NGĀ KAITAKAWAENGA/REPRESENTATIVES
Gail Thompson
Rūnanga Representative
Gail has close whakapapa connections with Tuahiwi and Ōtākou through her parents but was raised in Bluff and has lived in the port-town for most of her life.
She is actively involved with Te Rūnanga o Awarua and Te Rau Aroha Marae, as is her husband, who is also Ngāi Tahu. Gail has represented Awarua in a range of forums and has a particular interest in customary fisheries. A regular participant in the area’s tītī harvest, she is also a skilled weaver. Gail and her husband have two children and six mokopuna.
Mike stevens
Alternate Rūnanga Representative
Mike has deep Ngāi Tahu roots in southern Murihiku and the Foveaux Strait region through his mother, but also has close whakapapa ties to Moeraki.
Raised mostly in Bluff, where much of his family is based, Mike completed a BA(Hons), LLB and PhD in History at the University of Otago between 1999 and 2009. He subsequently lectured in Māori History at Otago between 2012 and 2017 and is currently completing a book on the “world history” of Bluff. Mike is also a regular participant in the tītī harvest and is part of a whānau noted for its ongoing use of pōhā. He and his wife, who is also Ngāi Tahu, have three children.