TE KOROWAI Representative Members
Te Korowai is an incorporated society consisting of a dedicated team of members representing different sectors of the Kaikōura community - to develop strategy and action for our coast. An equally dedicated team of agency and independent advisors work in partnership with our members, while Kaikoura District Council and Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu undertake dual roles within the community, business and agency.
TĀ mark solomon (Chair, Community)
Tā Mark is committed to the betterment of his iwi, kotahitanga for Māori, and the wider well-being of people and the environment. He is a strong advocate for the Māori economy and was instrumental in setting up the Iwi Chairs Forum (2005). He was the elected Kaiwhakahaere (Chair) of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu from 1998 to 2016, and represented his local Papatipu Rūnanga, Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura from 1995 to 2016. Of Ngāi Tahu and Ngāti Kurī descent, Tā Mark’s contribution to his community has been diverse. He is passionate about his people and is determined to facilitate both iwi and wider Māori success.
gina solomon (secretary)
Gina is from Kaikōura, Ngāti Kuri hapū, affiliates to Ngāi Tahu, Kurahaupo, Ngāti Koata, Te Atiawa and Ngāti Toa nga iwi katoa. Conservation and the environment are her passion. She relishes working with various communities, sharing and passing on traditional tīkanga/values she inherited and lives by and appreciates the opportunity to share.
“I love working with communities, coming together with diverse ideas to create something better for us all, and those to come - our children’s children. It’s the right thing to do, very rewarding and I learn a lot on my journeys.”
ted howard (Deputy Chair, Conservation)
A familiar face to most residing in Kaikōura, Ted spends many hours working with and for, the Kaikōura community and chairs both the Kaikoura Zone Water management committee and The Hutton’s Shearwater Charitable Trust. He has more than 50 years recreational fishing (including 15 years as president of the Kaikoura Boating Club and life membership), and more than 40 years of commercial fishing experience, and is a keen conservationist (being the Kaikoura Forest and Bird representative on Te Korowai, and having received a QMS for services to conservation).
larnce wichman (craymac5)
Larnce has been working in the rock lobster industry for 38 years and continues to be very passionate about it. His experience in the industry has taken him around the world, from which he has gained a great respect for our marine environment and all that lives in it.
“One of my most rewarding moments was accepting the Green Ribbon Award on behalf of Te Korowai and the Kaikōura community. In Chairing Te Korowai for seven years I have built up a lot of respect for fellow members, for the dedication they have shown and given to the Kaikōura community and the marine environment. It is simply very special and proud to be part of it.”
PETER SUTTON (TREASURER)
Peter is a fourth generation Kaikōura resident who has recently returned to live here after a career as a secondary science teacher in various parts of the country. He has for the past twenty years been involved in education for sustainability, particularly in developing youth leadership with the Untouched World Foundation. He has joined Te Korowai as an opportunity to contribute to the community and to bring his experience in education to the group.
PETER CLEALL (CHARTER FISHING)
Peter owns and skippers Seamist Fishing Charters in Kaikōura. He has been a charter operator for over 4 years, using his commercial fishing expertise to guide him to some of the best fishing spots in New Zealand. Peter has been a commercial fisherman in Kaikōura for the past twenty years and has vast knowledge of the local area. Having also fished a large amount of the West Coast of New Zealand, he has extensive knowledge of fish species and their habits, from crayfish to tuna.
matt hoggard (kaikoura district council)
Matt is the Strategy, Policy and District Plan Manager for Kaikoura District Council. He has a passion for the outdoors and natural environment, and holds a Bachelor of Resource Studies from Lincoln University. Matt is a member of the New Zealand Planning Institute.
alisdair hutchison (policy advisor)
Alisdair’s experience and expertise is in central and local government processes, policies and laws, and in the assessment of environmental effects. In 2005, he was appointed as an independent advisor to Te Korowai. Prior to this he was a Ministry for the Environment advisor to Te Korowai for two years, following a similar role with the Guardians of Fiordland.
Kevin Duncan (Recreational fisher, Community)
heath melville (ECAN)
Heath is a Biodiversity Officer at ECan whose focus is on working with the community to protect and enhance freshwater and coastal ecosystems, as well as forest remnants. He embraces opportunities to engage with unique biodiversity and landscapes that make the Kaikōura community unique, while recreational pursuits around Kaikoura's surf and alpine ranges have helped shaped his deep appreciation and empathy for nature since.
“It is our responsibility to do what we can to protect species from further decline and I am happy to be in a position where I can assist in achieving that through collaboration, utilising local and expert knowledge at ECan, and through Te Korowai.”
david rae (paua3)
David grew up in Kaikōura, and has been diving in the area since the age of 8. In 1986 he turned his love of diving into a career, as a commercial diver on the Great Barrier Reef, fished for Barramundi in the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1987, crayfishing in Kaikōura 1987-1988 and Stewart Island in 1989, and has dived commercially for paua since 1988 in Stewart Island, Fiordland and Kaikōura. Along with fishing, David started a water-taxi service on Stewart Island, and was a member of Stewart Island Promotions. David is currently serving his second term as chair of Pauamac3, Director of PIC (Paua Industry Council) and member of paua representative on Te Korowai.
mel skinner (business and economic development)
Mel is a business and HR consultant, as well as the owner of a Kaikōura winery. She was pivotal in supporting businesses through the Kaikōura earthquake in her role as Economic Recovery Officer for Kaikoura District Council. Mel’s varied and accomplished career offers plenty of business knowledge to utilise.
Jemima Rodden (DoC)