Karen Coutts joined Te Puawaitanga ki Ōtautahi Trust Board in 2023 and is the current trust board chair. She has over 15 years governance experience in leadership and governance across iwi/Māori organisations, NGOs and Crown appointed. She served on Te Rūnanga o Ngai Tahu for five years and is currently an independent director including the Lottery Grants Board, Alpine Energy, Finance Advice Code Committee, the HSNO Committee for the Environmental Protection Agency and has further commitments in the justice and education sectors along with being active within her rūnanga. She has a background in the implications of use of environmental resources from the viewpoint of Māori economic development and to uphold Te Titiri o Waitangi. With her solid social science background, she brings a te ao Māori lens, and Māori development and economic experience to her work as chair of Te Puawaitanga ki Ōtautahi Trust Board. She has held senior operational management roles in the UK and senior policy roles in government in Wellington across social and economic development with a Māori focus, including leading policy advice on the Māori economy at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. Karen holds a Master of Public Policy. She affiliates to Ngāi Tahu and Te Aitanga-a-Mahāki.
