About Te Papa Foundation

Te Papa Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the museum, working to grow a community of donors at every level. All funds raised by the Foundation are channelled into Te Papa programmes, projects and acquisitions, or invested in the endowment fund.

As a charity registered under the Charities Act 2005 (registration number CC52173), donations made to the Te Papa Foundation of $5 or more are eligible for a 33.33% tax credit from Inland Revenue.

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Watch Tumu Whakarae Courtney Johnson and Te Papa Foundation Chair Aaron Hape talk about why suppporting The Foundation is important

Meet our patron

The Rt Hon Dame Cindy Kiro, GNZM, QSO

Her Excellency The Rt Hon Dame Cindy Kiro was sworn in as the 22nd Governor-General of New Zealand on 21 October 2021. Dame Cindy is the first Māori woman to be appointed as Governor-General.

Dame Alcyion Cynthia (Cindy) Kiro is of Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Kahu and British descent.

Dame Cindy was the first person in her family to achieve tertiary qualifications: a PhD in Social Policy and an MBA (Exec) in Business Administration.

Much of Dame Cindy’s career has been in the tertiary education sector, where she became a distinguished researcher and held leadership roles at Massey University, Victoria University Wellington/Te Herenga Waka and the University of Auckland. While at the University of Auckland she was Director of the Starpath Project, which investigated the impacts of socio-economic status on educational achievement in New Zealand.

Her public sector roles have included Children’s Commissioner (the first woman and first Māori to be appointed to the role) membership of the Ministerial Cross-Sector Forum for the Ministry of Education, and Chair of the Welfare Expert Advisory Group.

Dame Cindy has also devoted time to voluntary and community organisations, reflecting her personal interests in supporting children, young people and disadvantaged members of society. This has included work on reducing child poverty, environmental causes to protect the natural world and addressing family violence.

Dame Cindy was appointed as a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DNZM) for services to child wellbeing and education on the New Year 2021 Honours List. 

Meet our ambassadors

Pippa, Lady Blake

Pippa was born in Portsmouth, England, in 1954 and educated at Downe House School, Berkshire, UK. She studied Fine Art at Camberwell School of Art in London between 1972 and 1976, gaining a First Class BA Honours degree in Painting. She went on to work for the Arts Council of Great Britain and as an assistant to a museum designer based in London.

Pippa met Peter Blake at the end of 1978, and they were married in August 1979. Their first adventure followed with a three month journey to Sydney to deliver the yacht Condor of Bermuda for the Sydney Hobart race 1979. They then moved on to New Zealand, where Pippa worked on the organisation and liaison for Ceramco NZ and many subsequent races and expeditions.

In 1993, Pippa resumed her painting career and in 2005 graduated from West Dean College, West Sussex with a Post Graduate Diploma with Distinction. She has since held several solo exhibitions in the UK and Auckland and exhibited widely in group shows in Sussex, Hampshire and London. She works from her studio at home in Emsworth, a small village in the South Coast of England.

Pippa is a Patron and founding Trustee of BLAKE, whose core purpose is to inspire people to lead a sustainable future through environmental leadership and communication programmes. BLAKE, formerly known as the Sir Peter Blake Trust, was established in December 2003.

Beatrice Faumuinā ONZM, OLY

Beatrice Faumuinā ONZM OLY is a New Zealand leader with a distinguished career spanning diplomacy, governance, public service, and elite sport. She is recognised for her values-led leadership, cultural intelligence, and commitment to stewardship and long-term national impact.

She has represented New Zealand internationally as Consul-General and Trade Commissioner in New York, held chief executive and board roles across sport, culture, and community organisations, and led complex national initiatives requiring partnership across government, industry, and communities. Her work has focused on building trust, navigating change, and strengthening institutions that serve the public good.

Internationally known for her achievements in elite sport, Beatrice has since transitioned into senior leadership roles where her focus is on governance, inclusion, and safeguarding legacy for future generations.

She is an Ambassador for the Te Papa Foundation, supporting the preservation of New Zealand’s cultural heritage and taonga, and advocating for philanthropy as a vital investment in national identity and continuity.

Michael (Mike) Bunce

Mike Bunce. Photo courtesy of Mike Bunce

Mike grew up in Ōtautahi, before completing a PhD at the Australian National University. He developed skills in virology before applying them within the field of ancient and environmental DNA. He spent the last two decades (at Universities in Oxford, Canada and Australia) extracting DNA from a wide variety of biological material – from fossils to seawater.

Mike has published over 220 scientific papers. In 2019, he left the University system to take up the position of Chief Scientist at the EPA, but in 2020 was seconded into Aotearoa’s COVID-19 response. Mike served as Chief Science Advisor at DOC until the role was disestablished in June 2024. Mike is a director at the Minderoo Foundation – Australia’s largest philanthropy – where his focus is on using DNA tools and community engagement to drive outcomes for marine ecosystems.

Meet the Trustees

Aaron Hape (Chair)

Aaron Hape is a public policy strategist working at the intersection of government, business, and philanthropy. An alumnus of the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, his career spans advising senior leaders in New Zealand’s government across the justice, health, and economic sectors, and leading strategic initiatives in global businesses and international NGOs.

Aaron now leads across health, science, and policy at the world’s pre-eminent biopharmaceutical company, helping shape health systems so innovation reaches the people who need it most. He also chairs and advises cultural and philanthropic organisations, including the Te Papa Foundation, the Shakespeare Globe Centre, the Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua Iwi Development Trust, and the Advertising Standards Authority’s Complaints Board.

Frances Crombie

Frances Crombie is an Art Advisor in Wellington, advising clients on the acquisition of artwork and helping make art accessible for new collectors. She has experience organising corporate art events, running boutique art tours and involvement with arts focused charities. 

Frances has a legal background, working in private practice and then as the Legal and Business Affairs Director for the publishing subsidiary of a publicly listed media company in London. Returning to Wellington, Frances completed postgraduate study in Art History at Victoria University. She holds an L.L.B and B.A (Hons) from the University of Canterbury and Victoria University.

James Blackie

James has been an art dealer for the last two decades. Having established one of New Zealand’s leading dealer galleries, Page Blackie Gallery, he now owns the Art Counsel, a dealer gallery and art consultancy. James currently represents some of New Zealand’s leading artists and specialises in the secondary market sale of exceptional New Zealand and international artworks. He is dedicated to helping art lovers connect with the art world. James is also a founding shareholder of Glorious Digital, an NFT start up studio and marketplace, where he is introducing digital fine art by exceptional New Zealand artists to a global audience.

Mel Winter

With over 20 years of experience working across multiple industries, Mel found a passion for live experiences, bringing brands to life, launching and creating leverage opportunities and campaigns. Falling in love with customer service, hospitality, entertainment and culture at a young age led her to start a successful Wellington-based business focused on experiential marketing and international events in 2004. Since then, Mel has collaborated, managed and successfully executed multiple large-scale projects. Her most recent event was delivering New Zealand’s cultural and entertainment programme at the World Expo 2020 in Dubai with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. 

Giving back is an important value to Mel, whether it be at community sports level or through foundations and charities. Her skills and understanding adds value around the needs and experiences that community, sponsors, supporters and the donor community like to see and be part of. Whether it be a small or a big action, every contribution moves the needle in a positive direction.

Susannah Robinson

Susannah joined the Foundation as a trustee in 2023 and is passionate about growing private philanthropy in New Zealand.

After completing degrees in Law and Political Science at Victoria University of Wellington in 1997, Susannah started her career in London, working in financial institutions where she gained a broad range of experience. From 2008 to 2018, Susannah worked in the not-for-profit sector in New York City on a voluntary basis. Along with membership of three other arts or women’s health boards, she was the Executive Director of the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust, 2011–2016. Susannah has lived and worked in Asia, England, and the United States for most of her life, returning to New Zealand in 2018 with her husband, Paul, and two daughters.

John Thomason

John Thomason has served on numerous boards over several decades in both the United States and New Zealand. He is presently the Chair of the Te Puna Foundation board, the Vice Chair of the Wellington Hockey Association, and a member of the Samuel Marsden Collegiate School Foundation board. His career has focused on capital markets and affordable housing, as well as nonprofit work in political advocacy and youth services. He has extensive experience with all aspects of fundraising and nonprofit executive management. John has a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. John is the proud father of two daughters and husband of Gail, an attorney and consultant. 

Prof. Dame Juliet Gerrard

Professor Juliet Gerrard FRSNZ, FHonFRSC trained at Oxford University and moved to Aotearoa in 1993 where her career has included roles in both Crown Research Institutes and universities. Juliet’s research background is broad and interdisciplinary, with particular interests in fundamental and applied protein science. She has held an Industry and Outreach Fellowship with Callaghan Innovation, founded a start-up company, chaired the Marsden Council, and served on the Board of Directors of Plant and Food Research.

In Juliet’s appointment from 2018–2024 as the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, Kaitohutohu Mātanga Pūtaiao Matua ki te Pirimia, she has worked from a base of four founding principles: rigour, inclusivity, transparency, and accessibility. She has supported the science and science advisor community to provide advice to the PM, ministers, and the public on a wide range of topics, including advice on the Christchurch mosque shootings, the response to the Whakaari | White Island eruption, and the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2019, the Office released a major report, Rethinking Plastics in Aotearoa New Zealand, which created a vision for a new relationship with plastic.

Juliet was named a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit​ for services to science in the 2021 New Year Honours.

Christopher Swasbrook

Christopher Swasbrook is an experienced financial markets executive with a strong commitment to arts and culture. 

He is currently Chair of the Auckland Future Fund, a Founder/Director of NZX-listed New Zealand Rural Land Company, Founder/Director of Elevation Capital, Director of Merx Funds Management and Executive Chair of McCashin’s Brewery Limited. He is also a Board Member of the Financial Markets Authority (FMA), Chair of the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki Advisory Board, and Chair of the Helen Clark Foundation.

Since graduating from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics) in 1996, he has undertaken Executive Education courses at Columbia University (New York), New York University (NYU), London School of Economics (LSE), and the Harvard Kennedy School in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Paul Brewer

Paul Brewer brings extensive experience working in cultural sectors in New Zealand and overseas. He was the founding Director of Marketing and Communications at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa from 1998–2009. He later served two terms as a trustee on the Auckland War Memorial Museum Board. Paul also has international museum experience, mainly in Denmark and Russia. 

He is a long-standing trustee of The Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation, which supports young New Zealand classical singers with exceptional potential. Paul was Chief Operating Officer at Regional Facilities Auckland, a wholly owned subsidiary of Auckland Council, with stewardship of more than $1.8 billion worth of cultural and sporting assets.

His engagement in policy, risk management, sponsorship and strategic relationships within Auckland’s cultural sectors includes the Auckland Art Gallery, the New Zealand Maritime Museum, Auckland War Memorial Museum, and the city’s performing arts venues. Paul was appointed a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) by Queen Elizabeth II in 1995.

Charlotte Lockhart

Charlotte Lockhart joined the Foundation in late 2025 and is passionate about growing the reach of the museum in both showcasing New Zealand and research capability.

Charlotte built a career in legal and financial services firstly in the Middle East in the 90’s and then back here in New Zealand. Through their business, Perpetual Guardian, she was springboarded onto the international stage through their work on productivity-focused, reduced-hours workplaces, culminating in the formation of 4 Day Week Global in 20 countries. She divides her time between New Zealand and the United Kingdom, she is chair of Give-a-Little and is actively promoting the Breast Cancer Research Institute at Cambridge University.

When not working on philanthropic projects, she enjoys writing, travel and spending time with family.