Nation-first appointment at NZICC
Te Raukura Hawke has been appointed Pou Tikanga – cultural leader – at the NZICC, helping the just-opened convention centre to incorporate te ao Māori – the world view of New Zealand’s Māori – into the venue’s operations, the visitor experience and the team.
The NZICC is the first of New Zealand’s three convention centres, all opened since 2022, to have a dedicated Māori advisor.
“For Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, this is a shared milestone for both NZICC and us,” said Lisa Davis, CEO of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, the organisation representing one of the kinship groups within the iwi or Maori tribe for the Auckland area.
“Te Raukura brings with him the whakapapa [genealogy or lineage], tikanga [correct cultural protocols] and lived connection to this place that cannot be taught.
“As tangata whenua [local people], we have always valued the way we welcome and manaaki manuhiri [support visitors] to Tāmaki Makaurau [Auckland].
“Seeing that reflected within NZICC helps ensure visitors experience an authentic connection to this place, its people and its stories,” said Davis.
Hawke will be responsible for ensuring Māori values and cultural protocols are correctly embedded into events at the NZICC, as well as building cultural competency across the team and creating a culturally safe space for all who visit the venue.
“This role is about more than cultural integration; it’s about embedding te ao Māori into the fabric of how NZICC operates each day,” said Hawke.
“I want people to leave knowing they’ve experienced something real; that the tikanga they experience is carried with integrity, and that Māori culture is upheld with dignity in every kaupapa [stage] we encounter.
“That’s the invitation I want every person who walks through these doors to feel.”
According to the media statement announcing Hawke’s appointment, the move is “a statement of identity and a point of difference” for the NZICC on the international business events stage.
“NZICC has a strong connection with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, and having a Pou Tikanga in our team means that relationship is alive every day,” said NZICC’s general manager, Prue Daly.
“Te Raukura brings meaning and purpose to everything we do, grounding our mahi [work] in the history of this place. And in what it truly means to represent Aotearoa, New Zealand to the world.”
The Fresh Collective appoints sales lead for Victoria
Chloe Hutchinson has been appointed head of sales in Victoria for catering company The Fresh Collective.
Hutchinson, who started with the team last week in Melbourne, moves over from Dann Event Hire where she was a business development manager. She has also spent over eight years with the Good Food and Wine Show, both under SpecTAPular Events and Talk2 Media and Events, the show’s previous owner. For more than half of her time there she was national sales manager.
The Fresh Collective’s commercial director, Dana Fish, said Hutchinson’s “energy, passion for client relationships, business development and team leadership makes her an excellent fit”.
Hutchinson said she was “looking forward to working with the team to grow new opportunities, strengthen client relationships and deliver memorable experiences”.
The Fresh Collective is also currently on the hunt for a head of sales for New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
