Focusing his energy on the community

Wharerimu Iraia MInstD is a natural storyteller with a great tale to tell. It starts in a forest in the Bay of Plenty, has a number of chapters in the United Arab Emirates, and lands in Hokitika where he is now serving the community.

Whare, as he is simply referred to, is the chief executive of Westland Rural Education Activities Programme Incorporated Society, more commonly known as REAP, which provides educational pathways to local communities across the Westland and Grey Districts.

His life’s experiences helped him discover his motivations were not driven by money, but by a desire to drive projects and serve his community. You wouldn’t have thought so if you had met Iraia and his lawyer-wife, Davina Ruru, working throughout Europe while living in a nine-bedroom villa with a driver and a maid to help them run their busy Abu Dhabi- and Dubai-based lives.

“I’d sometimes think, ‘How did this boy from Kaingaroa Forest end up in a team bidding for, and implementing multi- billion-dollar renewable energy projects’,” he says.

That path probably started when he decided there must be a better way than working long hours in the bush. He enrolled at Victoria University of Wellington | Te Herenga Waka and then moved to Waikato University studying law, Spanish and Māori with a plan to be a diplomat.

He didn’t make the cut through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ arduous graduate programme, but instead found himself with a scholarship at law firm Russell McVeagh, where he spent more than four years as a commercial lawyer in the property team.

Keen to step up his earnings and travel, Iraia signed up with international law firm Clifford Chance. “They called us recruits ‘lightbulbs’ – employees who would burn out in a couple of years.”

He didn’t burn out. After about 18 months as Senior Legal Counsel, he moved to Abu Dhabi renewable energy company Masdar. For nine years, he worked on projects including negotiating construction contracts, a carbon neutral city in the desert to offset oil production, the construction of a desalination pilot plant in the UAE, and power projects in the Seychelles and Jordan, including a wind power plant.

But life turned on its head when Ruru was diagnosed with cancer and, after initial treatment, the couple and their four children returned home in 2018.

“Then my focus changed,” he says. “Although I was well paid and, for some people, had the ideal job, it wasn’t me any more. My heart wasn’t in it and I realised money wasn’t a motivator.”

Returning home turned out to be a culture shock. “I’d forgotten how slow everything was. In Dubai, if they want something to happen it just happens. For example, they wanted to host Formula 1 and within what seemed a couple of years it was set up with full food and beverage offerings, and a golf course.”

Back in Hokitika, he decided it was time for a career change to a socially led focus and a strong emphasis on fostering the needs of the community. “My dedication to community improvement extended to my role as a member of the Hokitika Primary School Board of Trustees, which allowed me to actively contribute to the educational development of young students in our town.”

There were many ways that Iraia felt New Zealand had changed since he left and one of those was education.

So much so that he found himself successfully applying for his current role at West REAP, where he manages the community’s educational needs from early childhood to adult.

“Our vision is lifelong learning and so we create learning opportunities that are outside the norm to meet the needs of the community and fill in the gaps. There is a lot of isolation in rural New Zealand and I wanted to bring a fresh perspective to address that.”

In practice, that means developing and managing a number of core contracts with the government, including play groups, melody makers, parenting courses, events, kapa haka, adult education, te reo and literacy. But Iraia did not stop at education when addressing core needs in the community such as food resilience, which led him to set up a food bank.

“I am deeply committed to addressing issues of food insecurity in our community and to ensure no one in our town goes hungry. At the food bank, our organisation coordinated food drives, organised distribution efforts and worked tirelessly to secure donations to support those in need.”

Building a strong sense of connection to cultural identity is another area where he has created opportunities, establishing a mātāwaka organisation which focuses on connecting individuals with their Māori heritage, raising awareness through activities that deepen an understanding and appreciation of te reo and te ao Māori culture.

Iraia’s dedication and commitment to social purpose, one underpinned by a strategic, legal and commercial lens, has not gone unnoticed. He is a recipient of the Institute of Directors’ Canterbury Branch First Steps in Governance Award 2023.

Established in 2014, First Steps in Governance is awarded to young professionals and helps them gain first- hand experience on a not-for-profit board.

Eligible recipients must not have held any substantial board roles, but can have experience on local sports, schools or community boards or trusts.

Selection panel chair Rex Williams DistFInstD said: “We believe Wharerimu’s strong foundation of being socially and community driven aligns with the core values associated with strong governance and leadership. This holds true now more than ever, especially at a time when stakeholder values impact decisions made by boards.

“Wharerimu illustrates the passion and drive, as well as the strategic thinking and purpose needed around the board table today, and we look forward to seeing how this opportunity assists him on his governance path.”

Iraia says he has an unwavering commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of those around him. “I am motivated by people and seeing them succeed. The role of director excites me as the effects of good governance and successful strategies can bring about immense success.”

In his work as a lawyer and project manager, Iraia saw how boards with a strong strategic vision could work effectively to make a difference to their communities.

“It has been interesting sitting in the governance environment after spending many years being the one making submissions to boards, assessing all elements of projects from legal, geopolitical, financial to people.”