Bayden Barber: a chair in the glare

Bayden Barber CMInstD knew the spotlight – and great expectation – would fall on him when he was elected Chair of the Ngāti Kahungunu, the third largest iwi in Aotearoa New Zealand, in 2022.

He had been groomed to be a leader from his formative days on the marae – nurtured by a sage grandmother – and developed broad shoulders through various roles past and present. They include two terms (2016- 2022) on the Hasting District Council, a director on Beef + Lamb NZ (2021-24), and Health Hawke’s Bay (2016 and 2020). 

Other current roles include being Chair of the Māori Education Trust, director of Te Ohu Kaimoana (Māori Fisheries Commission) and a commissioner for Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (Māori Language Commission). 
 
But being elected Chair of the Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated, replacing longtime leader Ngahiwi Tomoana in the first change at the top in 26 years, was next level. 
 
Everyone wants a piece of Barber, particularly the media for a soundbite on any and every issue – from Cyclone Gabrielle to closing the iwi’s fishery 
business, to supporting Māori wards, and to proposing a Māori parliament. 
 
“Coming into the iwi space was an eye- opener and being engaged in national kaupapa. We hosted the big Hui Taumata (Māori economic summit) in May, which brought together more than 3,000 people. The expectations of an iwi chair are next level. You must have large shoulders, but you have a board working together to lift some of that burden. 
 
“You are in the media every other day and that has been an eye-opener. People want your opinion on every little thing, whether it’s government policy or social needs. It could be housing one day, education the next . . . or blocking vehicle access to Waimārama Beach. Being thrust into the spotlight is what you would expect from being one of the three largest iwi in Aotearoa. I am always being asked about this and that.” 

Barber can converse with Māori and English media equally, but he has a big area to cover – from the Wharerata Ranges in the Wairoa District to the Remutaka Range in South Wairarapa. The iwi is responsible for nearly 96,000 people, including 100 hapū and 90 marae.

With the iwi’s “chequered past”, Barber quickly set about making change, bringing in new board members and taking the incumbents “on the journey”. The iwi was “haemorrhaging” millions in its commercial fishing enterprise, Takitimu Seafoods, which has since been shut down. 
 
He sent the iwi board on the IoD’s governance and finance essentials courses, to develop frameworks and improve and strengthen governance skills and expertise when making “the big decisions for our people”. 
 
“One of the first things I did was recruit good commercial directors, people I’ve worked with. We’ve been hard at it for the past two and a half years and we are seeing the fruits of turning that waka around.” 
 
There were some tough decisions to be made – “moving people along and bringing the right people in”. That meant shoulder-tapping people he could trust with the ability to make those tough decisions, he says. 
 
“It’s probably one of the biggest challenges – a new chair coming in and having an established board. Some of our board members had been there since the beginning. They had invested emotionally in the business, but you must take them on the journey. That’s been my role, along with the Co-Chair of our commercial board, Mike Devonshire (CMInstD), to show how change can put our people in a strong  position. 
 
“We’ve gone from being in a precarious financial situation to a place where we can launch forward and look at our investments. Sometimes, it’s hard for people to see. There are always going to be tensions.” 

Barber credits the “hard yards” at the Hastings District Council, and the mix of te ao Māori, te reo, tikanga and IoD governance fundamentals for his rise to iwi chair. He pays homage to his marae elders, saying: “I sat at the feet of the likes of Tā (Sir) Timoti Kāretu [a renowned te reo authority] and others. 
 
“Governance is an important part of my leadership, alongside what I have learned from hapū and iwi, and flax-roots marae-based kaupapa. I can see perspectives from a te ao Māori perspective, but also having best- practice governance has helped me in my roles – certainly the iwi role. 
 
He still attends monthly meetings at the Waimārama Marae “to stay grounded and in touch with what’s going on at home”. It was here that he was first identified as a future leader. 
 
“I was thrust forward at quite a young age by our elders and was nurtured by my grandmother. We had people holding roles for a long time and they were getting older. The new generation had to come forward. People would say to me, ‘we see you as our future leader’. 
 
“Māori politics and multi-leadership is interesting, to say the least. It is political, but if you can cut your teeth at your local marae and with your local hapū, it prepares you for bigger things, such as iwi leadership. 
 
“This role is bigger than any other I’ve had in terms of expectation, politics, the complexities of relationships and navigation. It didn’t help that we walked straight into Cyclone Gabrielle and some of the recent challenges from the Coalition Government. It’s been big, but you wouldn’t have it any other way. You just deal with what’s in front of you. We are a resilient people; we are not going anywhere. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

One of the governance fundamentals he holds high is the separation of powers in decision-making – in the iwi’s case it is allowing the commercial board to make commercial decisions. 
 
“The main thing is to stay in your lane,” he says. “We need to be over the strategic direction of the iwi, not trying to make commercial decisions. There are still people who want to overreach, so you must be clear about that. 
 
“That’s one thing I wanted to come out on their course training. Commercial boards have a responsibility under the Companies Act and under their own constitution. Let them get on and do their mahi. Our mahi is with our constitution – it’s as simple as that for me.” 
 
The iwi has two sides – commercial and social – and they need to support each other and both be moving forward together, the ōhanga and oranga must be aligned, Barber says. 
 
“I’m very optimistic about the future. I think we’ve got our books in good shape and are now looking at some good investments. 
 
“We just had the census. We have a huge number of whānau that affiliate to Ngāti Kahungunu. We’re doing some awesome work in our housing agenda, getting people into their own warm, safe housing. And te reo within our iwi has grown hugely over the years. A few months ago we hosted Toitū te Reo with more than 7,000 in attendance, Māori and non-Māori celebrating te reo Māori. 
 
“The social side is doing well, now we must get our commercial side performing as well. That is the challenge for our commercial board. The sky’s the limit. I see us launching forward into the future, not just walking forward. I’m confident we’re going to do some great things.”