Karen Smith took up the role of Mana Whakahaere/CEO on June 27.
Karen Smith.
Te Roopu Taurima O Manukau Trust, a national health and disability services charitable trust, has appointed Karen Smith to the role of Mana Whakahaere/CEO, effective June 27, 2022. Smith is of Ngāpuhi, Parehauraki, and Te Atihaunui-a-Pāpārangi ancestry.
Smith has comprehensive experience within all facets of the health and disability sector, working within and for Government from governance to operational service delivery of government-funded disability support services in Aotearoa. She has particular expertise in designing, planning, delivering, and reporting on complex services, programmes and initiatives.
With 18 years’ experience in a management capacity within the health sector, Smith has developed a proven adaptability and comfort within agile and highly politicised environments and, most recently, disability support services delivered within a kaupapa Māori organisation.
Smith said of her appointment: “I feel excited, privileged and humbled to have the opportunity to lead Te Roopu Taurima O Manukau Trust and to be supported by a committed board of trustees and team.”
Te Roopu Taurima O Manukau Trust board chair Mahaki Albert said: “We are delighted … Karen’s ability to embed her Te Ao Māori strengths, while navigating complex and/or challenging systems, the sector and government mechanics, gives the board of trustees certainty on the future of the trust and its opportunities on the horizon.”
Smith has been working as the national services manager of Te Roopu Taurima O Manukau Trust since 2019, providing second-in-charge support to Tania Thomas, who stepped down from the Mana Whakahaere/CEO role in early April. Smith has been the interim Mana Whakahaere/CEO since Thomas’s departure.
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