Our People
The Executive Committee below has been nominated by their representing region and are charged with exercising leadership across the industry, advocating on your behalf, improving information dissemination to Māori growers, assisting and improving net returns for Māori kiwifruit growers.
Anaru Timutimu (Chairman) | Tauranga Moana anaru.timutimu@gmail.com
Anaru, one of Tauranga Moana’s recently elected regional representatives has whakapapa links to both Tauranga and Tuhoe Iwi and has been involved in Maori land development in a variety of roles.
As a University of Waikato gradute, Anaru has spent the past 22 years in a range of management positions with Fonterra, Ballance Agri-Nutrients, Te Tumu Paeroa and currently PGG Wrightson.
As one of your representatives, Anaru is keen to understand if and how MKGI can add value to your kiwifruit operations.
James is a Director and Deputy Chairman of Wakatu Incorporation. He is a past Chairman and CEO of Tohu Wines Ltd, and is also a past Director of Port Nicholson Fisheries. He is also a Director of his family computer business Globalware Ltd.
His Whakapapa is Te Ātiawa and Te Arawa. He was for many years a Territorial Force soldier in the New Zealand Army. He is married with two children and five grandchildren. In 1995 he completed post graduate studies in Human Resource Management at Victoria University, has previous business qualifications and is a qualified Industrial Engineer. He became a Justice of the Peace in 1989.
Pita Tipene| Te Taitokerau
pita@nhht.co.nz
Ko Ngati Hine te Iwi Ko Ngati Te Tarawa te Hapu Ko Motatau te maunga – tu te ao, tu te po Ko Taumarere te awa, puta atu ki te puwaha o Te Moana Pikopiko-i-whiti.
Pita and his wife Sara have 3 children and 5 grandchildren and live in Kawakawa, Bay of Islands, Taitokerau.
He was born and raised as part of a family of 11 children in Motatau, (Bay of Islands) attended St Stephens School and then graduated from Waikato University in 1985.
Alan Haronga | Te Tai Rawhiti
alan@gisnz.co.nz
I am Chair of two Gisborne based Maori gribusinesses, namely Wi Pere Trust and Mangatu Blocks Incorporation, and for both I e been on the board for over thirty years.
as a chartered accountant for twenty years before moving on to become a professional rector, with wide experience across a number of boards both public and private, Maori and Non-Maori.
Haki McRoberts| Te Whānau a Apanui mcroberts833@gmail.com
Ko Haki McRoberts tōku ingoa Ko Maungaroa te Maunga Ko Maungaroa te Marae
Ko Kereū te Awa
Ko Kaiaio te Whare Tipuna Ko Kaiaio te Hapū
Ko Te Whānau a Apanui te Iwi
Taha o tōku Māmā
Ko Ngāti Mākino
Whakataukī
“He purapura ngā kai, He taniwha ngā tāngata”
Te Aroha | Whakatōhea
tearoha@touchmedia.co.nz
Ko Ngāpuhi, Te Whakatōhea me Te Whanau-a-Apanui ngā iwi.
My husband and I have 6 children plus 4, 3 mokopuna and 2 dogs. I enjoyed 19 years in hospitality managing Auckland and Taupo bars, restaurants, and night clubs, before providing systems and administration capability to Māori Trusts. I volunteer on various Marae, School, and Sports Club committees.
Born and raised in Auckland, with 2 years of schooling at Opotiki college. Moved back to Opotiki from Huntly in 2018 to strengthen ties to my whakapapa on my father’s side.
7 years learning about the kiwifruit industry through Te Kaha 67 Ahu Whenua Trust, which has 2 conventional G3 orchards, with 1 preparing for organic conversion within the next 2 seasons.
Amy Tocker | NZKGI Iwi Representative & General Manager
amy@taua.nz
Amy has been working in the kiwifruit industry for 9 years most recently working for Zespri International as the Māori & Community Relations Manager and has in-depth knowledge and understanding of the kiwifruit and horticulture industry spanning the entire supply chain through offshore markets to consumers. In her time at Zespri, Amy coordinated the establishment of the Māori Kiwifruit Growers forum and led multiple Māori grower delegations into global markets throughout Asia, Americas, Europe and the Middle East.
Prior to Zespri Amy was the Executive Officer at Te Awanui Huka Pak, working alongside the Chairman to support the seventeen Māori shareholders. Working in these positions has given Amy a firm overview and understanding of the kiwifruit industry.
Amy, having owned and operated businesses in the hospitality sector since 2004, has a broad range of skills to offer. Her hospitality background has seen Amy develop a solid network and successfully operate several businesses during the global financial crisis.
Amy has a key focus on improving outcomes for Māori and strongly advocates for increasing the skills and capabilities of Māori in both business and the Primary Industries.
Kiri Tapsell | Te Puke
kiri@pukenga.co.nz
Kiri is a descendant of Ngati Whakue, Ngati Pukenga, Ngati Porou and Tainui where he was bought up on his family farm & kiwifruit orchard in Maketu.
Kiri has profound experience in dairy, beef and kiwifruit and now oversees all operations as general manager.
Kiri is a director of Pukenga Farms Ltd, Band of Brothers 7 Ltd & is also on the board of trustees for Otama Marere Trust which are all large kiwifruit orchards in Te Puke.
As Kiri represents Maori for Te Puke on the MKGI board, he plans to bring his experience, governance, strategic & future thinking to the table.
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Moerangi Vercoe | Te Matau-a-Māui
mvercoe@oreatrust.co.nz
As a descendant of Te Arawa, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Tūhoe, Ngāti Porou, and Raukawa ki te Tonga, Moerangi is driven by her desire to see Māori succeed economically, socially, and culturally.
She has been a member of the MKGI executive committee since 2021 and is the General Manager for Orea Trust, based in Tauranga Moana. The Trust also has a Gold Kiwifruit orchard in Haumoana, Hastings, and has been in the kiwifruit industry since 1999.
Moerangi’s background is in Business Development, Sales and Marketing and Management Consulting. She also has experience in a number of primary sector industries through governance roles she currently holds for Māori Trusts and Incorporations, and through her previous role as Senior Consultant at Deloitte.
Through her role with MKGI, she hopes to support more Māori into kiwifruit and be a strong advocate for Māori in the industry. If your whenua is based in Te Matau-a-Maui (Hawkes Bay) and you are in kiwifruit already or would like support on getting into the industry, she would love to hear from you via the email provided.
Geoff Rolleston | Tauranga Moana
geoff.scl@hotmail.com
Tēnā kōtou,
Ko Geoff Rolleston ahau.
Ko Te Arawa me Mātaatua ngā waka, no Ngāti Whakaue me Tauranga Moana ahau.
Nā reira, tēnā kōtou katoa!
I am privileged to be the Tauranga Moana regional representative on MKGI.
I am committed to delivering on expectations, but in order to do that, we need your feedback, and your contributions. We need to be a united voice on critical issues affecting our iwi livelihoods, and we need to be connected.
My current roles are mainly governance in our iwi sector as well as local government. I will be using these networks to advance our position on both a local level, and the international stage.
Look forward to engaging in the upcoming months.
Nga mihi
Māori Kiwifruit Growers
Building and growing the Māori Kiwifruit business for current and future generations
Stay Connected
© 2017 Māori Kiwifruit Growers Inc.
QUICK LINKS
CONTACT US
Chairman: Anaru Timutimu - anaru.timutimu@gmail.com
General Manager: Amy Tocker - amy@taua.nz