NEW LEADER: Dr Chris Tooley is Whakatane-based social service provider Te Puna Ora o Mataatua’s new chief executive. Photo Louis Klaassen D4258-8
WHAKATANE seems a long way from the hallways of Parliament, but Chris Tooley says he doesn’t mind.
Dr Tooley is the new chief executive at social service provider Te Puna Ora o Mataatua.
He has wide experience and qualifications that include a Gates scholarship, a certificate from the United Nations University in Tokyo and a doctorate from Cambridge University.
Dr Tooley said that in his final year at Papatoetoe High School he wanted to become a teacher.
“I just loved sport and I was in the New Zealand athletics team – that was my thing. Every time I would leave the gym and I would see the physical education teachers in their shorts with their sunglasses sitting in the sun and I thought that would be awesome.”
But after completing his teaching degree, Mr Tooley said he decided to study at Auckland University, focussing on sociology papers.
“It was at that time [former Awanuiarangi chief executive] Graham Smith, Linda Smith and Pita Sharples showed me a few things, so I went and did my masters.”
After completing his masters in education and public policy, he secured a place at the United Nations University to study toward a certificate in United Nations systems and international development. Dr Tooley said living in Tokyo gave him a taste for international study so he applied to study at Oxford and Cambridge universities and was accepted at both.
He said he settled on Cambridge University after he was offered a scholarship from the Bill Gates Foundation to complete his doctoral studies in philosophy, focussing on self-determination in Palestine, Syria and Lebanon.
When he returned to New Zealand, Dr Tooley took on a lecturer’s job at Auckland University in the politics department.
“When I was there, Pita Sharples was there and he said to me: ‘come to a meeting’. The meeting was an election meeting and at that meeting I was appointed Pita’s campaign manager.”That was in 2008 and the Maori Party had been in Parliament for a term. Later that year the party was returned to Parliament, winning five electorate seats and two list seats through its party vote.
After the election, the Maori Party supported the national-led Government and Mr Sharples became the minister of Maori affairs. Dr Tooley, in turn, became Mr Sharples political adviser and spent six years managing the politician’s portfolios.
When Mr Sharples retired from Parliament, Dr Tooley worked as a consultant, but with two step-daughters and the birth of his first son, he and partner Jasmyn Pearson decided to leave Wellington for Whakatane.
Mr Tooley said he had been consulting to Te Puna Ora o Mataatua when the position of chief executive came up and he decided to put his name forward.
“Our girls have just started high school so we are here for the long term, which is great because Whakatane really is a great place to live.”
Looking towards the future, Mr Tooley said he hoped to build the social sector organisation up and already they were collaborating with others to achieve that goal.