Shelley Katae, of Te Rarawa and Ngāti Porou descent, says she is delighted by her new challenge at the Tāmaki Regeneration Company, where she has just been appointed as chief executive.
The Tāmaki Regeneration Company is jointly owned by the Crown and Auckland Council and is leading a regeneration programme in Glen Innes, Point England and Panmure in east Auckland. The regeneration will mean revitalised green spaces, town centres, social infrastructure, schools and 10,500 new homes.
Katae has a long connection with Tāmaki and with TRC, having worked for the organisation for eight years in various roles, initially as chief financial officer and general manager of strategy and performance from 2015.
Company chair Evan Davies says the board is proud to support Katae as one of a small number of Māori wahine to lead a government-related organisation.
“Shelley is a visionary leader who can connect with a wide range of people and organisations to drive equity outcomes for the Tāmaki community. She has a proven track record of motivating people behind a cause to enhance wellbeing for Māori and Pacific whānau,” he says.
Building relationships
“She drives results through challenging system change, strategic partnerships and strong leadership. We’re confident in her ability to bring innovation to steer the regeneration programme over the coming years,” Davies says
.Katae says a key priority for TRC will be continuing to build partnerships with mana whenua and the Tāmaki Māori community to honour its commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
“It’s both incredibly humbling and motivating to guide this meaningful kaupapa,” she says.
Two pillars of the regeneration programme are building homes and supporting local people into good-quality jobs. Over the next 20 years TRC will build 10,500 new affordable, state and private market homes. So far 884 homes have been built.
Shared ownership
Affordable homes are high on the agenda, with 18 local whānau having moved into shared ownership homes this year alone, and close to 100 having moved into affordable homeownership or affordable rental since the beginning of the Tāmaki Affordable Homes programme. Some 89 per cent of these are Māori and/or Pasifika families.
The Tāmaki Jobs & Skills Hub has supported 938 people into employment in the past six years, with 170 people helped into a job so far this financial year.
Katae, who has worked in senior leadership roles in New Zealand, Australia and Fiji, is also a board member of the National Hauora Coalition, the major capital works advisory committee for Counties Manukau District Health Board, Taupo Moana Ltd (Ngāti Tuwharetoa) and AKTIVE.