Manager Tangata Whenua Partnerships

TeWhiwhingamahi The Opportunity 
 

This is a senior leadership opportunity for someone who brings mana judgement and deep relationship capability to their work. 

Youll lead Contacts tangata whenua partnerships within the Sustatinability team influencing how decisions are shaped to deliver mutual benefit for tangata whenua and Contact.  The role sits at the intersection of partnerships and commercial opportunity with influence well beyond any one project or region. 

In this role you will: 

• Lead partnerships: Strengthening enduring hightrust relationships with iwi hapū and Māori entities across Aotearoa 

• Shape decisions early: Bring tangata whenua perspectives into investment consenting and project conversations from the outset 

• Provide leadership and clarity: Guide a specialist team and set the standards systems and ways of working that enable consistency at scale 

• Hold complexity: Balance cultural integrity environmental responsibility and commercial outcomes in a highly regulated sector. 

• Build for the future: Lift organisational confidence and capability to grow partnerships  

This role has evolved significantly and now carries responsibility for leading the charge to be the preferred partner of tangata whenua across Aotearoa including equity ownership as Contact leads NZs renewable energy future. 

Qualifications :

Kowaikoe About You 

You are a senior leader who operates confidently within te ao Māori with the presence and judgement to manage complex relationships and execute intergenerational agreements that deliver mutual benefit. 

You bring fluency in te reo Māori and can lead tikanga in relationship settings and daytoday leadership. You understand the responsibility that comes with iwi partnerships and know how to uphold mana through how you show up and lead. 

Youll thrive in this role if you bring: 

• Deep understanding of tikanga kaupapa Māori and the lived realities of partnership with tangata whenua 

• Proven experience building and sustaining hightrust relationships within Māori and while operating in a corporatec ontext 

• The ability to influence senior leaders and shape decisions that have longterm impact 

• Strong commercial judgement particularly in environments shaped by natural resources and regulation 

• A leadership style that enables manaakitanga sets high standards lifts capability and enables others to thrive 

You are comfortable with complexity listening deeply navigating ambiguity and moving work forward with integrity and care. A relevant tertiary qualification is required and experience in resource management is advantageous. 

Additional Information :

Additional Information 
 
We support flexible working where it works for the individual the team and the business. While the location is flexible the team is located in the Central North Island with members across Rotorua Taupō or Tauranga so proximity to these locations would be an advantage. 

Contact is not a place youll stagnate. We are growing and offer strong learning and development support alongside a generous range of benefits that support your wellbeing and life beyond work. These include free health insurance cover boosted KiwiSaver access to Contact Shares a Good to be Home annual payment to support your home setup and wellbeing a trailblazing parental leave policy twiceyearly payments towards our products if youre a Contact customer and more. 

Applications close on Tuesday 2nd June but just like peak demand great talent often surges early. If this role sparks your interest we encourage you to apply soon. 

He mea nui ngā paki kōrero ki a mātou i Contact. We value kōrero and connection. If you have a story that speaks to this mahi wed love to hear it. 

Here at Contact Energy (Te Mata Hiko) we know our strength lies in developing a sense of belonging - one that helps us attract and retain people with a broad range of perspectives and experiences.

Were committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued respected and empowered to bring their whole selves to work. Our goal is to reflect the diversity of our customers and communities to help build a better Aotearoa New Zealand.

We have a rich community of talented people that we support to thrive at Contact.

Our inclusive hiring process is designed to embrace the diversity of Aotearoa New Zealand ensuring a wide range of perspectives are included in our decision-making and helping reduce bias along the way.

The wellbeing of our kaimahi is super important to us.

We use employee insights to offer a range of initiatives and resources to support physical mental financial and emotional wellbeing including flexible working arrangements employee network groups and a market-leading parental leave policy.

At Te Mata Hiko we want everyone to thrive. We welcome applicants far and wide - of every age stage background and pride. Join us and be part of a team that values your passion and attitude just as much as your experience and skills.

Please note only candidates with the right to live and work in New Zealand will be considered for this role.

Research shows that while men apply to jobs where they meet 60% of the criteria women and those in underrepresented groups tend to only apply if they tick every box. Were not about box ticking so if you think you have what it takes but dont meet everything stated above please still get in touch. Wed love to kōrero.

Te Mata Hiko (Contact Energy) does not accept any CVs received from recruitment agencies where a formal engagement has not been confirmed and agreed to with our Talent the event that unsolicited CVs are submitted by recruitment agencies Te Mata Hiko (Contact Energy) reserves the right to contact these candidates directly and consider them for current/future vacancies without any financial obligation to the recruitment agency in question. This will also apply to any CVs sent directly to line managers.

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time