Ex-New Zealand First deputy leader Fletcher Tabuteau has been appointed chair of Te Puia New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Board by Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka.
Tabuteau (Ngāti Ngāraranui, Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāti Whakaue) was a list MP for NZ First from 2014.. He was given more responsibilities when his party agreed to a coalition with Labour after the 2017 election.
He became deputy leader of NZ First in 2017 but resigned after losing his seat at the 2020 election.
Minister Potaka said Tabuteau’s experience.in governance, management, and business would be an asset to the board “and the important work it does to encourage and promote ahurea and toi Māori,” Potaka said.
Born in Rotorua, Tabuteau went to and taught at Rotorua Boys’ High School. He became a lecturer in economics, and head of the Business School at Waiariki Institute of Technology before becoming an MP.
After his political career, he started working 20 hours a week for his hometown council in a fixed-term position to work on economic development and housing projects.
In 2022, he ran for mayor in the Rotorua Lakes Council local election coming second after winner Tania Tapsell.
Currently, he runs Hoporona Consulting and serves as a director of Capital Government Relations and Communications.
NZMACI, located in Rotorua, is home to Te Wānanga Whakairo Rākau (National Wood Carving School), Te Takapū o Rotowhio (National Stone and Bone Carving School), and Te Rito o Rotowhio (National Weaving School).
“At its core, NZMACI fosters the protection and transfer of mātauranga Māori. It is an integral part of the Rotorua economy and the wider Māori economy, contributing to the sustainable development of scenic and tourist attractions in the Rotorua district and across the motu,” Potaka said.
It was established in 1926 by Sir Āpirana Ngata to combat the threat of losing Māori at, before being re-established in 1963.