Mana Whakahaere Governance
The Te Hiringa Mahara Board is chaired by Hayden Wano. The board members are Professor Sunny Collings, Dr Barbara Disley, Rae Lamb, Wayne Langford, Tuari Potiki and Josiah Tualamali'i.
Appointments to the board were announced on 18 December 2020 by the Minister of Health. The announcement was published in the government gazette.
Our Board must make sure that it effectively seeks and understands the views of Māori as tangata whenua, of people with lived experience of mental distress or addiction (or both) and the people who support them, as well as Pacific people, and other groups and populations who are at greater risk of experiencing poorer mental health and wellbeing.
Board members are appointed for their governance and mental health and wellbeing sector expertise but do not act as representatives or advocates for specific communities. They do, of course, draw on their perspectives, insights, and expertise to inform Board discussions and decision-making.
Hayden Wano, Chair
Hayden is of Te Atiawa, Taranaki, and Ngāti Awa descent and has over 30 years experience in senior health management. He is the former CEO of Tui Ora Limited, a position he held for 25 years and was Chair of the Initial Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission. Hayden has over 40 years health sector experience in mental health, community and medical services, and was the former Director of Clinical Services at Taranaki Healthcare Limited.
Hayden has held a wide range of governance positions, including Interim Chair of the National Health Board, Chair of the former Taranaki District Health Board, and Chair of the Health Sponsorship Council. He is a former Director of TSB and recently retired as Chair of TSB Community Trust and Chair of TSB Group Ltd. Hayden is currently a Board member of both the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce and Wise Group.
Hayden holds a Master of Business Administration from Massey University and participated in a Senior Executive Programme at Columbia University. In 2017, he received the Taranaki Mayoral Award for Business Excellence. He is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM) and a chartered member of the Institute of Directors.
Dr Barbara Disley, Deputy chair
Barbara has extensive leadership and management experience leading large teams within the New Zealand education and health sectors. She has held a number of senior public sector positions including chair of the first Mental Health Commission and Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Education where she had responsibility for special education.
Barbara was Research and Evaluation Director at Cognition Education, undertaking a number of international education sector reviews and evaluations. Barbara has been the Chief Executive of a number of non-government organisations including the Mental Health Foundation and Richmond Fellowship. She was the Chief Executive of Emerge Aotearoa, New Zealand’s largest national mental health, addictions, disability and social housing provider.
Barbara has been involved in a number of Government reviews including chairing the review of the ACC Sensitive Claims pathway and as a panel member of the 2018 He Ara Oranga Mental Health Inquiry. She was a panel member for the Confidential Listening and Assistance Service which heard the stories of over 1000 people who had experienced abuse or neglect while in state care. Barbara has been on the Ministry of Health Mental Health and Addiction Assurance group. She has recently been appointed to the Board of the Te Hiringa Mahara, Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission.
Over the past few years Barbara has been a Gateway Reviewer for the New Zealand Treasury. She is Chair of the Global Leaders Exchange for mental health and disability. She has a doctorate in education from Macquarie University Sydney and in 2011 was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to mental health.
Rae Lamb, Board member
Rae Lamb has extensive governance and leadership experience within the health sectors in New Zealand and Australia. Her recent career is marked by senior roles as a statutory decision maker in both countries, and as a chief executive for a large NGO in the mental health and addiction sector in this country (Te Pou).
Rae's governance experience includes serving as a trustee on the international board for the Cochrane Library, contributing to global evidence-based healthcare initiatives. She has also served on the ACC Independent Ethics Committee, providing oversight and ethical guidance for complex health-related decisions. More recently, Rae has continued her commitment to quality improvement as a board member, and now as the chair of the board, for the Health Quality and Safety Commission, Te Tahu Hauora.
As New Zealand’s Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner for six years and Australia’s Aged Care Complaints Commissioner for eight, Rae provided strategic leadership in advocating for patient rights, driving improvements in care quality, and strengthening systemic accountability.
Professor Sunny Collings, Board member
Sunny has been Chief Executive of the Health Research Council since February 2020, following nine years as Dean and Head of Campus at the University of Otago Wellington.
A University of Otago graduate, Sunny has a background as a clinician and researcher, having practiced as a Consultant Psychiatrist for more than 25 years and led a research team at the University of Otago Wellington. Her own research focused on suicide and suicide prevention from a critical perspective.
Sunny has broad expertise as a researcher, manager, and senior leader in the clinical mental health sector, in health academia, and in suicide prevention.
Tuari Potiki, Board member
Tuari is of Kāi Tahu, Kāti Mamoe and Waitaha descent. He has more than 30 years experience in Māori alcohol and drug and mental health services, as both a clinician and manager. He is currently Director of Māori Development at the University of Otago. He is also Chair of the New Zealand Drug Foundation, Chair of Needle Exchange Services Trust (NEST), and is a Board member of Te Rau Ora (a Māori health workforce development organisation) and the Southern District Health Board.
Tuari has worked at Te Rito Arahi (Māori Alcohol and Drug Service, Christchurch), the Community Alcohol and Drug Service (CADS) Christchurch, and was co-ordinator of Te Aroha o Te Hau Angiangi, the Taha Māori Programme at Queen Mary Hospital, Hanmer Springs. He has an extensive background in the Māori health, education and justice sectors. He was also General Manager of Strategic Operations of the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand (ALAC) and held a management role at the Ngāi Tahu Development Corporation.
Tuari has been an advisor to the National Addiction Centre since its inception and currently chairs the Board of Te Whare Tukutuku, a Te Rau Ora initiative developing whanau-led programmes to reduce drug harm. He has played a significant role in informing the education and training of the workforces working in the addiction treatment sector. He has lived experience of drug addiction and will strengthen the alcohol and other drug harm reduction lens in our governance.
Wayne Langford, Board member
Wayne, his wife Tyler and three boys dairy farm in Golden Bay. Milking 250 cows on a Once-a-Day milking system. The Langford’s have a rich history in Golden Bay, going back six generations, with their heritage including the historic Langford Store at the top of the Aorere valley.
Wayne has held governance roles in the mental health, veterinarian and rural education space. He is often referred to as the YOLOFarmer, a social media platform highlighting mental health in the rural sector. He is also the co founder of Meat the Need. A charity providing farmer donated mince and milk to food banks all across NZ.
Wayne still loves milking his cows, coaching kids rugby and swimming in Golden Bays beautiful rivers over the summer.