Jacqui Caine

Jacqui Caine joined Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu in 2019 and stepped into the General Manager Strategy & Influence role in December 2021. She was appointed to the role of Group Head Strategy & Environment in October 2022. This position reports to the Office of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu but with a Group-wide lens to improve overall outcomes for iwi and Papatipu Rūnanga. A strategic relationship with Ngāi Tahu Holdings exists to enhance collaboration and accountability for supporting the Group's strategic commercial interests. The role is charged with protecting and advancing the Ngāi Tahu settlements, engaging with the Crown across a range of kaupapa, and protecting te taiao. Jacqui leads stakeholder engagement, strategic relationship development, and the alignment of strategic workstreams, and manages our Te Whakaariki/Strategy & Influence and Te Ao Tūroa teams.

Jacqui has 25 years of experience at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was New Zealand’s Ambassador to Chile, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia, from 2015 to 2018.

She has held a number of roles in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including in trade negotiations, as Deputy Director of the Legal Division and Lead Adviser in the Americas Division. She served as the Deputy Ambassador in both Singapore and Mexico and as Deputy High Commissioner in Vanuatu. In 2019, Jacqui was appointed as one of the two Commissioners to lead the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch Mosque Attacks on 15 March 2019. She served alongside Supreme Court Justice Sir William Young until the conclusion of the Royal Commission in November 2020.

Jacqui has degrees in Law and Accounting and has completed the New Zealand Leadership Development Centre’s Te Putanga – Leadership in Practice and Maranga Tira – Leadership Course for Māori Managers. She is a Trustee of Te Rūnaka o Awarua.