Two new Trustees for Board

4 September 2025

Tamati Shepherd-Wipiiti (Te Whānau a Apanui, Ngāti Kahu) currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Ngāti Hine Health Trust, the largest hauora provider in Te Tai Tokerau and a strategic partner of Plunket. In this role, he also leads several affiliated entities, including Northcorp Holdings, Te Ara Tū o Ngāti Hine (two general practices), and Ngāti Hine FM.

Tamati has joined Plunket’s Board to support its mission of nurturing healthy tamariki and empowering whānau across Aotearoa. He brings a commitment to equity and community wellbeing, shaped by his whakapapa and decades of leadership in health, social services, and digital transformation.

Tamati and his husband, Rubyn, are proud parents of Matariki, who carries a rich heritage of Ngāti Hine, Te Whānau a Apanui, and Mexican-Argentinian descent.

Tamati is widely recognised for his values-based leadership and his ability to drive transformative change that delivers meaningful outcomes for whānau. His career spans both public and private sectors, with a consistent focus on improving systems, strengthening Indigenous capability, and creating sustainable, community-led solutions grounded in kaupapa Māori.

Tamati joins the Board following Dame Fran Wilde’s departure in August.

Our second new Trustee is Brent Kennerley, a passionate advocate for the not-for-profit sector, and the former lead for accountancy firm Grant Thornton’s not-for-profit sector in New Zealand. Brent will join the Royal New Zealand Plunket Board in October and chair the Board’s Audit & Risk committee.

Brent brings a deep financial expertise and knowledge of the not-for-profit sector having been an audit partner specialising in the area for more than 25 years as well as holding various governance roles on organisational boards.

Brent set up the Grant Thornton not-for-profit State of the Nation survey measuring a variety of aspects of reporting, governance, issues and successes of organisations on a bi-annual basis. He was also a sponsor and presenter for the MBA Not for Profit sector specialism at Victoria University of Wellington for nine years.

Having resigned from Grant Thornton he is keen to give back to not-for-profit organisations that represent our country. Brent has first-hand experience of the PlunketLine service from almost 30 years ago and is keen to continue to see the iconic brand of Plunket thrive into the future.

He is a member of CPA Australia as well as the chair of their New Zealand not-for-profit committee. Outside of work he enjoys cooking, trying out new recipes, exploring the Wairarapa and visiting his daughter in London.

Brent will officially take office following Matthew Harker’s departure from the Board in October.