Leadership Team

Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira Senior Leadership team is responsible for implementing the decisions, vision, and strategy of the board and executive team.

Our leadership is spearheaded by Helmut Modlik, our Chief Executive. Supporting him is a team of highly skilled, talented, and hard-working individuals.

Meet the team below!

 

Helmut Karewa Modlik
Tumu Whakarae - CEO

Helmut is an experienced director, executive, and consultant with specialist skills in implementation and change management, business and economic development (including new venture identification, planning, and establishment), strategic analysis and planning, public policy, and finance. Helmut has extensive consulting experience in a wide range of private and public sectors (particularly health) including appointment to the boards of PHARMAC, Capital & Coast District Health Board, Health Information Standards Organisation, and Health Information Strategy Action Committee.

Helmut completed his BCA and MBA, which led him initially into accounting and finance, and then enabled him to transition into economic development (as the inaugural CEO of Poutama Trust) and management consulting. He also ran his own management consultancy (Arrus Knoble Developments) for 12 years and has been a CEO specializing in change, growth, mergers, and turnaround companies for the last 14 years.

Helmut is a life-long serial entrepreneur who loves to create exciting new ventures and is fiercely passionate about working to enhance the well-being, prosperity, and mana of Ngāti Toa.

Contact - helmut.modlik@ngatitoa.iwi.nz

Executive Lead Team

  • Jennie Smeaton

    Pou Ratonga – Chief Operations Officer

    jennie.smeaton@ngatitoa.iwi.nz

    Jennie has held executive leadership positions in the public and iwi sectors specialising in Māori Development.

    Jennie has a background in communications and environmental management and has held local and regional positions on governance boards and committees focused in the environmental, fisheries and local government space.

  • Christian Katene

    Pou Manaaki – Chief Corporate Services Officer

    christian.katene@ngatitoa.iwi.nz

    Christian attended Victoria University of Wellington, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws, and Bachelor of Commerce. He then went on to complete the 3-year Chartered Accountancy qualification while working full time at KPMG as an Audit and Risk Consultant. Christian has 15 years experience in finance roles, primarily in the public sector, including KiwiRail, NZ Defence Force (as Finance Director for the NZ Army), and Oranga Tamariki (as Deputy CFO).

  • Leon Grandy

    Pou Pūtea – Treasurer

    leon.grandy@ngatitoa.iwi.nz

    Leon is an experienced director and executive. Leon holds qualifications from Victoria University, Massey University, the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and Chartered Bankers Institute, he is a former banker and commissioned officer in the NZ Reserve Forces; he was a general manager with HSBC; AXA and ABN AMRO Bank. Leon has been a major shareholder of Armillary Limited for over 20 years. Armillary manages the USX with a market cap of over $3.3bn, and several small funds in addition to providing Investment Banking and Corporate Finance advice to private businesses.

  • Carra Hamon

    Pou Rautaki

    carra.hamon@ngatitoa.iwi.nz

    Carra has spent most of her working life in the public service in several different roles from strategy and planning, investment, monitoring and evaluation, social service contracting, and governance.

    Carra holds a Master in Public Management and a Bachelor of Arts in History and Education from Victoria University.

  • Dr Te Taku Parai

    Pou Tikanga

    Ko Tainui te waka .Ko Whitireia raua ko Rangituhi, aku Maunga. Ko Parirua te moana .Ko Takapuwahia te Marae. Ko Toa Rangatira te whare Tupuna. Ko Parehounuku te kai whare . Ko Dr. Taku Parai ahau.

    Dr. Taku has been raised on Takapuwahia Marae under the shadow of our maunga Rangituhi . As a young boy Taku saw his uncles and aunties provide manaakitanga of the highest quality and watched uncles tend to the upkeep and tikanga of Takapuwahia.

    Taku’s role as the Pou Tikanga is to provide and give advice in areas where our tikanga is required to either stabilize or advance initiatives in a way our old people would have done. As we advance and grow, we cannot afford to lose sight of the foundation laid down by our tupuna which is to manaaki our manuhiri and our people,tiaki our kaumatua, whakarite te ara mo matou Mokopuna.

  • Rawiri Faulkner

    Pou Toa Matarau

    rawiri.faulkner@ngatitoa.iwi.nz

    Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngai Te Rangi

    Rawiri is an experienced Senior Executive Leader, having held senior roles in Local Government and Crown Agencies. Rawiri is currently employed by Ngāti Toa Rangatira as Pou Toa Matarau (Environment, Treaty Settlement and Culture) based in Porirua. He is also an experienced Hearing Commissioner having served on a number of consent hearings, plan reviews and fast track consents.

    Along with his wife Linda, Rawiri has also worked with a number of iwi developing strategic plans and government procurement applications. Rawiri brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his role as Pou Toa Matarau for the Ahurea Taiao Team at Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira Inc.

  • Kahu O Te Rangi Ropata

    Pou Tikanga Reo

  • Boyd Scirkovich

    Pou Ohanga

    boyd.scirkovich@ngatitoa.iwi.nz

    Boyd will bring to the role a wealth of applied business experience, showcasing his versatility as an Executive Leader, Senior Business Manager, Professional Director, and Senior Commercial Business Consultant. His expertise spans the spectrum from small businesses to the Enterprise landscape, covering Māori, Public, and Private sectors. As a member of the OnBoard NZ Director’s program, he actively contributes to board governance for the growing NZ Tech eco-system, nominated by Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust.

    Boyd will be taking the helm of the Ohanga team which includes our Property & Maintenance team, Economic Development, Housing, and Acquisitions.

    We are both privileged and excited to have Boyd join us here at Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira. We look forward to the amazing contributions his experience and knowledge will bring to our people.

Senior Lead Team

  • Raylene Bishop

    General Manager, Cultural Services

    raylene@ngatitoa.iwi.nz

  • Mike Gollop

    General Manager, Technology

    mike.gollop@ngatitoa.iwi.nz

    Mike is of Ngati Porou descent, and has 20+ years of IT sector experience with some highlights of working with and sometimes for organisations such as The World Bank, MOH, MOE, MSD, MBIE, NZ Police, Flight Centre Australia, all of the Major Australian Banks, The Australian Defence force, KPMG, PWC, American Express, GEM Finance, All of the major NZ Banks and a number of PHOs / DHBs.

    Mike heads up the IT team and IT services for the Rūnanga, together with his small team of 7 (8 total) his vision is to not only ensure Ngati Toa has the best possible technology and solutions available to meet our ever growing and changing requirements, but also transform Ngati Toa into a technology leader for both other Iwis, and also organisations in general throughout New Zealand.

  • Bianca Elkington

    General Manager, Education, and Employment Services

    bianca@ngatitoa.iwi.nz

    With a Bachelor of Arts in Education, a Graduate Diploma of Teaching, a Master of Education, and a PhD Candidate, Bianca’s qualifications, expertise, passion, and commitment to education for our Ngāti Toa tamariki and rangatahi makes her the perfect person to lead our Education Services Team as their General Manager.

  • Michael Rongo

    Director, Health Services

    michael.rongo@oratoa.co.nz

    Michael is a seasoned executive who over the previous 18 years has had extensive senior leadership experience within Ara Poutama Aotearoa (The Department of Corrections).

    During his time with Corrections, Michael was the first known Pacific Island Prison Director managing a large and diverse leadership team.

    Michael currently serves on several boards including the Porirua Locality Governance Board, Primary Mental Health and Addictions Governance Group and the Te Ara Pae Ora Governance Board.

    Of Kuki Airani and Pakeha descent, Michael has strong whakapapa connections to Ngāti Toa through his wife Bianca Rongo and their tamariki.

  • Alan Blundell

    General Manager, Developments

    alan.blundell@ngatitoa.iwi.nz

    Alan comes from a 20-year background in his own Architecture practice, he designed and built a boutique hotel in 2008 – “Ohtel” in Oriental Parade, Wellington.

    Alan ran that business for 10 years, successfully exiting in 2017 to pursue other property development interests before taking on Design Business Manager and then Programme Manager roles at Summerset in 2019.

    Alan has a reputation for creativity and bringing those ideas to fruition, with a broad understanding of construction, bringing a strong focus to streamlining business systems and operations, while managing from the client-side, internal and external stakeholder relationships.

  • Steven Johnson

    General Manager, Social Services

    steve.johnson@tra.org.nz

    Steven has spent the last 22 years living overseas. 17 of those years were spent in Dubai, working throughout the Middle East and Asia. He has worked predominately in commercial operations, business development, stakeholder management, and service delivery.

    Steven’s previous roles include Advisor for the Presidential Guard National Service, United Arab Emirates Armed Forces, and Chief Operating Officer, Te Roopu Āwhina ki Porirua.

  • Lewis England

    General Manager - Property Acquisition & Operations

    lewis.england@ngatitoa.iwi.nz

    Ko Te Ātiawa, ko Taranaki, ko Ngāti Mutunga ōna Iwi. Lewis is a graduate of Massey University with a Bachelor of Business Studies majoring in Valuation and Property Management (VPM) and a Registered Valuer with the New Zealand Institute of Valuers. He has extensive experience in the valuation of commercial, industrial, and whenua assets having worked for both CBRE and JLL in Te Whanganui a Tara. He specialized in providing valuation and consultancy services for various Iwi/Māori land entities throughout the Lower North Island and Te Tau Ihu.

    Lewis is passionate about Māori economic development, specifically through his chosen area of expertise in property/whenua re-acquisition. As the GM of Property Acquisition and Operations, Lewis manages the property acquisitions of the Rūnanga, particularly those associated with the Deed of Settlement, and also oversees the management of our existing portfolio.