Statement From Matapura Ellison

I te tuatahi, ki kā tini me kā mano kua hika nei, haere atu rā. Nō reira, ko rātou kā mate ki a rātou, ko mātou kā konohi ora ki a mātou. Ko te tuarua, he mihi nui ki kā marae maha, ara, kā papatipu rūnaka hoki, tēnā rā koutou.

Ko wai au?

By way of introduction, through my fathers line, I am a descendent of the Ellison and Parata whānau. On my mother’s Ngāti Pākehā side there are English and Irish roots. I was raised in Karitāne, East Otago with my sister Suzanne and elder brother Hawea. I am married to Maria and we share a blended whānau of five tamariki and eight mokopuna.

My Values and Key Attributes

My upbringing was grounded in a whānau-centric environment. We were raised within a strong Hui Te Rangiora Anglican community at Puketeraki. I have a strong belief in fairness and transparency. I have the ability to remain cool, calm and collected where challenging issues requiring careful negotiation are before Te Rūnanga.

My Strong and Proven Governance Experience

I have a track record of positive and successful governance leadership within Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka Ki Puketeraki, within Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu as a long serving Representative, serving as Kaiwhakahaere Tuarua for the last six years and as a co-director of Ōtākou Health Ltd. which operates Te Kāika, in Caversham, Dunedin. I am proud to say I have been party as a board member in guiding Ōtākou Health Ltd through some pretty rough seas into calm waters. I also operate my own small farming business.

Governance Training

I have completed the very popular Institute of Directors course as well as another at the Melbourne Business school. If Te Rūnanga needs anything it needs leaders who have solid proven experience, who can draw on a strong cultural background and who can successfully build kotahitaka in teams.

Nomination for Kaiwhakahaere

I decided to stand for the position of Kaiwhakahaere because I passionately believe I have the cultural grounding, the political savvy and experience required to succeed.

Summary

I would bring to the role of Kaiwhakahaere my natural operating style which focuses on;

seeking positive outcome-based solutions;
seeking to unite individuals as a team and build relationships across the Ngāi Tahu Group.
my absolute commitment to the Kawenata and the collective management of our tribal resources

Matapura Ellison 7-9-2023