March 2026
Tash Wanoa leads the Ngāti Porou Response and Recovery Team, bringing a strong foundation in emergency management, community resilience, and natural hazard planning. Born and raised in Te Araroa, Tash brings a grounded, local perspective to her role, with a deep understanding of the realities across our rohe. Her approach is shaped by a belief that recovery must be led from within our communities — not imposed from outside.
Tash has worked across Aotearoa supporting communities to better understand natural hazards and strengthen their readiness and response. Her experience includes national research on landslides, earthquakes and tsunami risk through Massey University, Māori Emergency Management Network and Te Tira Whakamātaki, alongside extensive work in community engagement — helping whānau and organisations understand risk, build resilience, and make informed decisions. She has over five years’ experience in Civil Defence Emergency Management and has been coordinating Civil Defence in Te Araroa for the past two to three years. Her work has taken her across the country, supporting communities, agencies and organisations to plan for emergencies and strengthen their response capability.
A key focus of Tash’s work has been building local capability. She has delivered emergency planning and resilience training nationwide, facilitated Coordinated Incident Management System (CIMS) training for over 200 participants, and worked with schools along the East Coast to support tamariki and rangatahi to understand how to respond to emergencies such as earthquakes and tsunami.
Tash leads with a ground-up approach, recognising that every hapū and community has its own needs, knowledge and aspirations. She is committed to ensuring local voices inform decision-making, supporting hapū and marae-led solutions, and strengthening Ngāti Porou capability to respond and recover with confidence. Her work also acknowledges the importance of tikanga, including how cultural practices are upheld in times of crisis.
She holds a Bachelor of Education and is currently completing her Master’s in Emergency Management, with research focused on flood response and the legacy of Cyclone Bola.
Tash is deeply committed to serving Ngāti Porou, with a strong belief that recovery is not just about responding to events, but about building long-term resilience — so our people are better prepared, better connected, and better supported into the future.
For more information visit: https://www.ngatiporou.com/recovery
March 2026
Tash Wanoa leads the Ngāti Porou Response and Recovery Team, bringing a strong foundation in emergency management, community resilience, and natural hazard planning. Born and raised in Te Araroa, Tash brings a grounded, local perspective to her role, with a deep understanding of the realities across our rohe. Her approach is shaped by a belief that recovery must be led from within our communities — not imposed from outside.
Tash has worked across Aotearoa supporting communities to better understand natural hazards and strengthen their readiness and response. Her experience includes national research on landslides, earthquakes and tsunami risk through Massey University, Māori Emergency Management Network and Te Tira Whakamātaki, alongside extensive work in community engagement — helping whānau and organisations understand risk, build resilience, and make informed decisions. She has over five years’ experience in Civil Defence Emergency Management and has been coordinating Civil Defence in Te Araroa for the past two to three years. Her work has taken her across the country, supporting communities, agencies and organisations to plan for emergencies and strengthen their response capability.
A key focus of Tash’s work has been building local capability. She has delivered emergency planning and resilience training nationwide, facilitated Coordinated Incident Management System (CIMS) training for over 200 participants, and worked with schools along the East Coast to support tamariki and rangatahi to understand how to respond to emergencies such as earthquakes and tsunami.
Tash leads with a ground-up approach, recognising that every hapū and community has its own needs, knowledge and aspirations. She is committed to ensuring local voices inform decision-making, supporting hapū and marae-led solutions, and strengthening Ngāti Porou capability to respond and recover with confidence. Her work also acknowledges the importance of tikanga, including how cultural practices are upheld in times of crisis.
She holds a Bachelor of Education and is currently completing her Master’s in Emergency Management, with research focused on flood response and the legacy of Cyclone Bola.
Tash is deeply committed to serving Ngāti Porou, with a strong belief that recovery is not just about responding to events, but about building long-term resilience — so our people are better prepared, better connected, and better supported into the future.
For more information visit: https://www.ngatiporou.com/recovery
March 2026
Tash Wanoa leads the Ngāti Porou Response and Recovery Team, bringing a strong foundation in emergency management, community resilience, and natural hazard planning. Born and raised in Te Araroa, Tash brings a grounded, local perspective to her role, with a deep understanding of the realities across our rohe. Her approach is shaped by a belief that recovery must be led from within our communities — not imposed from outside.
Tash has worked across Aotearoa supporting communities to better understand natural hazards and strengthen their readiness and response. Her experience includes national research on landslides, earthquakes and tsunami risk through Massey University, Māori Emergency Management Network and Te Tira Whakamātaki, alongside extensive work in community engagement — helping whānau and organisations understand risk, build resilience, and make informed decisions. She has over five years’ experience in Civil Defence Emergency Management and has been coordinating Civil Defence in Te Araroa for the past two to three years. Her work has taken her across the country, supporting communities, agencies and organisations to plan for emergencies and strengthen their response capability.
A key focus of Tash’s work has been building local capability. She has delivered emergency planning and resilience training nationwide, facilitated Coordinated Incident Management System (CIMS) training for over 200 participants, and worked with schools along the East Coast to support tamariki and rangatahi to understand how to respond to emergencies such as earthquakes and tsunami.
Tash leads with a ground-up approach, recognising that every hapū and community has its own needs, knowledge and aspirations. She is committed to ensuring local voices inform decision-making, supporting hapū and marae-led solutions, and strengthening Ngāti Porou capability to respond and recover with confidence. Her work also acknowledges the importance of tikanga, including how cultural practices are upheld in times of crisis.
She holds a Bachelor of Education and is currently completing her Master’s in Emergency Management, with research focused on flood response and the legacy of Cyclone Bola.
Tash is deeply committed to serving Ngāti Porou, with a strong belief that recovery is not just about responding to events, but about building long-term resilience — so our people are better prepared, better connected, and better supported into the future.
For more information visit: https://www.ngatiporou.com/recovery
