Join us at our next Taranaki Women in Leadership Event for a lunchtime gathering that brings together local leaders for connection, conversation, and inspiration.
We’ll hear from two outstanding wāhine leaders as they share their journeys, insights, and lessons in a lively panel discussion.
Featuring wāhine leaders:
- Mereana Hond – International broadcast journalist
- Rachel Antony – CEO, Greenstone Pictures
The panel discussion begins at 12pm, followed by refreshments and networking. All welcome.
About your Panellists:
Mereana Hond
Mereana Hond (Taranaki Iwi, Te Atiawa, Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Ruanui, Te Whānau a Apanui) is an international broadcast journalist, cross-platform storyteller, and proud wahine Māori whose work is anchored in self-determination and the reclamation of language and culture.
Her foundation was set early on, shaped by her upbringing in Taranaki tikanga and supported by her time at a Māori boarding school and a year on exchange in Brasil. In the 1990s, Mereana worked on the Taranaki claim to the Waitangi Tribunal and lectured in Law and Māori Studies at Te Herenga Waka (Victoria University of Wellington). She also spent a decade delivering training in reo and tikanga within the public sector and to members of the New Zealand judiciary before the switch to journalism in 2003.
Mereana’s career in journalism spans more than 20 years in New Zealand and international broadcast newsrooms – including Al Jazeera English and AP Television News. Today, she heads a consultancy supporting people – primarily Māori organisations – to tell their own stories in the digital space. She serves as Kaihautū Māori at Greenstone Productions and leads engagement for Reo Kōrero, a global initiative born from Te Ataarangi’s 45+ year Māori language revitalisation movement. She recently executive-produced and held the role of Poutiaki Reo and Tikanga for Tangata Pai, the first primetime drama series to feature over 30% te reo Māori, now streaming on Netflix and soon to be on PBS in the US.
Grounded in her community, she serves as a Trustee for her papa kāinga and regularly anchors major events, including the global gathering Women Deliver, held in Melbourne in April, and the Te Matatini Māori Performing Arts Festival held in Taranaki.
Rachel Antony
Rachel Antony is the CEO of Greenstone Pictures, one of Aotearoa’s leading screen production companies. Greenstone is known for popular local series including Border Patrol and My Life Is Murder, along with dozens of documentary projects including Artefact, The Women of Pike River and Decades In Colour. Greenstone is also a significant exporter; their locally created shows can currently be seen in 90 countries and the company is a NZTE Focus business.
A cheerleader for the role the creative industries can and should play in a vibrant society and economy, and for New Zealanders seeing and hearing their stories on screen, Rachel is also a board member of Australasian copyright agency Screenrights and innovative NZ theatre company Nightsong.
Thank you to our host and sponsor:
