NZICC appoints Pou Tikanga to strengthen tikanga across venue operations

Auckland, New Zealand, 13th July 2026: The New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) has announced the appointment of Te Raukura Hawke as Pou Tikanga, making NZICC the only convention centre in New Zealand with a dedicated cultural advisor embedded within its core team. 

The appointment deepens an enduring partnership between NZICC and Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, the tangata whenua of Tāmaki Makaurau, and reflects a lived commitment to te ao Māori. In 2023, the iwi gifted the building its name: Te Tumu, the foundation. Like the Tumu, the core of a tree, it anchors, sustains and acts as a source from which something greater can grow. 

In March 2024, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and SkyCity Auckland formalised their relationship through a kōtuitanga, a strategic agreement embodying the idea of coming together as one, working collaboratively toward common goals, and elevating Tāmaki Makaurau for local and international visitors. Te Raukura’s appointment is the next expression of this commitment. 

“For Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, this is a shared milestone for both NZICC and us,” says Lisa Davis, CEO of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. “Te Raukura brings with him the whakapapa, tikanga and lived connection to this place that cannot be taught. As tangata whenua, we have always valued the way we welcome and manaaki manuhiri to Tāmaki Makaurau. Seeing that reflected within NZICC helps ensure visitors experience an authentic connection to this place, its people and its stories.”

Te Raukura descends from Ngāti Whātua, Ngapuhi and Tainui. Born and raised on ancestral lands at Takaparawhau, Ōrākei, where he resides to this day. A first-language te reo Māori speaker, Te Raukura has spent his career ensuring Māori culture is present in spaces where it has been historically absent. As a uri of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, who hold ahi kā across central Tāmaki Makaurau, he has a connection to this place at the heart of the role and the perspective he brings to it. His identity, he says, “hasn’t just shaped his path here but anchored it.”

In practice, Te Raukura acts as a cultural pillar across everything NZICC does. His role shapes the experience from the moment an event begins, through protocol, language, storytelling, and ceremonial moments, ensuring Māori values and tikanga are expressed with integrity at every gathering. For clients navigating tikanga for the first time, he provides clear, considered guidance on what is appropriate and how to bring it to life. Equally, he creates culturally safe environments where all guests, regardless of background or belief, feel respected, welcomed and at ease.

Beyond this, he is building cultural capability across the NZICC team, deepening relationships with iwi and hapū, and ensuring the principles of tikanga are embedded in the day-to-day operations, not activated for occasions, but practised as a matter of process.

Te Raukura, Pou Tikanga at NZICC says, “This role is about more than cultural integration; it's about embedding te ao Māori into the fabric of how NZICC operates each day. I want people to leave knowing they’ve experienced something real; that the tikanga they experience is carried with integrity, and that Māori culture is upheld with dignity in every kaupapa we encounter. That's the invitation I want every person who walks through these doors to feel.”

For NZICC, the appointment is both a statement of identity and a point of difference in global events that increasingly expect cultural authenticity to be demonstrated. In practice, that means building cultural capability across the NZICC team, deepening relationships with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, and ensuring the principles of tikanga are embedded in day-to-day operations.

Prue Daly, General Manager of NZICC, says, “NZICC has a strong connection with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, and having a Pou Tikanga in our team means that relationship is alive every day. Te Raukura brings meaning and purpose to everything we do, grounding our mahi in the history of this place. And in what it truly means to represent Aotearoa, New Zealand to the world.”

For media enquiries, please contact:
Georgia Grindle
Georgia.grindle@specialgroup.co.nz
 +64 21 164 2038