Ara Foundation is governed by a group of trustees with a diverse range of experience and knowledge across a range of sectors.
Katherine Ewer
Chair
Katherine Ewer, LLB, TEP is an experienced Tax and Trust lawyer based in Christchurch.
Katherine became a Trustee of the Ara Foundation in November 2013, Deputy Chair in 2016 and was appointed Chair in April 2019. Katherine has 24 plus years’ experience as a Barrister and Solicitor in New Zealand and operates her own specialist Tax and Trust practice which she formed in 2013. Katherine is a member of the New Zealand Law Society and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and sits on the New Zealand Law Society Taxation Committee (NZLS), the NZLS Canterbury Westland Branch Trust Committee and NZLS Canterbury Westland Branch Standards Committee.
Izzy Berliner
Izzy joined the Ara Foundation as a student representative in 2016 from the Ara Student Council. She has a strong focus on the student experience and is passionate about maintaining a strong student voice on the Foundation. She attended Ara from 2014-2016 and completed a Bachelor of Engineering Technology. She is currently a Civil Engineer at Beca and is also a member of the Canterbury Young Engineers committee and Engineering New Zealand.
Tracey Berry
Tracey Berry has over two decades of experience in financial services, specialising in wealth management, regulatory affairs, compliance and distribution. She is presently General Manager, TSB Bank and a member of the Financial Advisers Disciplinary Committee, in addition to being a Trustee of Ara Foundation. Tracey has previously held the positions of Non-executive Independent Director and Chair of Nikko Asset Management NZ, Deputy Chief Executive at Ara, Group Manager at Kiwibank and Head of Wealth Management at Westpac NZ. Tracey has a Post Graduate degree from Waikato University and holds the following designations: PFP, FFin, AFNZIM.
Janet Wright
Janet Wright became a trustee in December 2019. She has more than 25 years’ experience in communications and has worked across a range of industries including agriculture, iwi, electricity and telecommunications.
Janet brings strong communications and marketing skills to the Foundation and has a strategic focus on identifying growth opportunities. Janet will use this experience to further enhance the profile of the Foundation to Ara students.
Annemarie Mora
Annemarie Mora is an award-winning communications and engagement specialist with nearly 20 years’ experience in the private and public sectors. She has led the communications function for some of Queensland and Christchurch’s largest infrastructure projects, including for the Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team.
She brings to the table extensive management team experience, robust knowledge of governance policies and procedures, thorough knowledge of Health Safety and Environment best practice, a deep understanding of organisational culture and high-performing teams, astute risk management, and financial acumen. She is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors.
Ara Foundation Annual Review I 2019
David Fussell
David Fussell is an Investment Adviser at JBWere, an Australasian Wealth Management Specialist. Prior to his current role, David held commercial and institutional roles in the banking sector.
David is a graduate of the University of Canterbury, holding a Bachelor of Commerce with Honours; is an Authorised Financial Adviser and accredited NZX Adviser. David became a Trustee of the Ara Foundation in March 2019.
Clive Jones
Clive Jones is a Director of management consultancy Metamorphis Digital and has over 20 years’ senior management and leadership experience in a range of industries including vocational education, international education, energy, telecommunications, central and local government. He holds a Bachelor of Technology degree and a Masters degree in Business Administration from Massey University.
Tony Gray
Tony Gray was appointed Chief Executive of Ara Institute of Canterbury in September 2017 having previously been Chief Executive of NMIT in Nelson for eleven years. He has a long career in the tertiary education sector in both private industry training and polytechnics.
Tony came to New Zealand from the United Kingdom in 2003 to take up a role as Chief Executive for the privately owned Pacific International Hotel Management School in New Plymouth, where he also had responsibility for the ORION Hotel Schools group in Australia, China and Switzerland.
Tony is a Fellow of the NZ Institute of Management and a member of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand. Tony is currently a member of several New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology (NZIST) national working groups and an appointment to the Government’s interim Regional Skills Leadership Group. He chairs the Tertiary Accord of New Zealand (TANZ) Board and is a member of the NZIST Advisory Group to NZQA.
Brett King
Brett King brings to the table more than 30 years’ experience of technical, operational and leadership roles within the civil construction industry throughout the wider Canterbury Region. Brett is an Executive Divisional Manager with Fulton Hogan with an operational overview of the Central South Island and West Coast.
He currently serves on the board of NetCon Limited and South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce and is a Trustee of the Aoraki Arts Charitable Trust. He has a Bachelor of Applied Management and a National Diploma in Business (Health and Safety Management). He is a Chartered Member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors.
Renata Hakiwai
Ko Puketapu te maunga
Ko Ngaruroro te awa
Ko Ngati Hinemanu,
Ngai Te Upokoiri nga hapu
Ko Takitimu te waka
Ko Omahu te marae
Ko Ngati Kahungunu, Rongomaiwahine, Tuwharetoa, Tainui, Ngati Porou nga iwi
Ko Renata Donal Te Rito Hakiwai toku ingoa
Renata has extensive experience in the Iwi, commercial and public sector alongside being a successful entrepreneur and social innovation and start up enthusiast.
His focus is on social innovation and enterprise and he has interest in a number of successful enterprises.
He currently holds a number of Governance positions in Iwi, land based primary sector organisations, education and employment and a number of start ups alongside sitting on the Matariki REDS Governance – Regional Economic Development Strategy for the Hawkes Bay, and National Maori and Pasifika Business Committee for the Ministry of Social Development.
He has extensive experience and knowledge in the commercial, iwi, tertiary and innovation sectors.
Renata is currently the Managing Director of HTK Group Ltd, a Consultancy company that focuses on Economic Development, Strategy and Business Advisory.
The focus audience is Māori and indigenous groups, working with indigenous peoples from Taiwan and Australia.