Meet the team
Mitchell Ritai
Pouwhakahaere
Mitchell has whakapapa connections to Ngāti Mutunga, Te Atiawa, Taranaki, Ngāruahine and Ngāti Ruanui Iwi in Taranaki.
He has significant experience in the business sector and has worked in a number of organisations in the fields of accounting, management, education and business development. He has been the CEO of the Rūnanga since 2021.
Larnee Wallace
Pou Whiringa Matua
Larnee was born and bred in Waitara and has whakapapa connections to Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Tama, Te Atiawa, Taranaki, Ngāruahine iwi in Taranaki and Ngāti Maniapoto in Waikato.
She has 4 children, Madison, Kaedyn, Kingston and Marlee, and they spend heaps of whanau time together, at the beach, out hunting, at the farm and hanging out at home. She also loves shopping!
Larnee has an education and sporting background and enjoys supporting whanau to achieve their goals and aspirations.
Larnee has been working at the Rūnanga since August 2022.
destiny
Hodges-Paul
Pou Whiringa
Destiny has whakapapa connections to Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama ki Taranaki, and grew up in Urenui and Mimitangiatua.
Her mother was heavily involved in Ngāti Mutunga, which meant she spent a great amount of time accompanying her at the Pā. Destiny studied Indigenous and Māori Studies and has experience in Project Coordination in the co-design space. After spending five years in the South Island for University, the opportunity for her to return home presented itself and has allowed her to connect back to the Pā.
The Pou Whiringa role is an opportunity for her to support whānau to achieve their goals and aspirations, just as her whānau has done for her.
Hurimoana Haami
Pou Herenga
Hurimoana was raised on the banks of the Urenui awa and Urenui Pa by her kuia, Ngauru, and was educated at Urenui Primary and Waitara High School.
She became a member of the Ngati Mutunga Iwi Authority Board in the early 1990s and was a negotiator for the Ngati Mutunga Claim Settlement to Heads of Agreement.
Hurimoana spent several years as a member of Te Runanga o Ngati Mutunga and has represented Ngati Mutunga on the Taranaki Maori Trust Board, Te Tai a Kupe Trust and Te Reo Irirangi o Taranaki Trust. In recent years she has been responsible for maintaining the Ngati Mutunga Iwi Register.
Natalie Klos
Pou Taiao Matua
Natalie grew up in Urenui and attended Urenui Primary, Manukorihi Intermediate and New Plymouth Girls High School. Her background is in western science with an MSc in Marine and Environmental Science and experience in environmental monitoring, and pollution prevention with councils in both Tamaki Makaurau and the Taranaki region.
Natalie has enjoyed increasing her understanding of Te Taiao and our numerous Waaihi Tapu sites within our rohe and learning about Mātauranga Mutunga.
She is always happy to talk to and collaborate with Whanau about their environmental concerns or aspirations.
Anne-Maree McKay
Pou Taiao
Anne-Maree has Whakapapa connections to Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama ki Taranaki. Her work within Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Mutunga involves environmental monitoring from a Te Ao Māori perspective and providing support to the Pou Taiao Matua.
Anne-Maree studied Kaitiakitanga with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and has worked with Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Mutunga since 2017. She reports to the Pou Taiao Matua.
Samuel MacDonald
Pou Tiaki Rawa
Sam has whakapapa connections to Ngāti Mutunga, Te Atiawa, Taranaki iwi, Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Muru, Ngāruahine and Ngāti Ruanui Iwi in Taranaki. Rangitane and Ngāti Apa ki Te Rato.
After leaving school Sam worked for Thomas Borthwick’s, working with all his uncles then into Mckechnie metals.
He moved to oil and gas starting from roustabout to rig manager to operations manager. Then on to company representative with Origin Energy, Where he was given a chance of a lifetime working with Whanau in a role with Te Runanga o Ngāti Mutunga.
This has him assisting with caring for our whanau, whenua, and whare. Sam has been in this role for six years
Ricki Hapi
Pou Tuitui
Ricki has whakapapa connections to Wharekauri, Waikato, Tauranga and Taranaki. He has worked in various customer service, education management and accounting roles over his career.
He joined the Iwi Office in 2022 and is responsible for the front-of-house reception and administration.
Annette Lamb
Pou Āwhina
Annette supports the Taiao team in project planning, information management and administration.
Annette has a spectrum of experience in plant operations, environmental and project management, quality and health & safety systems, auditing and finance gained from roles in manufacturing and community organisations in New Zealand and in the UK. Annette settled in Taranaki in 2011 from the UK.
Rena Kettle
Pou Herenga
Being Urenui born and bred, my whanau have been involved with Ngāti Mutunga all my life. My father was a Pā Trustee and he, alongside others, worked tirelessly for our iwi.
I served a term on Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Mutunga board and was actively involved with the Wāhi Tapu committee. My commitment to Ngāti Mutunga took a back seat with my impending pregnancy and my father’s passing in 2014.
Te Uru o Te Rangi Kapahaka has connected me back to Urenui Pā, the position as Pou Herenga is an opportunity for me to support our Uri to connect with our Iwi.
office structure
