Leauanae Laulu Mac LeauanaeTumu WhakaraeSecretary for Culture and Heritage and Chief Executive Image Leauanae Laulu Mac Leauanae is te Tumu Whakarae mō ngā Taonga, Secretary for Culture and Heritage and Chief Executive. He took up this role in October 2022.In this role, Leauanae Laulu Mac is responsible for providing strategic leadership to the Ministry and across the sector to achieve better cultural outcomes. Leauanae Laulu Mac works to develop strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, enabling advancement of the Ministry's strategic objectives and alignment with Government policy outcomes and output framework.Leauanae Laulu Mac has over 15 years of senior management experience and joined us from the Ministry for Pacific Peoples, where he was Secretary for Pacific Peoples and Chief Executive. During his tenure, Leauanae Laulu Mac led a significant transformation of the Ministry, including the launch of the All-of-Government Pacific Wellbeing Strategy.Before this, Leauanae Laulu Mac was Chief Executive of the Pacific Cooperation Foundation and has worked across a variety of private sector and governance roles. He holds an LLB from the University of Auckland and an MBA from Henley Management College (UK), and recently completed the Executive Public Service Leadership Programme at the Oxford University Blavatnik School of Government.Leauanae Laulu Mac has āiga (extended family) connections with the villages of Fa’ala, Iva and Sa’anapu in Samoa. His matai title ‘Laulu’ is from Fa’ala where it was bestowed in a traditional saofa’i ceremony in July 2010. In January 2023, he was bestowed the Leauanae title. This is a tulafale / ali’i title and means Leauanae Laulu Mac has speaking chief and high chief status, enabling him to contribute to the speaking and decision-making in his village of Iva, Savai’i.Brendan GagePou Mataaho o Te AkaDeputy Secretary Policy, Performance & Insights Image Brendan Gage is Pou Mataaho o Te Aka, Deputy Secretary Policy, Performance & Insights.In this role, Brendan leads the Ministry’s policy, research and evaluation and system performance functions. Manatū Taonga is the principal adviser to the Government on arts, heritage and media policy, and uses up-to-date research and evidence to connect cultural system policy advice into broader government policy decisions. The system performance function involves relationships with and monitoring of a range of entities in the arts, culture, heritage, media, and sport and recreation sectors, as well as helping our Ministers make board appointments across their portfolios.Daiman SmithPou Mataaho o Te IhoDeputy Secretary Corporate Services Image Daiman Smith is Pou Mataaho o Te Iho, Deputy Secretary Corporate Services. Daiman was appointed to this role in February 2024.In this role, Daiman leads a group delivering a range of corporate services including finance, people and culture, IT systems and information management, facilities and emergency management, and legal services. Daiman provides guidance and management to ensure that these key areas function efficiently and align with the strategic objectives of Manatū Taonga.Daiman brings to the role a depth of knowledge about the arts, culture and heritage sector, having worked at Manatū Taonga since October 2021. He initially served as Manager Sector Performance, leading the team that monitors government interests in the cultural agencies and advises on appointments to agency boards. In November 2022, Daiman became Associate Deputy Chief Executive Policy and Sector Performance, with a focus on making connections with other cultural agencies to align and integrate the Ministry’s strategy and outcomes.Daiman has a range of public sector experience gained through previous roles as General Manager, New Zealand Productivity Commission and Group Manager, Strategy & Corporate, Independent Police Conduct Authority.Glenis Philip-BarbaraPou Mataaho o Te HuaDeputy Secretary Delivery & Investment Image Glenis Philip-Barbara (Ngāti Uepōhatu, Ngāti Porou) is Pou Mataaho o Te Hua, Deputy Secretary, Delivery & Investment. Glenis has been at Manatū Taonga since July 2022.In this role, Glenis is accountable for managing investments within the sector including funding for commemorations, the regeneration of matauranga Matariki, historical research and oral histories. Glenis also leads Māori Crown partnership activities that support the Ministry to meet our responsibilities to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the Public Sector Act 2020 and provides oversight for Treaty Settlement Commitments, Te Tai Whakaea and Matariki Programmes. She leads the development and implementation of operational policies involving the Protected Objects Act, with a particular focus on facilitating the return of found taonga tuturu to traditional owners, the establishment of national memorials, the care of war graves at home and abroad, and the national commemorations programme. Additionally, she oversees content production activities, including content developed for heritage websites managed by the Ministry, ensuring the creation of engaging and educational materials that resonate with diverse audiences and is responsible for Pukeahu National War Memorial Park and the National War Memorial.Glenis has over 30 years of experience working in all aspects of the public and community sectors, across education, te reo, welfare and child protection including working with whānau, hapū and iwi to recover mātauranga Māori.Glenis joined us from the Office of the Children’s Commissioner, where she was te Kaikōmihana Māori mō ngā Tamariki ō Aotearoa, Assistant Māori Commissioner for Children. Glenis has also worked at Gisborne District Council, Te Hā Trust in Tairāwhiti, and the Ministry for Social Development, where she was the Assistant Deputy Chief Executive for Child Youth and Family, and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, the Māori Language Commission where she was Chief Executive in Wellington. She has earned a degree in Sociology and Māori Studies, a post graduate diploma in bicultural Professional Supervision and a Masters in Professional Art Practice from Toihoukura, the School of Māori Art and Design in Tūranga Gisborne. Glenis is also a trained Executive Coach.