Tina Porou

Tina is of Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Ngai Tāmanuhiri and Ngāti Rakaipaaka descent and founded Poipoia, a kaupapa Māori company committed to providing environmental services to iwi, the public and private sector. These services are derived from the holistic principles of kaitiakitanga. 

Tina has worked as an environmental planner and a tangata whenua advocate in the natural resource management space for over 20 years on projects that have included developing papakainga houses for social wellbeing, facilitating environmental restoration programmes, engaging in national policy interventions on water, climate change and biodiversity, while working with iwi and councils to enable stronger decision sharing relationships. Tina has specific experience in the areas of water allocation and quality, geothermal development, and cultural impact assessments. 

This broad range of work provided a strong platform for sustainable development approaches, all from a tangata whenua perspective. Tina held the role of the head of sustainability at Contact Energy, which provided deep experience in corporate responsibility and the operationalization of these ideals in a commercial space and more broadly assisting Māori businesses delve deeper into their own kaitiakitanga aspirations. 

Tina was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her service to Māori and the Environment in 2016 and won a Sir Peter Blake Emerging Leader Award in 2015.  

She holds board governance positions on the Lake Taupo Forest Trust, Ngāti Porou Forests, Tātau Tātau o te Wairoa Commercial Board, and is based in Wellington.  

Poipoia has a small team of experienced iwi practitioners and technicians in the field of resource management from across the regions. Tina’s broad experience in working with hapū, whānau and iwi has provided her with a multilayered approach to natural resource management that provides unique perspectives to address environmental challenges.