An introduction to governance for Pacific people

Overview

Keynote speaker, Caren Rangi will speak and then facilitate a panel discussion with Mele Wendt, Sai Lealea and Adrian Orr.

Diversity on New Zealand boards is paramount and the Pacific community have much to offer. If you are interested in governance, but not sure what steps you can take to move down this path, then join us to hear these experienced directors share their stories. 

This event is supported by the Institute of Directors and the Ministry for Pacific Peoples. Please note that by registering for this event you are providing permission for your details to be shared with MPP.

Thank you to KPMG for the use of their venue.

Caren Rangi

Caren is from Hawkes Bay, a very proud Cook Islands Māori and an experienced governance practitioner. Caren is Chair of the Arts Council of New Zealand. She is also a board member for Radio New Zealand and Pacific Co-operation Broadcasting Ltd, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Pacific Homecare Services, and Pacific Inc Ltd. Caren is a Board director of the Cook Islands Investment Corporation in Rarotonga, and in this role is leading work to develop professional board directors in the Cook Islands.

In 2015, Caren was conferred as a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand. In 2016 she was awarded a New Zealander of the Year Local Hero Award for services to governance. In 2018 Caren was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to governance and the Pacific community, and was named as the Linden Estate Hawke’s Bay Business Leader of the Year.

Mele Wendt

Mele Wendt has 17 years of leadership/management experience and 23 years of governance experience. Her roles have included being a high school teacher, the founding pacific islands liaison officer and manager of the student recruitment office at Victoria University of Wellington, and then the executive director of Fulbright New Zealand for ten years.  In the last few years, Mele has been doing a mix of consultancy work and governance. 

Mele currently serves on the boards of Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu (The NZ Correspondence School) and the Wellington Community Trust. She also currently chairs the Steering Group which developed and launched the National Action Plan for Community Governance in 2020, and is overseeing its implementation. In the recent past Mele served as chair of Massey University's Pacific Student Success Working Group, and chair of the Pasifika Education Centre in Auckland.

Mele is a member of various professional and community groups and she is a White Ribbon Ambassador. In January 2019, Mele was awarded a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for her services to governance, the Pacific community and women.

Mele is Samoan (Malie, Vaiala, Lefaga) and palagi (NZ, Britain), and lives in Wellington. She is married to Eteuati Ete and they have four grown-up children and three grandchildren.

Sai Lealea

Sai Lealea, BA, BSc, is Fijian and Principal of SDL Consultancy, a Wellington-based public policy consultancy specialising in Pacific public policy, planning and development. He was honoured in 2018 as Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to the Pacific community.

Sai is currently Chair and a government trustee of the Pacific Development and Conservation Trust and former Chair of the Pasifika Education Centre in Auckland and the Pacific Advisory Group to the Wellington City Council. He previously served 6 years on the NZ Arts Council, chaired the Pacific Arts Committee and served around 20 years in the New Zealand public service in policy and senior management roles.

Sai has a good understanding of Pacific cultures and is fluent in, and does translation for, the Fijian language. He has chaired the National Fijian Language Komiti since 2013 and regularly contributes to the PMN Fijian language programme. He also specialises in intercultural training, having delivered Fijian language and cultural classes for business, public servants and diplomats.

Sai has a very good knowledge of the machinery of government and governance matters. He holds graduate and post graduate qualifications in Economics, Economic History, Economic Geography and Public Policy from Victoria University of Wellington.

Adrian Orr

Adrian Orr was appointed Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand in March 2018.

Previously, Adrian was Chief Executive Officer at the New Zealand Superannuation Fund. During his time there he won many awards including the Deloitte IPANZ Improving Performance through Leadership Excellence award in 2016, and Asian Investor’s Individual Contribution to Institutional Investment Award in 2017.

Prior to that he was Deputy Governor and Head of Financial Stability for the Reserve Bank. Adrian has also held the positions of Chief Economist at Westpac Banking Corporation, Chief Manager of the Economics Department at the Reserve Bank and Chief Economist at The National Bank of New Zealand. He has also worked at the New Zealand Treasury; and the OECD, based in Paris.

Adrian graduated from the University of Waikato in 1983 with a Bachelor of Social Sciences, majoring in Economics and Geography. He also has a Master of Development Economics from the University of Leicester, England, graduating with distinction in 1985.

Additional information

COVID-19

We have been monitoring government updates regarding COVID-19 and are keeping up to date with Ministry of Health guidance with regard to events and public gatherings.

For the latest updates on face to face courses and our safety planning see our response to COVID-19 page

Branch event cancellation policy

Regrettably, registration fees cannot be refunded when cancellations are received within two working days prior to any branch event.

See our standard terms and conditions for more information.

Contact

Pauline Prince
Wellington Branch Manager

+64 21 577 031
+64 4 470 2673
pauline.prince@iod.org.nz

Our sponsors

The Wellington branch acknowledges the generous support of

The East Coast region also thank

The Manawatu region also thank