New Te Hiringa Mahara Board appointments welcomed
Today’s announcement of changes to the composition of the Board of Te Hiringa Mahara – Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission by Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey have been welcomed.
“The new appointments and other board changes are the beginning of the next chapter for Te Hiringa Mahara,” said board chair Hayden Wano.
“We have a diverse, knowledgeable and hard-working board that is committed to bringing to life our vision of thriving together. The changes announced today put us on a strong footing for the future.”
“In July this year we began delivering on a new strategy that takes us up until 2029. We will continue to push strongly to ensure people who need support have access to appropriate services, and as well as tackling underlying factors that contribute to poor mental health.”
- The changes announced are:
Dr Barbara Disley, a current board member, has been appointed Deputy Chair for a five-year term. - Two new members have been appointed: Josiah Tualamali’i and Rae Lamb.
- Two existing members have been reappointed: Professor Sunny Collings and Tuari Potiki.
- Wayne Langford, appointed in September 2024, will continues his term as a member.
At the same time as welcoming these changes, two long standing board members are being farewelled. Both Kevin Hague and Alex El Amanni have been on the board since its inception in February 2021. Mr Hague served as deputy chair from February 2022.
“We acknowledge the dedication and experience the two outgoing board members brought to the work of the organisation,” Mr Wano said.
The role of the Board is to provide strategic guidance and oversight of our work. Central to this is ensuring that Te Hiringa Mahara delivers on its mandate to contribute to better and equitable mental health and wellbeing outcomes for all people in Aotearoa New Zealand. Up to seven members are appointed by the Governor-General, under the Crown Entities Act 2004.