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Weo Maag
Iwi appointee
Weo is a tribal member
of Maniapoto and is a
current trustee of their Iwi
authority, Maniapoto Maori
Trust Board. He was an
inaugural member of the
Guardians Establishment
Committee (forerunner
to the WRA) and was
also a negotiator for Nga
wai o Maniapoto (Waipa
River) Act 2012. Weo
has a particular focus
on the sustainable use
of land and water, and
improving economic
and environmental
performance specifically
on Ahuwhenua Trusts
(Maori land). He is
currently a Trustee and
a committee member of
several entities and has a
diploma in Agribusiness,
and is also a certified
Resource Management Act
hearings commissioner.
Weo lives in Te Kuiti.
Vanessa Eparaima
MNZM
Iwi appointee
Vanessa (Raukawa,
Tuwharetoa) is the
Raukawa Settlement Trust
Executive Chairperson,
Chairperson of the
Raukawa Charitable Trust,
and a Director of Raukawa
Iwi Development Ltd.
She is the Chairperson of
Kakano (a six member Iwi
collective which holds a
shareholding in Kaingaroa
Timberlands), a Director of
CNI Iwi Holdings and the
Co-Chair of CNI Iwi Land
Management. Vanessa
was recently appointed
the New Zealand Order
of Merit for services to
Maori. She is a business
consultant, company
director and former chief
executive in the tourism
sector. Vanessa sits on a
range of business and not-
for-profit boards.
She is a passionate
advocate for Maori,
the community and for
environmental issues.
She has a strong history
of working with the wider
community, kaumātua,
iwi chairs, Ministers,
Members of Parliament and
numerous stakeholders to
achieve positive outcomes
for the communities she
serves.
Vanessa is married to
Ngarepo and is the proud
mother of three young
adults.
Traci Houpapa
MNZM JP
Crown appointee
Traci specialises in
strategic and economic
development, advising
public and private sector
clients throughout New
Zealand. Traci’s work takes
her to both marae and
boardroom settings.
Traci is an experienced
company director,
and holds a number
of directorships and
Ministerial appointments.
She is the first female
chairman of the Federation
of Maori Authorities
representing a mainly
primary sector asset base
valued at around $8 billion,
and the deputy chair of the
State Owned Enterprise
LandCorp Farming Limited.
Traci also chairs Te
Uranga B2 Incorporation,
a Maori owned farming
entity and the National
Advisory Council for
the Employment of
Women, an advisory
council to the Minister
of Women’s Affairs.
She holds governance
roles on Nga Pae O Te
Maramatanga, Diverse NZ
Inc, the Rural Broadband
Initiative National
Advisory Committee,
Strada Corporation and
the Beef+Lamb Wool Levy
Group.
Traci has an MBA from
Massey University, and is
a Member of the Order of
New Zealand, a Justice of
the Peace, and a Marriage
Celebrant.
Heemi Biddle
Iwi appointee
Waikato iti, e rere mai na i
nga maunga tapu e tu kau
atu ki te hau Tonga.
Puta atu ki a Waikato
Runga, ka rere ka puta ki
te whatu i te korowai tapu
ko Taupo Moana. Ara te
ia e ā atu ki a Waikato-
nui me tōna kī; ‘He piko,
he taniwha, he piko, he
taniwha’. Anei te mana o
te wai.
Heemi is of Ngati
Tuwharetoa descent and
can whakapapa to Ngati
Tahu, Te Arawa, Ngati
Raukawa, Ngai Tuhoe and
other hapu and iwi of the
Central North Island.
His career has seen him
involved in a number
of industries including
forestry, tunnelling,
security, education,
banking and more recently
geothermal energy
development.
He has a NZ Certificate
in Forestry, Bachelor of
Business Studies degree
majoring in finance and he
has completed professional
governance training in
both Australia and New
Zealand. He is a current
member of the Tuwharetoa
Maori Trust Board and
other current involvements
include:
• Chairman Tauhara
Middle 15 Trust
• Opepe Farm Trust
• Lake Taupo Forest
Trust
• Lake Rotoaira Forest
Trust
• Ngati Tuwharetoa
Fisheries
• Tuwharetoa Hapu
Forum.
Alan Livingston
ONZM
Crown appointee
Alan is a sitting councillor
on the Waikato Regional
Council after completing
four terms as the Mayor
of Waipa District Council.
In addition he completed
two terms as a Waipa
councillor. He is a Crown
appointee to the Waikato
River Authority and was
a Crown appointee to the
Authority’s forerunner the
Guardians Establishment
Committee.
He is a graduate of Lincoln
University with a B Agri
Com in valuation and farm
management.
For the past 30 years
Alan has been a sheep
and beef farmer at Te
Pahu. He is a life member
of the QEII Trust and a
covenanter of two bush
blocks plus smaller bush
areas which have been
fenced and retired. He is
a former Trustee of the
Maungatautari Ecological
Island Trust with which
he has continuing
involvement.
Alan is the co-chair of
Waikato Regional Council’s
Healthy River: Wai Ora
Committee and also a
member of the Future
Proof Committee and a
Trustee of Sport Waikato
and a director of Magic
Netball.
Waikato River Authority
Annual Report
2014
www.
waikatoriver
.org.nz
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