Tauranga City Council is pleased to announce it has made new appointments to the Tauranga Art Gallery Trust (TAGT) and Tourism Bay of Plenty (TBOP) boards.
Passionate contemporary visual arts leader, Zara Stanhope, has been appointed to the TAGT board, and respected local mana whenua representative, Charlie Rahiri, has been appointed to the TBOP board, with approval from Western Bay of Plenty District Council, as a joint TBOP shareholder.
City Development & Partnerships General Manager, Gareth Wallis, says Zara and Charlie bring with them a wealth of expertise and experience to the council-controlled organisations (CCOs), and will help ensure both boards continue to deliver great community outcomes, events, and activities for Tauranga locals and visitors.
“I’d like to acknowledge the mahi from our current council-controlled organisation board members and welcome the new trustees for Tauranga Art Gallery Trust and Tourism Bay of Plenty. We’re delighted to have such high calibre, respected, and experienced people joining these boards,” says Gareth
“It strengthens what is already a great platform for decision making and shaping an engaging, inclusive, and vibrant city full of opportunities for everyone to enjoy.”
About the new trustee members

Zara Stanhope
Currently Director of the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery | Len Lye Centre in Ngāmotu, Zara has served as an aspiring trustee on the Tauranga Art Gallery Trust board since 2021 and comes strongly endorsed by the current board for her contributions to date. Zara has an extensive career history in the local, national, and international art and academia realms. She holds a PhD plus tertiary and postgraduate qualifications in art history, accounting, and communications.

Charlie Rahiri
Endorsed by Te Rangapū Mana Whenua O Tauranga Moana Committee, Tourism Bay of Plenty is pleased to now have mana whenua representation on their board. This will improve decision making at governance level, by enabling tangata whenua participation and improving relationships with mana whenua across Tauranga Moana. Charlie holds qualifications in Te Reo Māori, leadership, Māori mentoring, communications and health promotion, and has a wealth of governance experience as a Chair, trustee, and committee member. Charlie has a notable career history in advisory and management roles, particularly in Māori development, partnerships, and education.
The Tauranga Art Gallery Trust is a council-controlled organisation of Tauranga City Council, and Tourism Bay of Plenty is a joint council-controlled organisation with Western Bay of Plenty District Council. The new appointments commenced from Thursday, 1 and Friday,16 December 2022 respectively, for a three-year term.
For more information about CCOs, please visit Council Controlled Organisations.