Recreation Aotearoa Board Trialing Co-Chair Approach

Recreation Aotearoa’s bicultural journey has taken another step forward with the appointment of board co-chairs. For 2023 the board will be trialing a co-leadership model with previous chair Michèle Frey and deputy chair Bobbi Clark-Heu appointed into the roles.

This change is the next step in Recreation Aotearoa’s journey to bring to life our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and weave together worldviews to achieve our mission of Te Whai Oranga, enhancing the wellbeing of all New Zealanders.

As co-chairs Bobbi and Michèle will be jointly responsible for leading the board and ensuring that the board governs in a way that upholds the mana of the respective world views of all people of Aotearoa. By taking a shared leadership approach, the board seeks to test new ways of working that are grounded in tikanga māori, and demonstrate the tangible benefits of working in partnership.

Bobbi is a founding member of Te Kāhui Kura Māori, Recreation Aotearoa’s Māori navigational group, and joined the board in 2021. Michèle joined the board in 2016 and stepped into the chair role in 2022. Both Bobbi and Michèle were instrumental in the development of our strategic plan - Te Whai Oranga. They are unified in their commitment to bringing Te Whai Oranga to life through a shared-governance approach.