Ngāi Tahu/ Te Arawa My association with Rehua Marae began in 1991 when after serving in the New Zealand Army I moved to Christchurch and began working within the Whakapapa Unit of the Ngāi Tahu Māori Trust Board. My wife Ruiha Dawson and held our wedding reception at Rehua in 1994. These days we live on the Pā at Tuahiwi in North Canterbury, and we have three children. I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree from Canterbury University and a Master of Business Administration from the Massey University Graduate School of Business. My involvement in the community also includes being, the Chair of Noaia Charitable Trust, a Māori employment and training Kaupapa, Chair of the Kaiapoi Pā Trust which acts as kaitiaki of the historic Ngāi Tahu Pā site, and a Justice of the Peace. I also serve with New Zealand Cadet Forces, and I am the Secretary of the Kaiapoi RSA. I joined the Rehua Board in 2017 and I very much enjoy working alongside my fellow board members to ensure that Marae trust is sustainable and that it continues to provide for the cultural, social well-being of its wider community including its important role as the ultimate Māori cultural experience in the heart of Christchurch city.
