KO WAI AU?

Donna has built a remarkable career across both the public and private sectors. However, she credits the 22 years she has dedicated to various roles—serving her marae, supporting her children’s sports teams, contributing to the Te Teko Community Centre, and acting as a hapū delegate and trustee—as the experiences that have truly shaped her into the person she is today.

Donna has extensive experience representing community and Māori interests and is currently the Associate Director of Māori Investments Limited, Board member for Economic Development New Zealand (EDNZ), Deputy Chair of Te Runanga o Te Whanau a Apanui, and Board member of Bay of Plenty Pacifica Vaka. During her time as CEO for the Eastern Bay of Plenty Economic Development Agency, Donna led her team to win the Supreme award for Economic Development New Zealand in 2023.

Drawing on her upbringing and life learnings on the pa, Donna has found herself in spaces that focused on supporting, nurturing, and uplifting others whether in sports, education and/or social and health services.  This is mirrored in her motivation to work in the Whanau Ora space.  Donna delivered one of the first Whanau Ora contracts for the Eastern Bay of Plenty through Te Puni Kokiri and has never looked back.