What does it mean to sit on a board and how do women get there?

Join WIFT NZ to explore what it takes for women to step into and reshape governance in Aotearoa New Zealand. This panel brings together leading directors and governance executives whose careers span public broadcasting, screen funding, production and Crown entity governance. The conversation will map the pathways into board roles, the responsibilities and risks of directorship, the governance challenges facing Aotearoa, and what genuine gender equity around the boardroom table looks like in practice.

Our panel includes:

Jane Wrightson CMInstD

Jane Wrightson has spent most of her working life both serving on and serving boards. She has recently concluded two terms as New Zealand’s Retirement Commissioner, leading the board-less Crown entity Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission. Jane chairs the Charities Registration Board and the Workforce Development Fund, an industry training funding entity. She is a Governor of Radio NZ and chairs its Audit and Risk Committee.

Previous board appointments include chairing Experience Wellington, a Council-appointed board, and directorships with Netball NZ, Swimming NZ, and the Digital Media Trust. Her executive career included stints as chief executive of NZ On Air (Crown-apponted board); the Broadcasting Standards Authority (Governor General-appointed board) and of SPADA (elected board).

She holds an MBA with distinction, a BA in literature, is a chartered member of the Institute of Directors, and is a Distinguished Alumnus of Massey University.

Reikura Kahi

Reikura Kahi (Waikato, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Hine, Te Whanau ā Apanui, Cook Islands) is the newly appointed Chairperson of the crown funding agency Te Māngai Pāho, having served as the Co-Chair of Te Mātāwai – an independent Māori language statutory entity from 2019 to 2025.

She continues to work as a Lead Producer in Television and Film with a track record that stretches across 30 years. Her award winning films and documentaries include – Muru, POI E: The story of our Song, No Māori Allowed and the crime drama series – The Gone. Her most recent film, Sgt. Haane was released this year on Anzac Day.

Her wide spectrum of experience and excellence also reaches across to the arts, community and culture, where she is also the board chair of Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi Marae and tutor and composer for Ngā Tumanako. The Kapa Haka and Māori language space are her passion, where she also serves as the Tāmaki Representative on Te Matatini Board – the National Body for Māori Culture and Arts.

Lorna Travers

Lorna is a governance professional specialising in Crown entity board appointments across the arts, heritage, sports, and media sectors in Aotearoa. A Principal Advisor at Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage, she is known for clear, trusted advice that supports Ministers and boards to make confident decisions and lift governance performance.

Her work spans end‑to‑end appointment processes across three Ministerial portfolios, board capability development, and supporting Crown‑funded agencies to meet their statutory and accountability obligations. Lorna has held governance advisory and secretariat roles across the public sector, including at Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the Department of Conservation, giving her a practical understanding of appointment processes and how boards operate in complex environments.

This session will be moderated by Kelly Martin, CEO of South Pacific Pictures.