September 17, 2019
Former trade man right for TPK job
Former Te Puni Kōkiri chief executive Sir Wira Gardiner says Dave Samuels is the right person at the right time for the top job in the Māori ministry.
Mr Samuels was welcomed into the job on Monday.
Sir Wira says while his fellow former soldier worked in a senior policy role at the ministry, more relevant is his more recent trade roles for the Ministry of Primary Industries in the Middle East and China.
While he isn't widely known in Māoridom, he has the confidence of senior minister.
"From a Māori point of view, an iwi point of view, what we want is a leader in TPK that is connected, understands the nuances of the politics of Wellington and is able to achieve the objectives Nanaia (Mahuta), his Minister, and Peeni (Henare), his other Minister, set for him, and I'm pretty confident he will," Sir Wira says.
As well as dealing with a reset of the Ministry sought by Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta, Mr Samuels will also be in a good position to assist Māori exporters who want to attend Expo 2020 in Dubai.
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