The Pātaka Foundation is a registered charitable trust with tax-deductible status. We provide an avenue for gifts, donations and bequests to assist Pātaka Art+Museum in delivering an outstanding exhibition programme. All donations are acknowledged through the Foundation.
As a not-for-profit charitable organisation, the Pātaka Foundation provides ongoing, practical support to Pātaka by making funds available to develop major exhibitions “over and above” its regular programme.
OUR PEOPLE
Euon Murrell
Chair
Eon Murrell (QSM) served five terms as a Porirua City Councillor, including as Deputy Mayor, and is a well-known local community figure. He was a parliamentary candidate in 2017, a Porirua Chamber of Commerce board member for 20 years, a member of the Rotary Club and has served as a Justice of the Peace for over 30 years. Euon also has a long career in real estate and brings his management skills as a business owner to the Pātaka Foundation.
Euon Murrell
Chair
Reuben Friend
Trustee
Reuben Friend (Ngāti Maniapoto, Pākehā) is a Wellington-based Aotearoa New Zealand artist, curator and writer. Reuben has curated numerous national and international art projects in Aotearoa New Zealand, Taiwan, Australia and Canada as the Director of Pātaka Art Gallery and Museum, 2015–2021, and Curator Māori-Pacific Art at City Gallery Wellington, 2009-2013. Current roles include Co–Chair of the Indigenous Curatorial Collective based in Toronto, Canada; Committee Member of Te Haerewa Māori Advisory Board for Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Art Gallery; and Member for the Wellington Sculpture Trust Arts Advisory Committee. Reuben has a degree in Māori Visual Arts from Toimairangi School of Māori Visual Arts at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa (2006) and a Masters in Māori Visual Arts from Te Pūtahi a Toi School of Māori Studies at Massey University in Palmerston North (2009).
Reuben Friend
Trustee
Evan Nathan
Trustee
Evan Nathan (Te Roroa, Ngapuhi, Ngati Whatua) has had a prominent career in economic and business development for Māori. A former regional manager for the Department of Labour, he worked in the public sector for 18 years before moving into consultantancy. He’s been interim manager for Te Aupouri Maori Trust Board, helped implement a new business development group for the Ministry of Māori Development, Te Puni Kokiri, and supported activities of Landcare/Manaaki Whenua, the Poutama Trust and Te Tumu Paeroa. Evan is on the commercial board of directors for Te Iwi o Te Roroa. His parents’ WWII love story is the subject of the book Ned and Katina (2010) by Patricia Grace.
Evan Nathan
Trustee
Ana Sciascia
Trustee
As Director of Pātaka Art + Museum, Ana Sciascia (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Raukawa) leads the creative force behind Porirua’s beloved art museum. Before joining Pātaka, Ana worked at Parliament where she was a senior advisor in the prime minister’s office during the Ardern administration. Ana previously worked at Creative New Zealand in the international team, connecting high-quality arts and artists with global markets and audiences through touring, relationship building and collaborative projects. She also established the First Nations Exchange Programme with leading producers and curators from across Aotearoa. Ana holds a Masters in Museum and Heritage Studies from Victoria University of Wellington and a Diploma in Art and Design from Te Wānanga o Raukawa. She recently co-edited the book “Ka Mua, Ka Muri: 25 Years of Pātaka” and is an active member in her own hapū language and arts development.
Ana Sciascia
Trustee
Paul Robinson
Trustee
Paul Robinson is a property investor, developer and a longstanding advocate for Wellington property issues, particularly around sustainability and resilience. In association with Toa Developments, he was responsible for Kai Tahi, a new food market and venue on the edge of the Porirua harbour – just over the road from Pātaka. Paul is the co-founder and executive director of The Woolstore and chairperson of the Thorndon Quay Collective, In 2024, he received the Ortus International Long Service Award at the Wellington Property People Awards for his decades of service to the property sector, including Porirua’s first Green Star-rated building, the Downer Super-site.
Paul Robinson
Trustee
Frances Austin
Foundation Trust Board member
Frances Austin is President of the Friends of Pātaka and a member of the Pataka Foundation Trust Board by invitation. She brings a background in information management and corporate services management, primarily in the public sector. Frances celebrates Pataka’s unique commitment to showcasing contemporary Māori, Pasifika, indigenous and community artists in gallery programming, with a strong international exchange element – a key focus for Foundation support.
Frances Austin
Board member
OUR HISTORY
In mid-2014, Sir Roderick and Lady Gillian Deane established a foundation to assist Pātaka Director Helen Kedgley and her team to continue leading the way with innovative exhibitions of contemporary Māori and Pacifica art.
Sir Roderick’s initiative received the full support of Porirua City Council and its CEO with a strong endorsement from the Mayor. The Council committed to funding Pātaka on its current basis, so that all funds raised by the Foundation would be dedicated to developing ambitious and engaging future exhibitions.
In December 2014, a trust board chaired by Sir Roderick Deane, with Helen Kedgley, Councillor Ken Douglas and Nora Barlow as trustees, was established to manage the Foundation. It was decided that trustees would give their time free of charge.
We are grateful for the foresight of the Deanes and the support of our founding patrons.
PĀTAKA FOUNDATION FOUNDING PATRONS
- Paul Adams of Carrus
- ANZ
- Sir Roderick and Gillian, Lady Deane
- Craig and Gail Thompson
- The Post Family Trust
- Aspiring Walls
- Liz Stringer and Rob Morrison
- Hon Philip and Ros Burdon
- Paul and Sheryl Baines
- Douglas Family
- Joy Gray
- The Woolstore Group
- Barlow Family
- Patterson Hopkins
- Chris and Kathy Parkin
OUR PATRONS
