Merehira was born in Rotorua and raised at Ruato Bay and attended Rotoiti Primary School and completed the rest of her schooling in Kawerau. She is ‘uri’ to the Te Rangi whanau and is a respected, hardworking and committed whānau member working unconditionally behind the scenes of her whānau, her hapū, our iwi and our marae. She is married to Ngahana Savage (Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Rangitihi) and they have 3 tamariki and 2 beautiful mokopuna with another mokopuna on the way. She was privileged to be the first incumbent Māori leader’s cohort class and obtained an MBA, through the partnership between Waikato University and Tainui College. She also holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Enterprise through the Southern Institute of Technology.
Merehira was elected in November 2017 and she is currently an Independent Contractor providing governance and management services to different Māori entities. She is currently the Chair of Ngāti Rongomai iwi Trust, Chair of Waione Forest GP Ltd, Chair of Waione 2B 3E Trust, and holds trustee roles on Te Pūmautanga o Te Arawa (Settlement) Trust, Te Kotahitanga o Ngāti Tūwharetoa (Settlement) Trust and Te Taumata o Ngāti Whakaue Iho Ake Trust.
Merehira is about a collective vision to provide employment to our whanau; to increase our revenue by making smart decisions; to protect and maintain our wāhi tapu; to learn and retain our cultural heritage; and have a succession plan in place to nurture our future.
