Ko wai mātou | Who are we

Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei is a hapū of Ngāti Whātua. We live in and around the Tāmaki isthmus. We hold to our mana motuhake, our history, our culture, our identity, and our reo. Our whakapapa traces to Tuperiri and the hapū Ngā Oho, Te Taoū, and Te Uringutu.
We are tangata whenua in Tāmaki. Our authority over land and sea rests on take tupuna, take raupatu, ahi kā, and tuku whenua.

Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Trust looks after the collective affairs of our hapū. We have more than 8,000 registered members across Aotearoa and overseas. Ōrākei Marae is our cultural hub.

Te Kahu Tōpuni o Tuperiri describes the protective reach of our ancestor across our rohe.

Purpose of the role

We are looking for a highly skilled PR & Corporate Communications Specialist to lead proactive public relations, elevate iwi visibility, and strengthen our external voice across Aotearoa and beyond.

In this role, you will shape and deliver Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei’s PR strategy,  building trusted media relationships, telling powerful stories, and ensuring our voice is heard across cultural, environmental, hauora, tribal development, economic, and national conversations.

You will produce high-quality written content across press releases, speeches, annual reports, op-eds, corporate publications, and issues responses. You’ll help protect and enhance our reputation, ensuring all communication reflects our whakapapa, our leadership, and our commitment to whānau.

This is a senior specialist role ideal for someone with strong writing, storytelling, issues management experience, and a deep respect for kaupapa Māori communications.

Ngā tino pūkenga/whēako | Qualifications & Experience

Essential:

• Tertiary qualification in Communications, PR, Journalism, Marketing, Māori Studies, or related discipline, or equivalent experience
• Proven experience producing high-quality written content (media releases, speeches, reports, newsletters, web copy)
• Experience delivering or supporting PR activity, including media engagement
• Understanding of tikanga Māori and experience working with Māori, iwi, or kaupapa Māori contexts
• Strong ability to translate complex information into clear, engaging, accessible content
• Experience monitoring public sentiment, media coverage, and emerging issues
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills
• Ability to work to deadlines and manage competing priorities
• Familiarity with media monitoring or analytics tools (ie. iSentia)
  

Desirable:

• Proficiency in te reo Māori (spoken and/or written). Appropriate for a communications context.
• Experience supporting campaign communications, event coverage, or corporate publications
• Experience supporting issues or reputation management.
• Understanding of brand voice, tone, and editorial standards

To be successful in this role, we recognise that the following values & competencies are critical for kaimahi/employees to flourish at Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei:

• Manaakitanga 
• Respect
• Resilience
• Whānau outcome focused
• Collaboration
• Cultural Understanding

Key Result Areas:

• Lead PR strategy and media engagement
• Identify and pitch iwi stories across cultural, economic, environmental, and sector spaces
• Write and review high-quality corporate content (reports, speeches, op-eds, statements)
• Support event announcements, launches, campaigns, and media activities
• Provide regular insights, monitoring, and reputation reporting
• Ensure tone, accuracy, cultural integrity, and iwi brand standards are upheld

Requirements & Checks

Applicants must have the right to work in New Zealand. 

Please be aware in applying for this role, you may be required to undergo the following pre-employment checks:

• Police Vetting Report

Apply Now

If you're interested, please click the 'Apply for this job' button at the top or bottom of the page. If you have any questions about the role please email: peopleperformance@nwo.iwi.nz 

We will be reviewing applications and undertaking interviews ahead of the closing date, therefore please do not hesitate to submit your application!