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t’s nose-to-tail on State Highway 1 out of Wellington as Ātihau Associate Director Francene Wineti heads to Ōhākune for some family snow-time. Francene takes time out from the traffic jam to speak with me on her cell phone while her partner, Pereri Hathaway, handles driving duties. The couple’s nearly four-year-old daughter, Te Paea, takes care of chattering duties in the back seat as Francene tells me the story, so far, of a very busy 36 years. Francene Yvette Georgina Avery Wineti (she says her parents were indecisive in the naming process!) was excited when she heard about
the Ātihau associate director programme. After assuming her late father’s Māori land interests ( John Wineti was an Ātihau shareholder from Koriniti), Francene had developed a desire to play a leading role in the organisation. “The associate director programme really grabbed my attention,” says Francene, who is also a director of Whanganui Iwi Fisheries Limited. “I knew that I wanted to be more than just a shareholder and to use my skills to help grow the incorporation.” “I started last October so I’ve pretty much done my first year.
I want to help shape up the associate director programme and get more shareholders engaged in what Ātihau do [sic].” “It’d be great to see more people putting their hands up for the associate director programme. It’s good to have diversity, fresh thinking and new ideas being thrown around the table.” Raised in Tauranga, Francene’s education and career to date have taken her to Vanuatu, Australia, Japan, Brussels, Washington DC, as well as a number of places in New Zealand. For the last two years she has been the Māori Business & Relationship Manager at Callaghan TOITŪ TE MANA
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