Te Pūtahitanga Auaha Māori
T.I.I.N.A.
The Indigenous Innovation Network Agency
A network of experienced directors, researchers, strategists, and practitioners who operate at the intersection of culture, commerce, and community. We do not adapt who we are to fit the room. We change the room.
Vā Fealoa'i - The Sacred Relational Space
Who We Are
Indigenous expertise.
Commercial rigour.
T.I.I.N.A. (Te Pūtahitanga Auaha Māori) is a network of experienced directors, researchers, strategists, and practitioners who operate at the intersection of culture, commerce, and community. Our directors bring decades of combined experience across law, engineering, research, health systems, and investment.
We hold deep relationships with whānau, hapū, iwi, and Pacific communities across Aotearoa, and we bring that relational capital to bear with rigour and commercial discipline. T.I.I.N.A. works in genuine partnership: we bring full capability alongside our partners, and we hold each other to outcomes that are commercially sound, culturally grounded, and built to last.
Our work is structured, staged, and accountable. Everything we do falls within three domains that are inseparable in te ao Māori: People, Place, and Planet.
The Story of T.I.I.N.A.
Strategic Activation: We move initiatives from aspiration to funded, measurable implementation. Research and Evidence: Kaupapa Māori research that is published, cited, and capable of shifting systems and policy.
Relationship Capital: 100,000+ businesses, iwi, and community partners built through decades of presence. Governance and Advisory: Executive advisory grounded in deep experience across legal, health, engineering, research, and investment.
$126B+
Māori Economy
100K+
Network Partners
5
Directors, Five Regions
3
Domains: People, Place, Planet
People.
The heart of everything
Our Living Values
Eight Values
T.I.I.N.A.
Vā Fealoa'i
Sacred Relational Space
Toi Whakahou
Creative Growth
Whakamātau
Strategic Experimentation
Lototō
Grounded Resilience
Māia
Inner Courage
Yalomatua
Deep Wisdom
Motutaga Tau Mafola
Community Wellbeing
Hihiri
The Energising Fire
Our People
Built on relationships.
Director of Research and Climate
Dr. Tāniora Maxwell
Ngāi Tai | Te Whakatōhea | Ngāti Awa | Ngāti Whātua
An Indigenous research and strategy practitioner with 25 years' experience across governance, policy, and systems design. Advises iwi, public sector, and community organisations on complex decisions requiring cultural authority and analytical rigour. Holds a PhD in Indigenous research and policy.
Executive Director
Donna Perese
Te Whānau ā Apanui | Te Whakatōhea | Ngāti Awa | Ngāti Whare | Ngāti Rangitihi | Samoa: Tufulele, Magiagi
Strategic leader with extensive experience across governance and regional economic development. Former CE of a regional economic development agency and Chamber of Commerce. Supreme Award winner, Economic Development NZ 2023. Holds an Executive MBA.
Director of Community and Strategy
Janine Copeland
Ngāi Tūhoe | Ngāti Awa | Te Whakatōhea | Ngāti Manawa | Ngāti Whare | Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao | Ngāti Rangitihi
Indigenous systems and delivery specialist with deep experience across governance, compliance, and complex project environments. Operates at the intersection of iwi, Māori land trusts, government, and community. Expert in large-scale papakāinga housing developments.
Director of Health and Communications
Patrick Salmon
Ngāti Awa | Ngāi Tūhoe | Te Arawa | Ngāti Tūwharetoa | Ngāti Tukorehe | Rongowhakaata
Strategic leader in Māori health and system transformation with 20+ years designing innovative, equity-focused solutions. Specialises in collaborative wānanga to co-create service models. PhD candidacy in Indigenous innovation frameworks.
Director of Engineering and Systems · Pacific Lead
Tiana Epati
Siumu, Iva: Savai'i | Lepa, Ta'elefaga Fagaloa Samoa | Niue
Delivery-focused leader with 15 years across construction, infrastructure, and geotechnical engineering. Leads multi-stakeholder programmes prioritising safety and performance. Holds NZCE, Bachelor of Civil Engineering Technology, and Executive MBA from Massey.
Director of Research and Climate
Dr. Tāniora Maxwell
Ngāi Tai | Te Whakatōhea | Ngāti Awa | Ngāti Whātua
An Indigenous research and strategy practitioner with 25 years' experience across governance, policy, and systems design. Advises iwi, public sector, and community organisations on complex decisions requiring cultural authority and analytical rigour. Holds a PhD in Indigenous research and policy.
Executive Director
Donna Perese
Te Whānau ā Apanui | Te Whakatōhea | Ngāti Awa | Ngāti Whare | Ngāti Rangitihi | Samoa: Tufulele, Magiagi
Strategic leader with extensive experience across governance and regional economic development. Former CE of a regional economic development agency and Chamber of Commerce. Supreme Award winner, Economic Development NZ 2023. Holds an Executive MBA.
Director of Community and Strategy
Janine Copeland
Ngāi Tūhoe | Ngāti Awa | Te Whakatōhea | Ngāti Manawa | Ngāti Whare | Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao | Ngāti Rangitihi
Indigenous systems and delivery specialist with deep experience across governance, compliance, and complex project environments. Operates at the intersection of iwi, Māori land trusts, government, and community. Expert in large-scale papakāinga housing developments.
Director of Health and Communications
Patrick Salmon
Ngāti Awa | Ngāi Tūhoe | Te Arawa | Ngāti Tūwharetoa | Ngāti Tukorehe | Rongowhakaata
Strategic leader in Māori health and system transformation with 20+ years designing innovative, equity-focused solutions. Specialises in collaborative wānanga to co-create service models. PhD candidacy in Indigenous innovation frameworks.
Director of Engineering and Systems · Pacific Lead
Tiana Epati
Siumu, Iva: Savai'i | Lepa, Ta'elefaga Fagaloa Samoa | Niue
Delivery-focused leader with 15 years across construction, infrastructure, and geotechnical engineering. Leads multi-stakeholder programmes prioritising safety and performance. Holds NZCE, Bachelor of Civil Engineering Technology, and Executive MBA from Massey.
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Membership
Join the network.
The most powerful investments of the next decade will be made alongside Indigenous communities, not despite them. Join a network of leaders, enterprises, and organisations who understand that.
Place.
Identity, memory, and knowledge
Where We Work
Across Aotearoa and the Pacific
Auckland
Tamaki Makaurau
Strategic partnerships and economic development across Aotearoa's largest city.
Culture & Community
Te Ao Maori
Grounded in te ao Maori, our work is shaped by Indigenous knowledge systems.
Wellington
Te Whanganui-a-Tara
Governance, policy, and system design at the heart of government.
Te Ohanga Maori
How Maori economics shapes our future - the $126 billion asset base driving Indigenous-led growth
Ohanga ki Te Ao
The inaugural Maori Economic Investment Summit - Indigenous innovation on the global stage
What We Do
Indigenous-led solutions.
Economic Development
Strategy
Governance
System Design
Digital Tools
Training
Climate Adaptation
Research
Procurement
Infrastructure
Planet.
Systemic thinking, long-term vision
Insights & Perspectives
Indigenous voices, global impact.
Indigenising Economic Development: Beyond the Western Playbook
Indigenising economic development is not about rejecting modern economics. It is about expanding the definition of prosperity and building systems where cultural authority and economic growth are interdependent.
Climate Resilience and the Value of Matauranga Maori During Extreme Weather Events
Cyclone Gabrielle showed us what matauranga Maori has always known - that community resilience is built on relationships, collective systems, and deep knowledge of the land. It is time this knowledge shapes our national approach to climate adaptation.
Navigating the Shifting Geopolitical Landscape: What It Means for NZ Business
Trade tensions, supply chain disruptions, and shifting alliances are reshaping the landscape for NZ businesses. For Maori commercial entities, the opportunity to leverage Indigenous networks has never been greater.
An Invitation
Bring your fire.
This framework is alive. It will grow, adapt, and evolve, shaped by communities, partners, and our values. Whether you are a community member, innovator, partner, funder, or dreamer - bring your relationships, wisdom, courage, and fire.
Get in Touch
Or email us directly at Info@tiina.co.nz
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