Nā Te Kore Co-Chair

Te Marino Lenihan (Ngāi Tahu; Ngāi Tūāhuriri)

Te Marino has been working for close to 20 years as an advocate for iwi and hapū values and aspirations in both the natural and built environment realms within rural and urban landscape contexts. From 2006-2016, Te Marino worked closely with developers, local government, NGOs, schools, universities and businesses on behalf of his iwi and hapū to explore how cultural and natural heritage values can be recognised and provided for within the developing landscape and its waterways. From 2013-2016, Te Marino helped spearhead and embed local Ngāi Tahu representation in the redesign and rebuild of greater Christchurch following the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011. At the end of 2016, Te Marino changed fields from town planning and environmental management to education. He is currently the Kaiārahi (Director of Māori Achievement and Strategic Relationships) at the local polytechnic institute, Ara (formerly CPIT). One of his key areas of focus is the integration of mātauranga Māori (Māori pedagogy and knowledge) as a valued and valuable aspect of mainstream education in