Our Kupe Partners

We wish to extend our sincere gratitude to the very generous Sponsors who have made this exciting initiative possible, the members of our Advisory Group who offer support and direction to the Kupe Programme Team and the inspirational Mentors who have agreed to volunteer their time and expertise to support our Kupe Leadership scholars. 

Founding Sponsor | McCall MacBain Foundation

Canadian philanthropists John and Marcy McCall MacBain have gifted over $1 million to the University of Auckland to launch the Kupe Leadership Scholarships. This is the latest in the more than NZ$275 million worth of donations made by McCall MacBain's foundation since 2007, which included an unprecedented NZ$150 million gift to Oxford University's Rhodes Scholarships. As a recipient of a Rhodes scholarship himself, John has first-hand experience of how scholarships of this nature can change lives and is passionate about creating similar opportunities for others.  “These scholarships aim to create the next generation of explorers in innovation and discovery for a new future,” he says. “The McCall MacBain Foundation is proud to be a funder of the Kupe Scholarships.” The McCall MacBain Foundation has provided seed funding for the Kupe Leadership Scholarships, which are being supported by a number of generous philanthropic donors, as outlined below.

Sponsors of the 2025 Kupe Leadership Scholarship

Mentors of the 2025 Kupe Leadership Scholars

Dame Juliet Gerrard DNZM FRSNZ, Professor at the University of Auckland

Sarah Cowley Ross, NZOC athlete’s commission Chair

Dame Anne Salmond ONZ DBE FRSNZ, Professor of Māori Studies and Anthropology at the University of Auckland

Hon. Justice Andrew Becroft, QSO, Justice of the High Court of New Zealand

Lisa Tai, Chief Operating Officer at the Pasifika Medical Association Group

Maxine Simmons, CNZM, General Partner – CaraMed Capital, Director - BioCatalyst; Chair - Pictor; Director – IGENZ

Pip Cheshire, CNZM, Architect and writer, recipient of the NZIA Gold Medal and Past President of the New Zealand Institute of Architects.

Mike Chunn, CNZM, Founder and Creative Director, Play It Strange

Associate Professor Clare McCann, Head of Speech Science in the School of Psychology at the University of Auckland

Shirley Rivers, Head of Mission at Methodist Mission Northern

Mayor Tania Tapsell, First Māori woman elected as Mayor of Rotorua

Vanessa Stoddart, Board Chair for the Tonkin + Taylor Group

Naomi Ballantyne, Chairperson of the Board (Tap Group Limited), Entrepreneurship, Strategy, and Leadership Consultant and Motivational Speaker (KNK Consulting Limited)

Joanna Bourke, Chief Executive Officer (Pacific Cooperation Foundation), Marketing and Communications Lead (Pacific Dance New Zealand)

Lesieli Oliver, Founder & Chief Visionary Officer at Lālanga

Madeline Newman, Executive Director, AI Forum New Zealand

Kupe Advisory Group