09th November, 2026
Mō mātou | About Poutama Trust
He ara tika, he ara whakamua mō ngā pakihi Māori.
Poutama Trust is an independent, self-funded, pan-iwi charitable trust dedicated to advancing Māori economic development. Since 1988, Poutama has worked alongside Māori-owned businesses across Aotearoa, helping them strengthen, grow and create enduring prosperity.
Te āhua o te tūranga | The opportunity
Poutama is entering its next chapter and we are seeking a commercially astute and values-led General Manager to lead the Trust and bring Poutama Ara Tika 2050 to life.
The strategy marks an important evolution for Poutama, to be a catalyst for Māori economic development. A key priority will be leading Poutama’s role in improving access to capital for pakihi Māori and promoting kotahitanga with our strategic partners across the Māori economic development eco-system.
Reporting to the Board, you will bring a collaborative leadership style that strengthens Poutama’s contribution to support Māori businesses and the wider Māori economic development ecosystem.
You will oversee Poutama’s financial management and investment portfolio, lead its grants and enterprise support programmes, and build the organisational capability needed to deliver its strategic ambitions.
Key responsibilities include:
- Leading financial management, active investment oversight, risk and Board reporting.
- Improving access to capital and strengthening strategic partnerships.
- Leading and developing a high-performing, geographically dispersed team.
- Ensuring Poutama has the systems, processes and capability to deliver its strategy.
Ngā tino pūkenga me whai | Essential skills and experience
You are an experienced financial, commercial or operational leader. Ideally, you have a background in financial services and investment portfolio management and understand the challenges and support needs of pakihi Māori.
You will bring:
- Strong financial management capability, including budgeting, forecasting and Board-level reporting.
- Demonstrated financial services experience including credit assessment that has supported sound funding and/or lending decisions.
- Experience actively overseeing investment portfolios and managing relationships with external investment managers.
- Proven people leadership skills and experience working effectively with a Board.
- Existing strategic relationships across the Māori economic development ecosystem
You will be comfortable working in te ao Māori settings and bring a genuine commitment to Māori economic development. You will have a relevant tertiary qualification in accounting, finance or business, or equivalent practical experience. A proficiency in te reo Māori would be advantageous.
Central to your success will be the ability to lead in ways that reflect rangatiratanga and kotahitanga, building trusted relationships with partners across the motu.
Tono mai ināianei | Apply now The role is open to candidates based anywhere in Aotearoa and leads a remote team working across the motu.
For a confidential kōrero and a copy of the Position Description, please contact Tamati Smith or Moana Temel at Niche Recruitment:
Tamati Smith | 021 300 537 | tamati.smith@nicherecruitment.co.nz
Moana Temel | 021 499 902 | moana.temel@nicherecruitment.co.nz
Applications close Tuesday, 24 November at 5pm.
Apply For Job