Zara Rihi Motutere
Kaikookiri Projects Manager
Zara’s roots run deep on both sides of her whakapapa.
I te taha o tooku Dad,
Ko Mauao te Maunga.
Ko Tauranga te Moana.
Ko Takitimu me Mataatua ngaa Waka.
Ko Ngaati Ranginui me NgaaiteRangi ngaa Iwi.
Ko Piriraakau me Tuuwhiwhia ngaa Hapuu.
Ko Poutuuterangi me Opureora ngaa Marae.
I te taha o tooku Mummy,
Ko Tauwhare me Puke Rangatira ngaa Maunga.
Ko Hokianga-whakapau-karakia te Moana.
Ko Ngatokimatawhaorua te Waka.
Ko Te Rarawa te Iwi.
Ko Patutoka te Hapuu.
Ko Waiparera te Marae.
Tiihei, Mauri Ora!
Zara lives by a wisdom passed down from Tukaki Waititi: “Kahore he aha i hangatia i ahu noa mai raanei kia noho wehe i tēnei ao, ahakoa mata ngaro ka mōhiotia te mauri.” Nothing was ever created or emerged to live in isolation; even a hidden face can be detected by its impact on something.
Her greatest strength—her superpower, really—is the fire she brings to uplifting others. Zara pours her heart into supporting rangatahi, whaanau, and hapori, guiding them to lead with the korero tuku iho of their ancestors and weaving those stories into the forefront of taiao innovation. She’s a bridge between past and future, and she builds it with passion.
When she looks to the future of our taiao, her vision is clear and bold: Taiao Ora : Mauri Ora!
What does she love most about this mahi? It’s simple, yet everything: Our whaanau, our whenua, our kaupapa! The people she holds dear, the land that sustains them, and the purpose that drives them forward.
That’s Zara—a woman of lineage and legacy, stitching together community, story, and earth with every step she takes.