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Leauanae Laulu Mac Leauanae

Tumu Whakarae
Secretary for Culture and Heritage and Chief Executive

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Laulau Mac

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.

To contact Leauanae Laulu Mac, please email his Executive Assistant Bridie Cooper: [email protected]

Daiman Smith

Pou Mataaho o Te Iho
Deputy Secretary Corporate Services

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Man in a blue suit and tie in front of a white, green and black background

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.

To contact Daiman, please email 
Marie Manaena: [email protected]

Emily Fabling

Pou Mataaho o Te Aka
Deputy Secretary Policy and Sector Performance

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Emily Fabling

Emily Fabling is Pou Mataaho o Te Aka, Deputy Secretary Policy and Sector Performance. She has been in the role since November 2021.

Emily is an experienced public servant, having spent four years as Deputy Secretary Strategy, Planning and Governance at the Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o Te Mātauranga where she led the strategy, sector performance, legal, communications and ministerial servicing areas. Emily’s policy background includes senior roles in education, labour and immigration policy and at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, as well as leading programmes of national significance. Emily has also been a board member for Fulbright New Zealand and retains her voluntary board role for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award.

To contact Emily, please email her Executive Assistant, 
Marie Manaena: [email protected]

Glenis Philip-Barbara

Pou Mataaho o Te Hononga
Deputy Secretary Māori Crown Partnerships

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Glennis Philip-Barbara

Glenis Philip-Barbara (Ngāti Uepōhatu, Ngāti Porou) is Pou Mataaho o Te Hononga, Deputy Secretary Māori Crown Partnerships. Glenis has been at Manatū Taonga since July 2022, taking up this role in February 2024.

In this role, Glenis oversees the Ministry’s Māori Crown partnerships and relationships, ensuring that in all that the Ministry does, our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi is well understood, and our Te Tiriti Settlement Commitments are honoured. The Māori Crown Partnerships group provides strategic advice regarding working respectfully and purposefully with iwi Māori, working with te reo and tikanga Māori, building cultural capability and support for the work of the Ministry in arts, culture and heritage policy and operational outcomes. The group deliver the Te Tai Whakaea Treaty Settlement Stories programme, the Taonga Tūturu work as part of the Protected Objects Act and facilitate access for iwi to the range of cultural agencies holding taonga and kōrero of interest to iwi Māori. They also provide secretariat support for the Government’s Chief Advisor Matauranga Matariki, Professor Rangi Mataamua and the annual Matariki programme. The group is also responsible for facilitating the Ministry’s contribution to Maihi Karauna, the Government’s Māori Language Strategy.

Glenis has 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, the Ministry for Social Development, and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, the Māori Language Commission where she was Chief Executive. She has earned a degree in Sociology and Māori Studies, a post graduate diploma in Professional Supervision and a Masters in Professional Art Practice.

To contact Glenis, please email her Executive Assistant, 
Sarah De Renzy: Sarah De [email protected]

Joe Fowler

Pou Mataaho o Te Hua
Deputy Secretary Delivery & Investment

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Joe Fowler

Joe Fowler is Pou Mataaho o Te Hua, Deputy Secretary Delivery & Investment. Joe has been at Manatū Taonga since September 2021, taking up this role in February 2024.

In this role, Joe is accountable for managing investments within the sector including funding for commemorations, historical research and oral histories, and the Regional Culture and Heritage Fund. Joe leads the development and implementation of operational policies involving the Protected Objects Act, memorials, war graves, and commemorations. Additionally, he 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.

Joe joined us from Oranga Tamariki, where he was General Manager Commissioning for four years, working with iwi, Māori, non-governmental organisations, and internal stakeholders to completely redesign the agency’s procurement, funding and contracting.

Before this, Joe was a senior manager in central and local government in the United Kingdom. He spent the last 15 years of his career finding creative and collaborative ways of using public funding to support improved outcomes and has also led significant change within and across organisations.

To contact Joe, please email
Teuila Meredith-Schaumkell: [email protected]

Stacey Richardson

Pou Mataaho o Te Toi 
Director Office of the Secretary

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Stacey Richardson, woman wearing a floral top in front of a white background with green and black lines.

Stacey Richardson is Pou Mataaho o Te Toi, Director Office of the Secretary. Stacey has been at Manatū Taonga since October 2022, taking up this role in February 2024.

In this role, Stacey is accountable for the development of Ministry strategy and enterprise performance planning and reporting. Stacey provides executive strategic advice and guidance to the Secretary and oversees enterprise planning and performance, the operation of the Office of the Secretary, the Ministerial Services and Communications and Engagement teams, and engagement with external and internal stakeholders.

Stacey joined us from the Ministry of Education, where she was Director in the Office of the Deputy Secretary Te Puna Rangatopu (Corporate) during a period of change. Stacey has had a substantial career in the public service, initially in Māori policy roles at Te Puni Kōkiri.

To contact Stacey, please email her at: [email protected]