Te Paea Paringatai, Professional Council Chair, presenting the IFLA Professional Awards at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress 2023. Photograph: Matteo Cogliati
Te Paea Paringatai, an Otago doctoral candidate and proud descendant of Waikato, Ngāti Ranginui, and Ngāti Porou, is honoured to bring a Te Ao Māori perspective to an international leadership role.
Te Paea has been elected as the first ever International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) President-elect from Aotearoa.
IFLA is the leading international body representing the interests of libraries and their users.
“It’s an incredible honour, and a deeply humbling responsibility,” she says.
“Being elected as IFLA President-Elect is a first for Aotearoa New Zealand, and a first for te ao Māori.”
Raised in Whakamārama, Western Bay of Plenty, Te Paea was nurtured in a te ao Māori world shaped by the support of her grandparents, wider whānau, and hapū. Values like whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, and kaitiakitanga were part of everyday life.
Te Paea carries these values and perspective on life into her work, in how she leads, and how she sees potential in people and systems.
“Whānau is at the heart of everything I do. As a māmā of three, and grandmother of four, I’m ever mindful that the work I do today is part of a legacy, honouring those before us and shaping the path for those to come.”
The IFLA Governing Board 2023–2025 (from left to right): Te Paea Paringatai, Professional Council Chair (New Zealand); Stuart Hamilton, Governing Board Member / Acting Treasurer (Ireland); Dilara Begum, Governing Board Member (Bangladesh); Nthabiseng Kotsokoane, Governing Board Member (South Africa); Kirsten Boelt, Governing Board Member (Denmark); Vicki McDonald, President (Australia); Silvia Stasselová, Governing Board Member (Slovakia); Alejandro Lorenzo César Santa, Regional Council Chair (Argentina); Loida Garcia-Febo, Chair, Management of Library Associations Section (United States); Jaab Naber, Treasurer (Netherlands); and Leslie Weir, President-Elect (Canada). Photograph: Matteo Cogliati
Her new role comes with both privilege and purpose, she says.
“I don’t see this as an individual achievement but as part of a much wider whakapapa of trailblazers, many of them wāhine Māori, who have made this possible.”
“Being the first New Zealander in this role comes with deep responsibility, to represent our perspectives with authenticity, and to open the door wider for others.”
“It signals a global shift, that leadership grounded in cultural integrity and relational values is not only valid, but vital.”
Te Paea hopes to contribute by ensuring libraries are places of trust, care, and possibility.
“I bring with me a kaupapa Māori perspective, shaped by my tūpuna and grounded in Indigenous values and responsibilities, which I believe can help us reimagine how we define, access, protect, and care for knowledge on a global scale.
“I also hope to help create space for others, especially rangatahi and those whose voices are often marginalised, to see themselves reflected in leadership and to know that they belong there.
“This isn’t about being the first or standing apart, it’s about standing alongside others, weaving our strengths together so that the systems we shape are grounded in equity, and built to serve all of us, now and for generations to come.”
As a member of IFLA’s Governing Board, Te Paea will contribute to the organisation’s governance, strategic direction, and financial stewardship.
“This role is about much more than libraries, it’s about people, knowledge, and justice. At a time when misinformation, climate change, AI, and digital inequity are transforming society, I see libraries as essential infrastructure for trust, inclusion, and resilience.”
Te Paea plans to utilise her knowledge in te ao Māori, and her unique skillset by “committing to fostering leadership that is relational, future-focused, and unapologetically inclusive.”
While Te Paea is supporting her whānau and taking on new responsibilities, she is also a second-year Doctor of Business Administration student at Otago.
“My time at Otago has been both intellectually rigorous and enriching.I’ve been especially grateful for the strong academic support and the encouragement to weave together scholarly inquiry and cultural knowledge.
“The Māori postgraduate community has been a constant source of connection, affirmation, and strength. It’s shown me that cultural integrity and academic excellence are not competing forces, but are deeply complementary, and together, they elevate the work.”
Vicki McDonald, IFLA President 2023–2025, and Te Paea Paringatai at the Closing Ceremony of the IFLA World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) in Rotterdam, 2023. Te Paea will assume her role as IFLA President-Elect in August 2025 at WLIC in Kazakhstan, alongside incoming IFLA President Leslie Weir. Photograph: Matteo Cogliati
Te Paea’s decision to pursue a DBA at Otago came from a desire to bridge strategy and Te Ao Māori in ways that are impactful and enduring.
“I wanted to challenge dominant paradigms in organisational leadership, especially how institutions engage with and embed mātauranga Māori.
“The DBA offers space to explore these themes deeply, combining high-level research with practical application.
“My study focuses on the mobilising factors for mātauranga Māori inclusion in the context of library and information institutions and sector practice.”
In her previous experience, Te Paea has worked across the public sector, local government, tertiary, libraries, and archives, often in roles focused on strategy, customer services, workforce development, project management, teaching, leadership, policy, and systemic change.
She has also led national programmes innovating practice through Indigenous worldviews and worked internationally through IFLA to elevate collective leadership on the world stage.
Her roles have always sat at the intersection of kaupapa Māori, policy, and systems transformation.
As someone who is always willing to support her whānau, Te Paea is also heavily involved with working amongst her community.
“I also tautoko my wider whānau and hapū wherever I can, through kaupapa Māori projects, whānau events, land trusts, iwi chair forums, teaching, kapa haka, or being present in ways that matter.”