06/06/2026
Tāne Cook
Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer, He Taonga Consultancy
Tāne Cook (Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Whare and Ngāti Manawa) is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of He Taonga Consultancy, a Māori-owned consultancy enterprise based in Whakatāne, Aotearoa New Zealand. With expertise spanning Te Reo Māori revitalisation, Kaupapa Māori service design, Māori governance, and community development, Tāne brings a rare combination of cultural depth, strategic capability, and operational experience to his leadership of the consultancy.
Professional Background
Alongside his role at He Taonga Consultancy, Tāne serves as Pouwhakahaere — Cultural Lead and Manager of Te Mata Kāhui Kaupapa Māori Services at Turning Point Trust (Te Taiope Huringanui) in Tauranga. In this capacity he leads the delivery of Kaupapa Māori Services, manages a team of kaimahi, and oversees programme development, reporting, and stakeholder engagement. His work at Turning Point Trust is directly informed by the TMK Māori Health Model a framework he designed himself, built around Ngā Pou e Whā and drawing on Te Whare Tapa Whā, Te Pae Mahutonga, and Te Wheke.
Governance Leadership
Tāne holds significant governance responsibilities at a national level. He serves as Mataatua District Māori Council Chairperson and Executive Member to Te Kaunihera Māori o Aotearoa (New Zealand Māori Council), one of New Zealand's oldest and most significant Māori representative bodies. He also serves as Chairperson of Te Kāhui Hāpori o Te Reo Tukutuku ki Te Mātāwai, contributing to investment decision-making in support of Te Reo Māori revitalisation across the motu. These roles position Tāne as a credible and connected voice across both community and national Māori governance spheres.
Cultural Practice & Identity
Tāne's practice is shaped by his whakapapa connections to his principal tribal groups. He brings lived cultural knowledge to his work, including fluency in Marae Tikanga and protocol, bicultural commemorative practice, and Toi Māori. This cultural grounding is evident across all aspects of his consultancy work from the bilingual and immersion frameworks he designs to the way he engages with communities, funders, and governance bodies.
He Taonga Consultancy
As Executive Director and CEO, Tāne has grown He Taonga Consultancy into a trusted provider of kaupapa Māori services across language revitalisation, programme design, observational evaluation, and governance advisory. His leadership is characterised by rigour, cultural integrity, and a commitment to producing work that is both practically useful and grounded in te ao Māori values
