Flavell to lead Te W¯ananga o Aotearoa
Te Ururoa Flavell is the new boss of Te Wa¯ nanga o Aotearoa.
The former MP and co-leader of the Ma¯ori Party has been appointed chief executive of the Ma¯ ori tertiary giant and will take up the role on August 20. He replaces Dr Jim Mather, who did not seek reappointment for family reasons.
Flavell, 62, will be based in Te Awamutu and said one of his first priorities would be to meet the organisation’s 1700 staff.
‘‘I must go out and listen and touch base with as many people as possible, to try and get their views about where things are at,’’ he said.
‘‘The best thing I can do is go and listen, settle into the job, and get a feel for how everyone moves and feels about the place.’’
Te Wa¯nanga o Aotearoa is the country’s second-largest tertiary education provider and last year provided training and education to almost 32,000 students.
Flavell served four terms in Parliament, including three as a minister. He lost the Waiariki electorate to Labour’s Tamati Coffey in 2017.
Before entering Parliament, Flavell worked extensively as a secondary school teacher – including a stint at Fairfield College in Hamilton – and taught in the tertiary sector. Most recently, he taught Ma¯ ori politics at Waikato University.
Flavell said he had no ambitions to revive his political career. ‘‘I enjoyed most of it, the people that I met, but that chapter is gone now. I did my time and it’s far better for others to take up that role. I’ll be leaving that behind and I’ve moved to this position to give it all I can.’’
In a statement, Te Wa¯ nanga o Aotearoa chairwoman Vanessa Eparaima said Flavell was respected across Ma¯oridom and had extensive networks in Wellington and around the country.
‘‘Te Ururoa has a strong track record for his leadership and advocacy for Ma¯ ori, especially in education,’’ Eparaima said.
Under Mather’s leadership, the wa¯ nanga underwent a multimillion-dollar restructure.
Flavell said he wanted to add to and enhance the work of the tertiary education provider.
The wa¯nanga provides education ranging from certificate to masters and delivers 66 per cent of all te reo Ma¯ ori education in the tertiary sector.