Our People
Jaewynn McKay
DIRECTOR
Jaewynn and her husband set up Woven Pacific Communications in 2013 and work under that umbrella.
Of Cook Islands Maori and pakeha decent, Jaewynn is acutely aware of the responsibilities her heritage brings and this provides her with diversity allowing empathy with many different peoples and situations. She has a strong belief in contributing to her community and is involved with many organisations outside of work. Recent community involvement includes: Columnist Cook Islands News , Board Member Cook Islands Business Trade Investment Board, Past President, Rotary Club of Rarotonga, Immediate Past President, Cook Islands Breast Cancer Foundation, Former Vice President, Cook Islands Chamber of Commerce, Board Member, Creative Centre, Assistant Treasurer, Aotearoa Society, Board Member, Make-A-Wish Foundation – Pacific, Board Member, Cook Islands Media Association
Jaewynn cut her teeth in communications working for Telecom NZ, in the NZ Parliament, Communicado and the then Ministry of Commerce. Her knowledge of the political process – both central and local government; her ongoing experiences in advocacy, ability to lead by example, natural awareness of cultural issues and ability to develop and implement communications strategies lend themselves to any key strategic position.
From February 2012 through to August 2013 Jaewynn was freelance contracting. Her two major contracts during this time were the Governments of the Cook Islands and New Zealand. Jaewynn was the overall co-ordinator of the 43rd Pacific Islands Leaders’ Forum hosted in the Cook Islands in August 2012; following on from there Jaewynn was working with her former employer on a major economic strategy launch culminating with an historic event at the Beehive in Wellington.
From September 2006 through to February 2012 Jaewynn was the Manager of Communications, Events and Sponsorships at Te Puni Kõkiri, the Ministry of Maori Development. For the two and a half years prior to this, she worked for the Minister of Maori Affairs in the capacity of press secretary/ advisor. Prior to this she was employed as the communications manager on a project team tasked with the construction and commissioning of four new regional prisons for the Department of Corrections, a $600m project.
For more info on Jaewynn’s experience click here for her LinkedIn Profile.
Jaewynn and her family reside in Rarotonga.
Derek Tinia Fox
DIRECTOR
Derek Fox is the owner and publisher of Mana Magazine, New Zealand’s leading Maori lifestyle and cultural publication which has just published its 117th issue.
Mana specialises in bringing Maori stories to all New Zealanders. It is an example of the innovative and cutting edge developments Derek has made a career of establishing. Others include the first Maori television news programme – Te Karere, Maori Television Service and, Mana Maori Media Limited. Mana Maori Media is an independent and privately owned news, current affairs and tv production house Derek co-founded in the early 1990s.
Derek has also helped his iwi, Ngati Porou and Ngati Kahungunu with various projects over the years and substantially lifted the profile of his home town – Wairoa when he spent 12 years on the local council, six of them as mayor.
A native speaker of Maori, during his career Derek has enjoyed working in the community, with small business, corporate and government sectors.
He is a member of the Board of the New Zealand Film and Sound Archives, and is a former member of Toi Maori.
Derek gained a reputation in journalism and communications by pioneering a succession of Maori radio and television initiatives. He is a long-time advocate for his people and people of the wider Pacific.
Edna Torea-Allan
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Edna was born in Rarotonga and is of Cook Islands (Mauke) and New Zealand descent. Her formative years were spent in Rarotonga and Fiji where her father worked with the NZ Government.
She learned her ‘trade’ of computer graphic design in Rarotonga back in the 1990s. In New Zealand she formalised her learning, gaining a diploma in Computer Graphic Design from the National College of Design and Technology. Edna uses these skills in creating documents, images, newsletters and various other advertising and printed paraphernalia, in the commercial, education and volunteer/social sectors. She uses industry standard software - Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop, as well as Microsoft products.
Edna is most proud of her association with Cook Islands Lagoon Day – an environment education expo – where she used her experience and skills to run the full gamut of what is needed to put on a large successful event – making a difference for future generations!
Edna also studied counselling and worked with older people at a day centre for people with dementia. This helped her hone her oral and aural communication skills, applying active listening principles.
Edna now works full-time as a Learning Management System Administrator in the Health and Well-being field. She feels privileged to continue to contribute to the islands of her heart through being part of WOVEN - Pacific Communications.
Dr. Takiora Ingram
CONSULTANT
Dr. Takiora Ingram was born at the edge of a coral reef in Rarotonga, and the ocean has strongly influenced her life and guided her through a professional career well beyond Rarotonga’s reef. Her love of the ocean and Pacific cultures started at an early age, and has been the driving force for the international, regional and national roles that she has had the privilege of serving in. Her policy work in the Pacific Region in marine resource management, tourism and economic development, domestic violence, cultural industries, and gender issues, has enabled her to become a highly respected and sought after advisor on such matters.
“I am passionate about the health of our oceans and will continue working locally, regionally and internationally to increase the number of large marine protected areas globally, to conserve marine habitats, address climate change threats, reduce pollution and advocate for more sustainable fisheries”.
As a senior marine policy specialist and economic development advisor, she provides strategic policy advice to a number of organizations, including the Aronga Mana (traditional leaders) on the establishment of the Cook Islands Marine Park, fisheries, deep-sea mining and other issues. In her previous position as Senior Policy Advisor to the State of Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources Aquatic Resources Division, she assisted with the designation of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument and subsequent listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Takiora also maintains strong networks with the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, the Marianas Trench National Monument, the Pacific Remote Areas Marine National Monument, and the Phoenix Islands Protected Area.
She is a volunteer with the Polynesian Voyaging Society, the Pacific Writers’ Connection, IUCN, Big Ocean Network, and Te Ipukarea Society. Takiora is the founding President of the Punanga Tauturu Women’s Counselling Centre and the Cook Islands Business & Professional Women’s Association, both established in the early 1990s.
Takiora Ingram most recently served as Coordinator of the Pacific Regional Ocean Partnership (PROP), established in 2010 by the governors of American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and Hawai’i, to implement national ocean policy and regional ocean resources stewardship and management initiatives for healthy oceans. She was also Associate Director of the Hazards, Climate and Environment Program of the Social Science Research Institute of the University of Hawaii and is a member of the Interim Working Group of the World Bank-led Global Partnership for Oceans.
Previously, she worked for the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) serving as Executive Director of the All Islands Coral Reef Committee (AIC)* Secretariat based in Honolulu, Hawaii, from 2006 to July 2013, and received an award from the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force for her service. She also received the Stars of Oceania Award from the University of Hawaii’s Pacific Business Center Program in 2013.
From 1990 through 2004, she served as a senior policy advisor to the governments of the Cook Islands (General Licensing Authority), New Zealand (Te Puni Kokiri), and New South Wales (Department of Community Services). She earlier worked at the regional level in tourism development at the Pacific Islands Forum in Fiji. Takiora also helped establish the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center as the coordinator of the first regional meeting of Pacific Island Leaders in the U.S.
(*Members are American Samoa, CNMI, Guam, Hawaii, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Affiliate members include the Freely Associated States of Palau, Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia.)
DORY CONNOR
ASSOCIATE
Dory spent over 20 years in broadcasting in New Zealand including radio and television. She worked in television broadcast management, compliance of commercial advertising as well as the technical side of TV. In radio the roles were diverse and included announcing, marketing, technical directing and producing. This eclectic background incorporated involvement in projects such as the 2014 Commonwealth Games and planning for the 2016 Olympic Games; creating press releases and stories on stud horses; the responsibility for and maintenance of the primary database and system used for live events at Sky Television.
Dory now runs her own company. She is a certified Life Coach with a graduate diploma in psychology. Dory works with individuals, groups and businesses in order to bring out the best in them, their communication and their interpersonal interactions. Her no-nonsense approach enables those she works with to address any issues in an efficient, safe and caring way while gaining skills that help them be who they want to be.
Dory has a mixed heritage with an English father, Cook Island grandmother, Canadian grandfather and New Zealand Maori great great grandfather. In recent years she has had the opportunity to spend more time in Rarotonga.
Dory helps out as and when needed utilising her diverse set of skills.
SHAUN BAMBER
ASSOCIATE
From the farmland, bush and beaches of his birthplace in Te Hiku O Te Ika and the freight depots of New Zealand’s rail network to head office of a London homeless charity and celebrity-studded LA media parties, Shaun is well versed in communicating with people from all walks of life. A lifelong love of storytelling and the written word eventually led him to a career in journalism and after gaining his diploma from Waikato Institute of Technology he became a writer and sub-editor for TV Guide magazine.
At TV Guide and later as entertainment reporter for Fairfax Media, Shaun worked closely with publicists in New Zealand and overseas to profile a variety of personalities from the worlds of television, movies and music.
Career highlights include overseeing an annual TV awards for TV Guide and co-producing a series of music videos for the Stuff website featuring artists such as Stan Walker, Theia and Tami Neilson. In 2018 Shaun – a NZ Maori-Pakeha with iwi links to Ngati Kahu, Te Aupouri and Ngati Kuri – moved to Rarotonga with his Cook Islander wife Gina and their three tamariki to take up a position as senior reporter with Cook Islands News.
Prior to reinventing himself as a journalist, Shaun spent five years working in freight logistics for New Zealand rail and a year in London at Shelter UK, then the world’s biggest homelessness charity. He is also a published poet, with work appearing in Landfall magazine, New Zealand’s longest-running arts and literary journal. Shaun has a Bachelor of Management Studies (Hons) in Marketing and Media Studies from The University of Waikato.