrive and grow over a decade later with 150 artists.

Recognised by KEA as a World Class New Zealander and as a Global Woman, Helen is an award-winning photojournalist, she has undertaken assignments worldwide for the United Nations in Malawi and Rwanda; AmeriCares in El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Nicaragua; and Carma Foundation in Haiti. Helen served as the still photographer for Dame Gaylene Preston's 2016 film "My Year with Helen: The Helen Clark Documentary," and her photographs and photo essays have been published in a wide range of national and international publications.

Whetū Fala (Ngā Rauru Kītahi, Te Ati Haunui-a-Paparangi, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Maru ki Taranaki, Samoa, Rotuma) has over 30 years governance experience in contemporary Māori arts, film, and in the television sector, some of her former boards include Te Pūtahi Pāoho Māori Television Electoral College Pūtahi Pāoho Māori Television Electoral College (forerunner to Te Mātāwai), Screen Canterbury, and Women in Film & Television NZ. She is a former Deputy and Chairman of Ngā Aho Whakaari Māori Screen Guild.

Currently co-chair of Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, director on the Board of Whakaata Māori Māori Television and the NZ Film Heritage Trust Te Puna Ataata, Whetū started her career working at TVNZ in 1988. She has produced, directed, and edited hundreds of hours of television, including drama, documentaries, reality series and short films in Aotearoa.

An advocate for Māori stories told by Māori and owned by Māori, she is the owner and company director of Fala Media established in 2007. Whetū is a widely known figure in the screen and broadcasting industries in Aotearoa and internationally, and her work has been shown in film festivals and on television, here and abroad.

In 2019 Whetū was awarded the Mana Wahine tohu by Women in Film and Television NZ and the Wairoa Māori Film Festival in recognition of her work promoting Māori culture, Te Reo Māori, Tikanga Māori and the welfare and stories of wāhine. 

Robyn Hunt ONZM of Wellington has a background in media, the disability community, human rights and policy. She was one of the instigators of New Zealand’s first disability TV series, and has won media and communications awards. She was a human rights commissioner with disability responsibility from 2002 – 2010. With many years arts involvement she has extensive arts access experience, winning the 2019 Arts Access Accolade. A writer, she co-founded Crip the Lit, a project based initiative to celebrate Deaf and disabled writers and ensure their unique voices and stories are included and valued in mainstream writing in New Zealand.

Keven Mealamu MNZM is of Samoan descent and hails from the village of Luatuanu’u. In recognition of his leadership and tautua (service), he was bestowed the mata’i title Maiavatele, an honour that reflects his deep connection to his aiga and Samoan community.

Kura Moeahu (Te Kāhui Maunga Te Āti Awa, Ngā Ruahine, Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Tama, Taranaki-tuturu and Ngāti Toa ) was raised in both Wainuiomata and Waiwhetu. He is the Tumu Whakarae/Principle Cultural Adviser of Parliament and often sought for his knowledge in Mātauranga Māori as well as Tikanga Maori, and is currently the Chair of Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa ki te Upoko o te Ika a Maui. Kura is also Chair of the Harbour Island Kaitiaki Board, Āti Awa Toa FM Radio Station and Waiwhetu Marae. He is passionate about the revitalisation, promoting and the inclusiveness of traditional Maori arts and cultural in all aspects, and domains.

John Ong of Wellington is a management consultant who specialises in implementing strategies, programmes and continuous improvement. He has extensive knowledge and experience in the arts sector, including previously leading Creative New Zealand’s investment programmes and serving on the board of Footnote New Zealand Dance. John is also a co-founder of GoodyGood, a business that helps people who want to do more about climate change, offset their carbon emissions and fund climate projects.

Puamiria Parata-Goodall (Ngāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha and Ngāti Kahungunu) has a prolific background in the arts, culture and heritage sector. She is passionate about cultural identity and is a recognised cultural leader within her iwi of Ngāi Tahu.  A leader, tutor and performer in kapa haka for over 40 years, Puamiria’s cultural knowledge is exemplified through past involvements with Te Matatini as Board member and 2015 festival operations manager, and in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 as a consultant and performer.

Author of several cultural narratives, Puamiria is a key driver in the embedding of cultural indicators and content throughout Christchurch and Selwyn District. 

An experienced consultant and sector advocate, Puamiria currently holds board roles at Canterbury Museum and Te Pae Kōrako Ngāi Tahu Archives.  She is the chairperson of Ngāi Tahu Fund, Te Matatiki Toi Ora Advisory for the Christchurch Arts Centre and Ōhākī O Ngā Tīpuna Māori Advisory for the Canterbury Museum.  She is also a member of Ngākahu National Repatriation Network.

 

Hilary Poole of Auckland has over 25 years of experience in a variety of leadership and governance roles within the commercial and not-for-profit sectors. She’s a current trustee of Play It Strange, which supports and encourages young New Zealanders to write, record and perform their own songs. Hilary is a former board member of Sport New Zealand and Deputy Chair of High Performance Sport New Zealand, and a current board member of Hockey New Zealand. Hilary is also a former Chief Executive Officer for both Hockey New Zealand and Netball New Zealand. Hilary is also a former independent director of Prolife Foods Ltd and Martin Jenkins, and former Chair of Just Life Group, Diocesan School for Girls, and the First Foundation. She is a chartered fellow of the NZ Institute of Directors, having been a member of the Institute since 2002.

Shane Te Ruki (Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato, Ngāti Porou) is an expert in Mātauranga Māori and tikanga Māori, brings strong governance experience to the Arts Council having been a member of the New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa, the New Zealand Conservation Authority Te Pou Atawhai Taiao o Aotearoa, the Nehenehenui Regional Management Committee of the Maniapoto Māori Trust Board, and the Te Arawai Steering Establishment Committee. He is currently Chair of Te Kōpua Marae Trust.

Shane holds the position of Iwi Relations Advisor to the Waipa District Council. His knowledge of whakapapa and the importance of whanaungatanga are at the forefront of his role that connects multiple representative mana whenua and the Council while enabling the strengthening and growth of relationships.

Shane previously worked for Te Wānanga o Raukawa as a Kaihautū for Te Whare Kōkiri; He has also worked with Te Papa Tongarewa and Tainui Waka Alliance as a Maniapoto subject expert and then took on the role of the Kaiwhakahaere Iwi Exhibition Manager.

Shane’s early career began as a carver specialising in bone, stone, shell and fibre jewellery and creating artworks with hue. In 1998 he established Te Whare Kōrero o Unu, the hapū based wānanga of Ngāti Unu and Ngāti Kahu.