Patrick (P.J.) Smith Email & Phone Number

In his third Local Government position, P.J. has recently held the Manager Te Hono (Māori Kaupapa Team) position at Far North District Council (FNDC), managing a team of highly skilled and motivated specialists in kaupapa Māori. The team were responsible for assisting Māori within Te Tai Tokerau to navigate the path through council processes and increase cultural awareness across staff within FNDC. Prior to the above PJ worked for Upper Hutt City Council as the sole position kaupapa Māori advisor, and prior to this he started his Local Government career as part of the Māori Relationships Team at FNDC. P.J. has previously been the Area Coordinator for the Northern area of the NZ Cadet Forces, a role which involves co-coordinating a small team of passionate advisers who train and support 40 Cadet units spanning from Opotiki to Kaitaia.P.J was previously the Māori Cultural Advisor for the Royal New Zealand Air Force providing not just advice to senior leadership and personnel but ensuring the outcomes of the Bicultural Policy are met and that the Bicultural Policy is updated to reflect the cultural needs of a dynamic organization.P.J. was previously the Programme Principal for the Institute of Leader Development at the NZ Defence Force. The institute delivers leadership development programmes from mid level through to the highest level of leadership across all three Services, Defence civilian and participating state sector personnel. the Institute's mission is to "Research, design and deliver improved leader development programmes in order to enhance NZDF performance" P.J. has had the priviledge to serve in a variety of key positions within the NZ Defence Force and has previously served on the Trentham Primary School board of trustees.P.J. has a Bachelor of Arts in Maori Studies and a Post Grad Diploma in Defence and Strategic Studies.