Matthew Tukaki
Matthew Tukaki is a businessman. Tukaki is best known as the former head of Drake International. , one of the world's oldest employment companies and latterly as the founder of Entrehub, formally co-founder of the Sustain Group, formerly a director of the board of Australia's Indigenous Chamber of Commerce and a current member of Australia's peak mental health body, Suicide Prevention Australia. He was previously chair of Deakin University's Centre for Social and Responsible Organisations, chair of the international advisory board of the joint initiative between the United States National Science Foundation and the University of Sydney. He is a best selling author of more than ten eBooks ranging from social media engagement, sustainability and entrepreneurship to raising capital and crowd funding. In 2015 Tukaki was appointed as chair of Australia's National Coalition for Suicide Prevention and has been a non-executive director of the board of that country's peak mental health body, Suicide Prevention Australia. Tukaki served as Chair of Suicide Prevention Australia between November 2017 and April 2019. In March 2018 Tukaki was appointed as executive chairman of the National Maori Authority Ngā Ngaru Rautahi O Aotearoa and in mid 2018 became the Chair of the New Zealand's Maori Council Tamaki and a member of the National Executive of the New Zealand Maori Council. In April 2019 he was invited to be Chair of the Royal Commission into Abuse in State Care Appointments Panel. Tukaki remains a member of a number of private and public sector boards.
Tukaki is of Ngai Te Rangi descent and has strong tribal affiliations with Matakana Island which is off the coast of the city of Tauranga in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty. Tukaki attended St Patrick's College, Silverstream in Wellington, New Zealand. He is the Great Grandson on his mother's side of Sir Charles St Julian who served on the Waverley council in 1860 and as its chairman in 1861. He went on to serve as an alderman on the Marrickville Borough Council from 1868 to 1871, and as Mayor from 1868 to 1869 and again in 1871. In February 1870, he became a magistrate. St. Julian remained as Law Reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald until 1872, when King Seru Epenisa Cakobau appointed him Chief Justice of Fiji.
New Zealand Maori Council and the National Maori Authority
In November 2017 Tukaki was appointed into the role of executive chairman of the National Maori Authority, Nga Ngaru Rautahi O Aotearoa. In 2018 Tukaki also became the chair of the Auckland District Maori Council, on of the sixteen Districts of the New Zealand Maori Council. In July Tukaki was elected to the National Executive of the New Zealand Maori Council with a clear agenda on moving the council towards leading the national social policy debate. This new agenda began to emerge across a number of fronts including suicide prevention, homelessness and the affordability of life extending and life saving drugs for Maori. The latter was the first call to the Maori Affairs Select Committee of the New Zealand Parliament in its history. Tukaki has been involved in a large number of public, social and economic policy areas across the Maori world.Broadcasting and radio
In 2016 Tukaki joined 2UE Talking Lifestyle network as co-host of the "Talking Lifestyle; Second Career" radio show. Initially the show was broadcast from 9 pm to 11 pm before moving to run through to midnight. Tukaki also co-hosted the afternoon slot with Ed Phillips between 3 and 4 pm and is a regular across the network on the Morning Mix and Breakfast show. Tukaki became a solo host in December 2016 when the network undertook a program change. In the 2017 survey four ratings Tukaki's show was one of the few that went up the ratings period. In April 2018 Tukaki https://omny.fm/shows/employment/second-career-full-show-02-04-18 from the 2UE Radio Network for the last time after the network announced it would become a 24-hour sports broadcaster. Tukaki stated publicly he did not want to make the transition.The United Nations Global Compact
Matthew Tukaki was the United Nations Global Compact's Australian Representative from 2010 until 2013. In 2012 he led Australia's business delegation to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. In May 2013 he was officially appointed by United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, as an ex officio director of the board of the United Nations Global Compact. In that same month he was also elected as the chairperson of the United Nations Global Compact's Local Network Advisory Group; he retired from these roles in November 2013. He was the first person to be elected as Australian representative and the first person to be appointed by the secretary general in the role of LN Representative on the governing board of the UNGC. He was also the first Australian / New Zealander and the first person of Maori descent.Tukaki has been active in his support for business and industry to play a larger role when it comes to sustainable development and the United Nations Post 2015 Agenda. In an interview with Radio New Zealand in September 2013, Tukaki also indicated a strong desire for business to play a primary role in developing technological advances as a way to solve some of the "big challenges of our time". Tukaki retired from his role as Australian Representative to the United Nations Global Compact in November 2013.
In 2014 vice chair of the United Nations Global Compact and former chairman of Royal Dutch Shell, Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, recognised Tukaki's work and leadership during the reform process after he was elected as chairman of the Local Networks Advisory Group. The significance of the reform agenda led to a range of new initiatives being developed such as a new collaborative fundraising framework, deeper engagement with transnational and multinational corporations and a frontier fund to help United Nations Global Compact Networks with material and financial support.
In February 2014 Tukaki announced the formation of a new global initiative to be known as EntreHub. The organisation was formed to support budding entrepreneurs with a target of having 100,000 people involved in the conversation by the end of 2014. EntreHub announced in January 2015 that there were now more than 50,000 members located across 130 countries.
Other activities
Tukaki has been heavily associated with business and anti-corruption, telling Radio Australia in 2012 that "There is this false understanding that in order to win a contract in a foreign country, particularly in Asia and the subcontinent, or to do business, you somehow have to pay a bribe,". He is well known for his work when it comes to change management in both the private and public sector as well as his view around the connection between sustainable development, business and industry.
Tukaki and his role in Suicide Prevention and Mental Health: After joining the Board of Suicide Prevention Australia in 2010, Tukaki played an active role in the restructuring of the organisation as it developed a new strategy to halve suicide in Australia within a decade. He chaired the initial meetings that led to the formation of Australia's first coalition to undertake that task and has chaired the annual Life Awards since 2010 that acknowledge the contribution of individuals and organisations in the community who are actively working towards reducing stigma, providing support and prevention projects. In June 2014 he told Australia's Channel 9"Its tough out there for so many in the community and we need to take stock of whether or not we are doing all we can to support not just young people but also our older population, those in rural and remote communities because unless we start having these conversations the black dog will always chase us around the room." In 2015 Tukaki was appointed as chairman of Australia's National Coalition for Suicide Prevention. On 28 November Tukaki was elected as the chair of the Board of Suicide Prevention, replacing Murray Bleach.
Employment and the Global Financial Crisis: At the height of the Global Financial Crisis, Tukaki was cautious in his assessment of what the impacts would be on jobs and employment, particularly in Australia. In 2010 he told the Sydney Morning Herald that employers were more concerned about skill shortages in some professions and that the "usual December slowdown had failed to arrive". This was different to a year earlier where he had told an online news service "The significance of underemployment is still not statistically understood and is usually where an employee may have moved from permanent work to casual or part-time work, with many moving to two part-time jobs on less salary than the previous full-time job." Throughout 2010 and into 2011 the cautious approach of looking at where jobs were being created and the changing dynamic of the labour market led Tukaki to become known as one of the most influential employment figures in the region.
Software Business Patents dispute: In 2003 Tukaki courted controversy, and widespread support, when he joined with Senator John Tierney in what was described as a battle of commonsense with American company, DE Technologies. Tukaki and Senator Tierney challenged the patent holder to show cause and credibility of why they were targeting Australian companies for a percentage of the transaction value of payments made over the internet. The dispute was later resolved and is recognised as being a turning point in how software method patents are dealt with. As a result, no Australian companies or organisations were impacted by the enforcement of the patents under question.