Pou Tātaki / Executive leadership role

(5 year Fixed Term, Full-time role)

This role offers an exciting opportunity to lead New Zealand’s largest harbour restoration initiative and further grow its award-winning activities across two regions and 6,000 square kilometres.

Reporting to the KMR Chair, the Pou Tātaki works closely with governors, funders and programme partners to guide the strategic and operational direction for Kaipara Moana Remediation.

Working closely with a high-performing leadership team, the role ensures effective support to more than 1,000 landowners, iwi/hapū and community groups making a meaningful contribution to protect and restore the Kaipara, the largest harbour in the Southern Hemisphere.

In this fast-paced and exciting executive leadership role, among other duties, you will:

• Provide overall leadership and accountability for KMR’s strategic direction and performance, and ensure that the programme is effectively governed.
• Support the board to achieve KMR’s vision, mission, investment objectives and outcomes.
• Lead strategic engagement across a diverse set of programme partners, funders and senior stakeholders to ensure the programme’s external visibility and voice.
• Support the Chair and Joint Committee with KMR’s transition into the Kaipara Moana Body, the Post-Settlement Governance Entity proposed under Waitangi Tribunal Claim.

To be successful you are likely to have:

• 10-15 years’ executive leadership experience, with a strong track record in operational delivery, commercial management and revenue generation, and cost-recovery.
• Experience in successfully managing a large budget across a complex programme of activities.
• Demonstrated senior-level relationships of relevance to KMR, including networks in the primary sector, central and local government, business community and with iwi/hapū in the catchment.
• Cultural empathy and awareness, and experience working in te ao Māori.

You will be based in Northland or Auckland, and work out of KMR’s Whangārei office a minimum of 2 days a week.

Nested within the Northland Regional Council, this role offers great opportunities to grow in your career through access to on-the-job learning, training and personal development programmes.

To see the position description, click here: JD: Pou Tātaki KMR (you will be able to access the link from the NRC careers site).

Applications close midnight Sunday 9 November 2025 and must be submitted online via the NRC Recruitment hub. We review applications as they are received.

For more information contact: Justine Daw, outgoing KMR Pou Tātaki on justined@kmr.org.nz or Tame Te Rangi, KMR Chair on tame.terangi@ngatiwhatua.iwi.nz

Applicants for this position should have NZ residency/citizenship or valid NZ work visa.