Tena ra koutou i runga i nga tini ahuatanga o te wa. Ratau te hunga wairua ki a ratau, a, tatau te hunga ora ki tatau. Nei ra a matau mihi ki a koutou katoa – tena koutou, tena koutou tena ra tatau katoa.

Introduction
On 4 August the Te Puia Vesting Agreement was signed. That set in train a process that will ultimately see the members of Wahiao Tuhourangi o Whakarewarewa, Ngāti Hurungaterangi, Ngāti Taeotū, Ngāti Te Kahu and Pukeroa Oruawhata become the owners of the Te Puia business. That was an historic day and comes after many years of negotiation.

We now wish to update you, the future owners of the Te Puia business, on the next steps of Te Puia Vesting. Our goal is to keep you informed via regular updates, like this newsletter, so you know what is going on with this very exciting kaupapa.

Who Is Responsible for the Te Puia Business Vesting Process?
In June and July 2017 an overwhelming majority voted to have the Te Puia business vested in a new entity, the Te Puia NZMACI Limited Partnership. Therefore, the Te Puia NZMACI Limited Partnership through Te Puia NZ MACI Management Limited is responsible for the Te Puia vesting process.

What About the Whakarewarewa Joint Trust?
Once the independently run voting results were counted and confirmed by the Crown in July the role of the Whakarewarewa Joint Trust in the Te Puia business vesting negotiations ended. There is no legal connection between the Whakarewarewa Joint Trust (which currently owns and manages the land) and the Te Puia NZMACI Limited Partnership (which in the future will own and manage the Te Puia business). They are completely separate.

Te Puia NZMACI Limited Partnership
The Te Puia NZMACI Limited Partnership (Te Puia Partnership) is a partnership made up of the separate entities that were approved through the voting process. They are the Wahiao Tohourangi o Whakarewarewa Trust (50%), HTK Te Puia Trust (25%) and the Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust (25%).

Your rights and interests in the Te Puia Partnership are exercised by your entities on your behalf. You can contact them with any questions you have about that.

Te Puia NZMACI Management Limited
Te Puia NZMACI Management Limited (Te Puia Management) is the general partner in the Te Puia Partnership.

As its name suggests Te Puia Management is the company that will essentially govern the Te Puia business once the vesting is competed. All of the assets, liabilities and all the current staff of Te Puia will sit within Te Puia Management. Like any other company Te Puia Management has its own board.

Given its current role, as discussed below (What Is Happening Now?) the Te Puia Management board is currently in an interim phase and has only 4 members. They are:

• Donna Hall (Wahiao Tuhourangi o Whakarewarewa): Has been in the practice of law for the past 27 years. As legal counsel for the New Zealand Maori Council she has led or is leading claims concerning the National Freshwater and Geothermal Water Inquiry, Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement, Crown Forestry Assets, Maori Wardens, Maori Options and Marine and Coastal matters currently in 2017.
• Peter Allport (Wahiao Tuhourangi o Whakarewarewa): Professional company director with over 40 years international experience in corporate management and governance. Board experience includes Chair Tourism NZ, Chair NZ Commerce Commission, Managing Director NZ Cereal Foods, Taranaki Whanui Ltd, Chair Investment Advisory Committee Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui Trust, Honorary Consul of Mongolia in New Zealand.
• Bryce Murray (HTK Te Puia Trust): Professional consultant and cultural advisor from Ngāti Whakaue, Te Arawa, Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngāti Ranginui. Over two decades of experience in the social and educational sectors. Holds a number of trusteeships and roles within tribal trusts and entities. Dedicated the last 10 years developing and advancing a number projects and initiatives within the Te Arawa rohe focussed upon whānau, hapū and Iwi development.
• David Tapsell (Pukeroa Trust): Commercial lawyer, negotiator and professional company director with over 25 years’ experience. David has worked both nationally and internationally. Board experience includes Lotto NZ, The New Zealand Public Trust, NZMACI and the Pukeroa Trust Group of companies.

Although the interim board was appointed by the limited partner entities on page 1, once appointed the Board must act in the best interests of Te Puia Management as a whole.

Once we get closer to the vesting date in 2018 the board will increase to 9.

Do We Own the Te Puia Business now?
Not yet. Before the Te Puia business can be vested a Bill needs to pass through Parliament to vest the Te Puia business in the Te Puia Partnership. We expect that will take approximately 12 months. If that is right the Te Puia business should be vested in us by the end of 2018! In the meantime the Te Puia business is still owned by the Crown and governed by the current Te Puia board.

What is Te Puia Management doing now?
The main focus of Te Puia Management right now is to work with the Crown on drafting and agreeing a Bill that can be introduced to Parliament. At this stage we hope to have the Bill agreed so that it can be introduced to Parliament as soon as possible after the September 2017 General Election. Once the Bill is introduced to Parliament we expect it will take approximately 12 months to pass through Parliament.

Whānau information presentation
In the near future we plan to host a whānau information presentation where we can talk about what we are doing and the next steps with this exciting kaupapa. At that hui we will give you a presentation on the current redevelopment plans. As the future owners its useful for you to know what the new facilities will look like and why they are being built.

We will give everyone plenty of notice for the hui. It will likely be the end of 2017 or early 2018. Please note that we see this hui as a way to share information and as a means to look forward positively together, not back. We encourage you to bring your tamariki along to this presentation as well.

Conclusion
We hope you have found this update useful. If you have any questions about the Te Puia vesting process feel free to contact us at Te Puia NZMACI Management Limited attention Fleur Tahata.

Ngā mihi nunui
Bryce Murray, for and on behalf of Te Puia│NZMACI Management Limited