Welcoming Tania Pouwhare as Chief Executive
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Tania Pouwhare as the next Chief Executive of Good Shepherd New Zealand. Tania brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to advancing social and economic justice, particularly for women, whānau and communities most impacted by inequality and harm.
Over more than 20 years, Tania has worked across Aotearoa and the UK in roles spanning policy, campaigning, community innovation, and Indigenous economic development. Her pioneering work includes introducing social procurement in Aotearoa, co-founding Amotai (which has enabled over $460m in spend with Māori and Pasifika businesses), and leading system-change initiatives at The Southern Initiative a social innovation team at Auckland Council focused on Māori and Pasifika whānau.
She has also had a long-standing commitment to supporting women impacted by family and economic harm, including early roles with Women’s Refuge in Aotearoa and a decade leading policy and campaigns at the Women’s Resource Centre in London.
Outgoing Chief Executive, Emma Saunders, says “I’m thrilled to know Tania is stepping into the role. Over the last two years, the team has created the strong foundations needed for even more social impact in New Zealand — building capability, organisational resilience, trusted profile and presence, data and insights, new partnerships and services, and more. The Board and I wanted to ensure the next CEO could really leverage what’s been built to deepen and widen our impact for mission. Tania is a fantastic choice for our next phase. We are proud to welcome her to the team.”
Tania is widely recognised as a thought leader and changemaker. She is a Senior Fellow of the Atlantic Social Equity Fellowship, an Honorary Fellow of Engineering NZ, and earlier this year was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to social innovation.
Board Chair Gael Surgenor says, “In my own experience working with Tania at Auckland Council, I have seen her combine sharp systems thinking with deep relational leadership. She is both visionary and practical – able to influence policy and strategy, while also building strong partnerships and delivering tangible outcomes. Above all, she brings an unwavering focus on equity and justice for women and girls, which sits right at the heart of Good Shepherd’s kaupapa.”
Tania will be joining us formally in late September, with time for a handover with Emma before she leaves. We’re grateful that Emma will also remain available in an advisory capacity, to help a smooth transition of leadership and continuation of our important services, pilots and partnerships.
