Whaitua Kāpiti

Mana whenua house representatives:  

Ngāti Toa Rangatira representative:  

• Naomi Solomon  
• Shane Parata 

Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki representative:  

• Dr Aroha Spinks  
• Caleb Royal 

Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai representative:  

• Dr Mahina-a-rangi Baker 
• Sharlene Maoate-Davis 

Kāwanatanga house representatives:  

Kāpiti Coast community representatives:  

• Jenny Rowan  
• Jocelyn Prvanov (Kāpiti Coast District Council representative)  
• Kerry Walker  
• Monique Leith  
• Pātaka Moore 
• Penny Gaylor (Greater Wellington representative)  

Dr Aroha Spinks

Aroha has been nominated as a representative of Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki. She is an environmental scientist with experience in fisheries, restoration ecology, kaupapa Māori approaches, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi research. She holds a PhD in Resource and Environmental Planning, Bachelor of Applied Science in Fisheries with Distinction and First Class Honours, as well as Diplomas in Arataki Manu Korero and Heke Reo. Her doctorate research project relevant to this role ‘Restoring the mauri of coastal dune lake ecosystems: The case study of Lake Waiorongomai, Ōtaki’. Aroha is passionate about advocating for iwi leadership and collaboration to enhance the well-being of our environment and communities.  

“I am looking forward to working with passionate Whaitua Kāpiti members and regional council staff who are all dedicated to achieving te mana o te wai across our Kāpiti waterways. Improved freshwater management will only be possible with the valuable input of iwi, community views and expert advice. Admittedly our role will only be the initial steps for longer term action plans and pathways, however they are significant. Central to success will be the collective use of diverse knowledge systems and worldviews to produce positive outcomes (such as conservation, restoration, and sustainable resource use) for water and inter-related ecosystems.”

Caleb Royal 

Jenny Rowan QSO

Jenny has wide experience as a skilled and knowledgeable local government and community leader with over 40 years’ work in leadership and governance roles. In this capacity she has demonstrated her personal commitment to Te Tiriti O Waitangi and has worked actively to promote that. She has chaired the Wellington Conservation Board, co-chaired the Wainuiwhenua Waka Kotahi surplus land project, was Mayor of Kāpiti Coast District Council for 6 years, worked as Commissioner in the Environment Court for 16 years, chaired local and regional civil defence governance groups, and has a substantial track-record in a wide range of conservation, community and volunteer initiatives. Jenny has a strong focus on our changing climate impacts and how our conservation activities, especially in protection of our water sources, can respond to and help mitigate these effects.  

Jocelyn Prvanov, KCDC

Jocelyn is a second-term Ward Councillor for the Kāpiti Coast District Council and is the Chair of the council’s Climate and Environment Subcommittee. She was previously one of four community members on the Waikanae River restoration project, Waikanae Ki Uta Ki Tai. She chaired a reserve focus group for many years and is currently the council representative on a number of Kāpiti Coast restoration groups.  

Jocelyn has a Master of Applied Science degree and is a RMA hearing commissioner. She has also worked in the environmental space for central government.  In being brought up on a farm just up the road and now living on a lifestyle block, she is well-connected to the land and those who live rurally and has a very good understanding of our impacts on the environment. 

She is privileged to be part of the Kāpiti Whaitua and is looking forward to working with the committee and our community to make a real positive long-term difference to our environment, although she knows this will be a huge and challenging task. 

Kerry Walker 

Kerry started farming in Te Horo, in 1984 on 50ha.  Kerry has grown the farm to 120ha and 250 cows using a low input once a day milking operation, until 2019 when the operation was converted to a low input beef system.  For 10 years (1994-2004) Kerry also held the lease on the Whareroa Dairy Farm at Queen Elizabeth Park before it was decommissioned.

Kerry has been heavily involved in the Dairy Industry outside the farm gate with roles on various Dairy Companies shareholder groups including a member of the Dairy Environmental Leaders Forum.  Kerry has been involved with submissions on both district and regional plans along with helping to shape the water management plan with local iwi, landowners, Forest and Bird and other interest groups.  In 1994 Kerry completed the Kelloggs Rural Leadership Course at Lincoln University. A role on the Wellington Regional Council Farmers Reference Group has been ongoing since 2016. 

Kerry has a developing interest in conservation, and in particular wetland restoration. Already 5ha has been planted since 2010 with 20ha in total earmarked for retirement from the farming operation to wetland. This is in addition to stream riparian plantings and shelter belts.  

Dr Mahina-a-rangi Baker

Ātiawa, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Toarangatira

Dr. Mahina-a-rangi Baker is representing Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai and is the Ātiawa, Raukawa, Toa (ĀRT) Taurite/Co-Chair on the Kāpiti Whaitua.

Raised in Ōtaki, she comes from a whānau with an intergenerational history of advocating for the relationship of local Māori to their ancestral waters.

She has a PhD in environmental planning, and her research has been focused on the development of mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) modelling frameworks to support freshwater decision-making. She is currently a lecturer at Te Wānanga o Raukawa in Pūtaiao (Māori science) and Kaitiakitanga.

She is a member of the Kāhui Wai Māori and was actively involved in the reform of the National Policy Statement of Freshwater Management. More recently, she led the technical advice for national Māori organisations on resource management reform.

She is a member of the Ministerial Advisory Group: Limits and Targets, advising the Minister on the setting of national environmental limits and targets for the new resource management system.

She runs a Māori environmental consultancy, Te Kōnae, where she works to support various iwi and hapū in their kaitiakitanga work.

She lives in Ōtaki with her partner Ephraim, and two-year old son Te Ikanui.

Monique Leith

Monique is a Consultant Resource Management Planner, is a full member of the NZ Planning Institute, and has a proven track record in guiding complex and large-scale land development projects through resource management processes. Following several years of public and private sector experience across all facets of resource and environmental planning, she founded Leith Consulting in 2019 - an environmental planning and land surveying consultancy - which has since grown to a team of 10.  Driven by her commitment to community service, Monique is also involved in a number of community organisations - she is the Co-Chairwoman of Kāpiti Coast Chamber of Commerce which sees her leading business input to a number of community development projects such as the Economic Development Strategy, Kāpiti Workforce Plan, and Sustainable Business Network, and is a Trustee for Work Ready Kāpiti - a charitable trust who run programmes and events to support local rangatahi to get work-ready. Monique is Deaf, which she says gives her a different worldview and perspective. She is an accessibility advocate, a member of the Kāpiti Disability Advisory Group, and was sponsored to attend the International Initiative for Disability Leadership in Washington DC. Monique was born in Paraparaumu, and raised in Waikanae. She now lives in Paraparaumu with her husband Josh and two sons Anaru and Manaaki.

Naomi Solomon

Ngāti Toa

Naomi is the Ngāti Toa representative on the Kāpiti Whaitua, having been involved in the whaitua processes for Te Awarua o Porirua and Te Whanganui a Tara. Serving her people as a Board Member, Trustee, and Director on a number of iwi boards and committees, Naomi has also sat as a Ngāti Toa representative on a number of committees within the local government arena,  including Te Upoko Taiao, Te Whakaminenga o Kāpiti and the Wellington Water Committee.

Raised in Takapuwahia she has had a strong upbringing in various matters related to Ngāti Toa and until recently was part of the Executive Leadership Team at Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira. She currently works as a consultant on Māori rights and interests matters, particularly as they relate to the environment and Te Tiriti o Waitangi as well as leading Ngāti Toa’s Takutai Moana Process.

Naomi is passionate about te Taiao, house plants and lego, and has a strong interest in the relationship between the environment, human health and wellbeing. She spends her time between Te Upoko o Te Ika and Te Tauihu o Te Waka a Maui.

Pātaka Moore

Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Huia, Ngāti Pareraukawa.  

I work as Pūkenga Matua (Lead Tutor) at the Ōtaki Campus of Te Wānanga o Raukawa (TWoR). I have been working within the kaitiakitanga team since 2001 as well as other project work throughout our region. I have also been engaged in a number of projects - research, publications and general taiao pieces of work. One of my main lines of inquiry is through the oral history method of gathering information from our elders and others that hold significant contributions as we tackle environmental issues. My mother Rachael Selby, Caleb Royal and I have interviewed and archived dozens of oral history interviews of elders from throughout the Āti Awa, Raukawa, Toa Rangatira (ART) confederation – our hope is that this material will become valued by future generations and will contribute to better management of our taiao.  I work and live in Ōtaki with my wife Monique and our four young children - Pareraukawa, Whaiao, Manaakitanga & Rākairoa. 

Penny Gaylor

Councillor Penny Gaylor is the Kāpiti Coast representative for the Greater Wellington Regional Council and chairs its Environment and Climate Committees.

Penny is in her third term as a councillor and in her second as Environment Committee Chair.  She is also a member of Greater Wellington’s Farming Reference Group, and the regional council’s representative on the Wellington Stadium Trust.

Prior to her elected role at Greater Wellington, Penny was on the Kāpiti Coast District Council for two terms and was the chair of the KCDC Environment and Community Development Committee for both terms.

Other roles in her Otaki community include being chair of the Otaki College Board, and owner of the Otaki Mail monthly newspaper.

Penny has an undergraduate degree in History and Politics, and a postgraduate Honours degree in Politics, and studied journalism at the Wellington Polytechnic.

Shane Parata

Ngāti Toa, Te Ati Awa, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāi Te Rangi

Growing up in Kuku Beach, near Levin, and being immersed in Māori traditions allowed me to develop a deep connection with nature and a sense of responsibility towards its preservation. Water, known as Wai in Māori, holds great significance in our culture, history, and spirituality. It is considered a taonga (treasure) and is highly respected for its life-giving properties. As part of the Kāpiti whaitua program, I am grateful to advocate for the mana whenua collective, prioritising the management and sustainability of water for our people is paramount. The rapid growth in our region is putting increasing pressure on waste and storm water networks, directly affecting our surrounding environment. Establishing and adhering to best practices for waterways is crucial. Together, we can ensure a healthy environment for the present generation and leave behind a legacy of clean and thriving waterways for future generations.

Sharlene Maoate-Davis

Taranaki, Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Wehiwehi, Ngāti Huia, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngai Tahu 

Sharlene was born and raised in Kāpiti.  She is married to Kake and mum to Ria. Sharlene commenced her working career in education and Māori public health with a stint in London while on her OE.  Returning home, Sharlene proudly recalls her time working for her Iwi of Ngāti Raukawa.  She learnt so much as a manager in health, education and social services within an organisation governed by 21 hapū.   

In 2002, she established her company, MokoPuna Solutions Ltd.  She has been working as a consultant and Māori facilitator since then.  Sharlene has worked across sectors in health, education and social services providing professional development services as a facilitator of change with whānau, hapū, iwi, government and NGO's. Since 2006, Sharlene has been sharing her knowledge of Rongoā.  She is one of three founding members of the Rongoā Collective of the A.R.T. Confederation who have over 30 qualified Kairongoā delivering services, events and workshops throughout the greater Wellington region, Horowhenua to Manawatu.  The Collective are actively involved in Rongoā and taiao based, Iwi partnership projects throughout the region. 

Sharlene is also an Iwi representative for Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai as Co-Chair for Mauri Tūhono ki Te Ūpoko o Te Ika, the working group responsible for developing a regional framework for Biodiversity across the Wellington region.  She is also Pou Chair of the Waikanae Ki Uta ki Tai project which is one of 14 national Awa projects tasked with developing a long-term River Action Plan for Waikanae. 

Whaitua is another valued contribution to reconnecting people to our place, and the importance of wai in the future sustenance of life here on the Kāpiti Coast.  He mana too te wai, he mouri too te wai. Tukua te waiora, kia rere.