Tairawhiti Whenua Appoints Hilton Collier as Inaugural Chief Executive Officer

Press Release

Friday 27 June 2025

For immediate release

The Trustees of Tairāwhiti Whenua Charitable Trust are proud to announce the appointment of Hilton Collier (Ngāti Porou) as the organisation’s first Chief Executive Officer.

Hilton’s whakapapa is deeply rooted in the lands of Ruatōria, where he was raised on his ancestral whenua in the heart of Ngāti Porou. From these beginnings grew a life’s work dedicated to whenua, people, and kaupapa Māori.

A proud advocate for Māori-led development, Hilton brings a rare combination of deep regional insight, proven leadership, and values-based decision-making to the role.

With a career spanning more than three decades, Hilton brings a wide breadth of experience across Māori agribusiness and farming, education, governance, food systems, environmental stewardship, and community-led change.

He is known for his ability to work across both grassroots and national levels, bringing together technical expertise with cultural integrity.

This blend of skills positions him strongly to lead the next phase of growth for Tairāwhiti Whenua.

“It is a privilege to serve a kaupapa that holds deep personal and collective significance,” says Hilton.

“Tairāwhiti Whenua represents the strength of whakapapa and the power of working together. I’m humbled to contribute to the aspirations of our whānau, hapū, and landowners as we work towards a prosperous future for whenua Māori in alignment with our values.”

Hilton takes the helm at a transformative time for Tairāwhiti Whenua, a kaupapa-driven collective of more than 70 Māori Trusts, Incorporations, and Iwi governance entities from across the East Coast.

As the largest network of Māori landowners in Aotearoa, Tairāwhiti Whenua is built on collaboration, shared vision, and the pursuit of prosperity for Tairāwhiti whenua Māori.

As Chief Executive Officer, Hilton will lead and give effect to the Trust’s core functions. This includes: supporting whānau to unlock the full potential of their whenua, while retaining ownership and control; advocating for local solutions to national policy and regulatory frameworks; providing alternatives to traditional whenua-based enterprise models, grounded in cultural values and innovation, and; uplifting Māori voices in decision-making and protecting te taiao through intergenerational approaches.

Hilton’s leadership is a natural fit for this kaupapa. His experience across a wide range of sectors including primary industries, regional education, sustainable business, and Māori governance, equips him to guide this collective forward with confidence, humility, and purpose.

Alan Haronga, Chair of the Tairāwhiti Whenua Trust, said: “Tairāwhiti Whenua Charitable Trust are excited to have Hilton as its Chief Executive Officer.”

“Hilton brings not only the experience, but also the heart and values needed to lead this movement. His appointment signals our intention to grow with integrity, stay connected to our people, and elevate solutions that are grounded in tikanga Māori and the lived realities of our region.”

As the Trust transitions from establishment to implementation, Hilton’s appointment represents a powerful step forward for whenua Māori in Tairāwhiti.

His role will focus on strengthening the Trust’s strategic direction, building capability among members, and ensuring that whānau and whenua remain central to all decision-making.

Ends

For media enquiries, please contact:

Toni Akana
Communications Specialist | Tairāwhiti Whenua
kiaora@tairawhitiwhenua.co.nz
www.tairawhitiwhenua.co.nz

About Tairāwhiti Whenua:
Tairāwhiti Whenua collective currently comprises 74 Māori Trusts, Incorporations and Iwi/PGSE’s in the Tairāwhiti region. We have come together to respond to issues and matters of importance to us, our whenua, and our people.

Tairāwhiti Whenua collectively manages just under 200,000 hectares of Whenua Māori, the largest of us managing 46,000 hectares and the smallest of us 5 hectares. We are responsible to 221,570 owners, employ 400+ staff, manage $758 million of assets, and generate $53 million of business revenue for the Tairāwhiti region and its many communities. Our revenues are not current and would have reduced by at least 50% due to inflation, reduced market pricing for our sheep and beef and forestry products and whenua and wai regulatory reform. Tairāwhiti Whenua members have diverse interests in agriculture, horticulture, forestry and other land uses. The current members are a small number of the estimated 1,596 Māori land blocks in the wider Tairāwhiti region.