New appointments to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Board

Tama Waipara and David Wilks have been appointed to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Board, Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage announced.

Tama Waipara is a prominent artist and creative director with considerable experience in, and in-depth knowledge of, the performing arts and heritage sectors.

Tama brings over 10 years of experience creating, developing and managing arts festivals, and has held roles such as Creative Associate of the Auckland Festival Trust and Programme Leader (Māori) at the Auckland Council. Currently, Tama is the Chief Executive/Artistic Director for Te Tairawhiti Arts Festival.

Tama Waipara, 2017. Photo by Daniel Crichton-Rouse

David Wilks brings rich strategic and commercial acumen and an extensive understanding of the creative sector to the Board.

He has previously held roles as Director of the Commercial Business Unit at the Department of Conservation, General Manager of Tourism Development at Tourism New Zealand, and is currently General Manager at Wētā Workshop.

David’s diverse governance experience is reflected in his current roles as Chair of the Taupo Destination Management Plan Leadership Advisory Group, trustee of Wellington College and Director at Daffodil Enterprises Ltd.

David Wilks. Photo courtesy of David Wilks

Current members of the Board Jackie Lloyd and Andy Lowe have also been reappointed for a further three-year term.

“I warmly welcome Tama and David into their new appointments, and also wish to congratulate Jackie and Andy on their reappointments to the Te Papa Board,” said Associate Deputy Chief Executive, Policy and Sector Performance Group, Daiman Smith.

“I’m excited by the calibre of these appointments and look forward to seeing the Board continue to guide Te Papa in providing an enrichening experience for those who visit our national museum.”