Ms Rachel Taulelei, of Wellington, CNZM for services to business, Māori and governance
Ms Rachel Taulelei (Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāti Huia ki Katihiku, Ngāti Rārua) was appointed as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2015. She continued as Chief Executive of Māori food and beverage company Kono before co-founding cultural design and brand strategy firm Oho. She has served as Chair of Moana New Zealand, Wellington Regional Stadium Trust (Sky Stadium), New Zealand Rugby Appointments and Remuneration Panel, and Fonterra’s Sustainability Advisory Panel. She chairs and co-owns the Tokomanawa Queens professional women’s basketball team. She represented New Zealand on the APEC Business Advisory Panel. She has been a Trustee of the Young Enterprise Trust, Blake Trust and Queen Margaret College. Ms Taulelei advises Huia Publishers and the New Zealand Story Group on how to amplify indigenous narratives.