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Ko Pirongia te maunga Ko Waipa te awa Ko Tainui te waka Ko Waikato te iwi Ko Ngaati Maahanga, Ngaati Hoourua, Ngaati Hikairo (Ki Kawhia moana), Ngaati Whakamarurangi ngaa hapuu Ko Te Papa o Rotu, Oomaero, Waipapa, me Mootakotako ngaa marae Ko Kawena (Kawe) Jones taku ingoa.

Kawena (Kawe) lives in Whatawhata, deeply connected to his community through his whakapapa, firmly rooted in Waikato. He is the Co-Director of Taurikura NZ, a social enterprise dedicated to building cultural capacity to foster diverse, inclusive, and thriving organisations and communities. Recently, he served as Principal Advisor for Waikato at Kāinga Ora. Before this, he was the Regional Manager at Amotai, a social procurement intermediary. For seven years, Kawena managed the Employment portfolio at Waikato-Tainui, where he established a careers and employment centre and introduced various social procurement programmes.

Kawena is actively involved in his community. He holds numerous board and trustee positions, these roles include elected Marae member to Te Whakakitenga of Waikato, the tribal parliament, member of the Te Whakakitenga Distributions Committee, Board member of Community Waikato. His past roles include serving as Treasurer for Te Ahurei a Rangatahi and chairing the Te Tiriti sub-committee for the Young Workers Resource Centre.

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Michelle has over 25 years’ experience in the casino and hospitality industries in New Zealand and has held various senior managerial roles within SkyCity predominantly in casino operations, but also in hotel operations and project management positions.

Michelle was appointed General Manager SkyCity Queenstown in May 2008 and relocated to Hamilton in April 2014 to take up the position of General Manager SkyCity Hamilton. Michelle has overseen a number of positive changes to the Hamilton business achieving record results and winning awards, including Michelle being awarded CEO of the Year in the 2017 Waikato Business Awards.

Michelle has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Canterbury. She was a Board member of the Queenstown Chamber of Commerce from 2012 - 2013, an Executive Committee member of the Hamilton Central Business Association from 2015 – 2016, and a Director of Women in Gaming and Hospitality Australasia from 2018 - 2023. Michelle is currently a trustee and co- chair of the SkyCity Hamilton Community Trust, a member of Global Women in New Zealand and a member of the international committee for Global Gaming Women.

Close Amanda established The Stakeholder Agency in 2016, specialising in helping organisations build their capability in the area of strategic collaboration. Her passion for regional growth and community impact developed during her years working in the public sector. Amanda also holds the role of Chief Executive of the South Waikato Investment Fund Trust (SWIFT), winners of the Community Contribution Award at the 2023 Waikato Business Awards. SWIFT is a community-owned economic development fund. Her leadership roles extend to her past position as Chairperson of Creative Waikato, as well as previously serving on the Community Waikato Board. Amanda is currently a Trustee of the Community and Enterprise Leadership Foundation (CELF) and SkyCity Hamilton Community Trust.

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Manaaki is a proud Māori woman of Waikato Tainui descent, and a mother of 2 talented and caring young Māori men aged 20 and 13. She is the wife of 17 years to Jason Nepia who she describes as her ‘soulmate’. Manaaki is passionate about Māori wellbeing and firmly believes in order to achieve positive and equitable outcomes for Māori, we need leadership and need to focus on the outcomes that matter; and we need to remain firmly fixed on the empowerment of Whanau/Hapu/Iwi in the architect and design of their own destinies.

Manaaki has held senior leadership, management and advisory roles within a number of directorates at the Ministry of Health and spent time as the Service Development Manager for the Waikato District Health Board. Manaaki has strong experience in procurement, having also held the Regional Contracts Manager role (Waikato) at the Ministry of Social Development. Manaaki’s current role is the Strategy and Relationship Manager for Te Whakakitenga o Waikato Tainui. Currently completing a Masters in Development, Manaaki has

a Bachelor of Social Science majoring in Psychology & Māori and a Post Graduate Diploma in Māori and Pacific Development through the University of Waikato.

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Ken has dedicated his life to community service, serving a wide range of not-for-profit community organisations including St John Ambulance, McKenzie Centre, Te Whakaruruhau Maori Women's Refuge, along with school and tertiary boards. He received a Queens Service Medal, a Rotary Paul Harris Fellowship, and a Hamilton City Award for his services to the community, and was made a Knight of the Order of St John by the Queen. He is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Directors and a JP. Ken also serves as a director on the boards of several Waikato businesses. He a proud Hamiltonian and passionate about the Waikato. He ascribes to Churchill's words, "We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give".

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Paula resides in Hamilton and has over 20 years leadership/governance experience in the community sector. Paula manages the Braemar Charitable Trust, is a Chartered Director with significant governance experience and currently sits on the Boards of the Waihikurangi Trust and Alandale Retirement Village. Previous Board roles include Presbyterian Support Services Northern, Northern Districts Cricket Association and Community Living Trust.

As a member of the Waikato Community Lotteries distribution committee, Paula is an experienced funder and is highly networked in the Waikato philanthropic and community sectors. With an MBA from Waikato University, Paula is currently completing a Diploma in Arts (Te Ao Māori) to further develop her knowledge.

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Jason Dawson is of Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Whātua descent and is currently the Regional Affairs Manager for Araraurangi Air New Zealand based in the Waikato. Jason completed his MBA at the University of Waikato and has extensive experience working in the local government sector, education, investment banking, technology, agriculture and tourism industries. He has been a strong and passionate advocate for Waikato and its people through education, business support, technology, economic development and lifting the profile of the region’s strengths and opportunities.