Meet TiMaTa

Simone was born and raised in Greytown/Papawai, attended Greytown Kindergarten, Greytown Primary School and Kuranui College. The Baker Whanau have had a longstanding presence within the Greytown, Wairarapa and New Zealand sporting fraternity.

Simone is a direct descendant of Manihera Rangi-taka-i-waho and Retimana Te Korou who were very instrumental in the early years of leasing and selling land to the Early Settlers throughout the Wairarapa Valley. She has been a Papawai Marae Trustee and is an active whānau member of Papawai Pā today.

An active and participating member of the Greytown Community board, a professional (ECE) Kindergarten Teacher, a committed advocate for equitable education for all people of Aotearoa. Simone’s advocacy in education is supported through her years of experience and involvement within all sectors of the education system. Simone has shaped her career around excellent understanding of teacher delivery and support in education and the wider community through her passion for growth, development, and success of whānau and her community.

Simone feels she was privileged growing up at Papawai and remembers the old people, particularly the hākuia, (older women). They left behind a great legacy of leadership, service, and humility; they are her motivation to set up TiMaTa.

Kristina was born and raised in Greytown, attending Kindergarten, Primary school and College locally. Her whānau has strong connections to Papawai Marae and to other whānau living locally in the community.

“Manaakitanga, aroha and whānau gave a strong foundational base,” says Kristina. “Service and support to others was an expectation and modelled by my grandparents, parents and relations.”

Kristina has been an active member for the Papawai Pā Trust, holding a range of executive roles including Treasurer, Deputy Chair and Chair. Since then she has proactively contributed to Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Iwi Board, and is currently in her second term as a Trustee and holds the Deputy Chair position. She has also been a member of the Wairarapa DHB, Iwi Kainga rōpū providing strategic insight to Māori Health and services in Wairarapa. She is also a member of the Cobblestones Trust Board.

“My vision is to look for and to grow the potential in others and to help them recognise what strengths and skills they already possess,” says Kristina. “I am a skilled facilitator, coach, mentor and I have an ability to provide opportunities to build capability and competency in others. This has certainly formed the basis of my work that creates and supports growth for whānau, wider community, hapū and Iwi.”

Kristina has a background in education with the last 25 years working in or around education and management. Her varied roles have equipped her with skill in people development and leadership, project coordination, reporting skills, programme planning and policy development.

“I am committed to ensure Te Ao Māori is evident in my mahi. This Māori worldview has enabled me to be true to who I am while empowering others to become champions too.”

“I am passionate about our whanau, hapū and Iwi and am actively engaged with supporting our community,” says Kristina. “I am keen to learn more and continue to offer the skills I have, to building and shaping a sustainable, successful future for Timata Collaborations and our Papawai whānau as a whole.”

Raised in Papawai and Greytown, Maahi attended the local kindergarten, primary school, and Kuranui College. She graduated from Wellington College of Education with a Bachelor of Teaching degree and has enjoyed a teaching career spanning 20 years at primary and intermediate school level.

Sport has been a major influence in Maahi’s life and within her whanau. Nine family members have represented New Zealand across various sporting codes, and amongst that group, there are three World Champions, and two who have been members of New Zealand Commonwealth and Olympic Games teams.

Maahi is married to Charles Kaka, and they have three lovely children and two beautiful grandchildren.

“Ensuring the health and wellbeing of my whanau has been a key life principle for me,” says Maahi. “In recent years I have explored and researched alternative options to ensure good outcomes for myself, my whānau and my friends. Building resilience to cope with an ever-changing world will be critical to maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle. This balance in my opinion is intrinsically connected to our physical environment.”

“I have a commitment to lifelong learning and really enjoy helping others develop to reach their potential. My involvement with TiMaTa is a tangible way of me assisting others. I see an opportunity for TiMaTa to re-establish relationships between local Māori and the town community through collaboration and sharing stories about what ‘Papawaitanga’ means for us.”

“We descend from tipuna of Papawai and we have a very strong matriarchal line; our grandmother was a very forthright and determined woman. Therefore, I look forward to upholding the ‘mana’ of our grandmother and whānau while working in this space.”

Nō reira, whiria te tangata, tihei mauri ora!