Our team

Carl (Waitaha, Kāti Māmoe, Kāi Tahu ki Murihiku) is the Kaiwhakahaere Matua and co-owner of Niche.

Carl plays a key role in the firm’s work appointing governors, Chief Executives, and senior legal and finance practitioners. He works across Māori, public and private sector environments, bringing a pragmatic, culturally informed and evidence based approach to executive search.

With a background spanning financial and professional services, energy, consulting, and recruitment, Carl has held senior executive roles as a COO and CFO. This experience underpins his ability to engage with boards and senior stakeholders, and to assess leadership capability within complex organisational environments.

Carl has worked internationally in London and Hong Kong, as well as across Aotearoa, building and leading professional services teams. He has a strong understanding of leadership pathways, succession dynamics, and both the local and global talent market.

Serving as an elected member of his Rūnaka executive and as a Director of Ōraka Aparima Rūnaka Holdings, Carl seeks to support the realisation of the aspirations of his Ōraka Aparima whānui.

Carl is a Chartered Accountant and has been admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand.

Moana (Ngāruahine, Ngāti Ruanui, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāti Porou and Pākehā) has been a co-owner of Niche since 2010 and she has led the diversification of the business from legal into other specialist fields. This included the development of our Public Sector and People Culture and Capability portfolios, as well as managing executive appointments, especially for some of Aotearoa’s leading charities and NGOs.

Moana has been involved in recruitment in the UK and New Zealand since 1996, with roles including NZ Manager for the IT and Executive division of a global recruitment firm and General Manager for a large NZ-owned business. She has led large-scale recruitment campaigns for public sector clients, including reorganisations at the senior management level.

Moana completed a Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington and she maintains a strong interest in the arts. She has served on a range of community boards and is a mentor on the Alumni as Mentors Programme at Te Herenga Waka.

Phillipa has 20+ years recruitment experience in New Zealand and the UK, working across diverse portfolios within agency and in-house teams.

For the last decade she has been a public sector specialist and has a strong track record in the recruitment of policy, governance, research and evaluation, communications and engagement, and project/programme management professionals.

Maria has over 10 years’ recruitment experience in New Zealand and the UK, working in temporary, contract and permanent recruitment. She has trained and led recruitment teams and run large scale international recruitment campaigns. Maria has also worked within organisational development as a Practice Manager and as an HR generalist within a large primary health organisation.

Maria has a particular passion for working in the People, Capability and Culture field. She provides consistently exceptional service, building strong client relationships, offering tailored recruitment solutions and enabling candidates to realise their potential throughout their career journey.

Maria has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Education.

Katy (Te Roroa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua) specialises in legal recruitment at Niche. She has previously worked as a lawyer at both a large full-service New Zealand law firm and a boutique specialist firm, practising in the areas of Resource Management, Māori Legal and Treaty of Waitangi law. This background has given Katy a comprehensive understanding of the legal environment in New Zealand, which better enables her to service the needs of both our clients and our candidates alike.

Katy is passionate about connecting people and about delivering a successful fit for both clients and candidates. Her diligence, attention to detail, strong relationship building skills, and friendly nature set her apart in this space.

Katy has a Bachelor of Laws with Honours and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Auckland.

Tamati (Ngāti Porou) is a Chartered Accountant with Big Four training and over a decade of experience across public practice and industry roles in New Zealand and overseas, including time working in the finance team at Ngāi Tahu Holdings. He specialises in the placement of Accounting and Finance professionals.

In a previous role, Tamati shifted his focus to career development, designing and delivering a Career Coaching and Alumni Mentoring programme at the University of Canterbury. This combination of technical accounting expertise and hands‑on career development work enables him to effectively support both emerging and experienced professionals.

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Rikki (Ngāi Tai) has substantial experience in Māori and community engagement. After completing her Bachelor of Commerce at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington, Rikki spent over five years at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, where she worked closely with Māori stakeholders and communities to inform policy development and support more inclusive, Tiriti‑aligned outcomes.

With a passion for service-led Kaupapa, Rikki’s experience extends beyond her professional roles. She has been actively involved in initiatives and Kaupapa Māori across Aotearoa, including Te Ara Ki Matangireia, TUIA and Matariki, reflecting her commitment to strengthening relationships, uplifting others and connecting communities to opportunity.

Naturally organised, reliable and attentive, Rikki is known for her ability to connect, apply herself with integrity, and show up consistently – whether navigating challenge or celebrating success.

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Nicholas (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tamatea, Ngāi Tahu) is currently in his third year of a conjoint Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts majoring in criminology at Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington.

As a part-time Talent Sourcing Consultant, Nicholas will gain valuable skills and insights into the legal and public sectors before he graduates in a couple of years. Nicholas has four years customer service experience, and he confidently interacts with people from all walks of life.

Nicholas is passionate about te ao Māori and incorporating it in his work.

“Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tūohu koe me he maunga teitei”

“Seek the treasure you value most dearly: if you bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain”

Alysha is a Ngāti Kahungunu ki te Whanganui a Orotu, Kai Tahu, Tuwharetoa wahine, proficient in te reo Māori and English. Alysha has extensive organisational administration and IT experience. Her previous role, managing the business administration of a national tertiary education provider, meant she dealt with a range of activities to maintain over 30 sites of commercial and community programme delivery in rural and urban settings. She has strong IT technical and software support, as well as marketing and promotion design capabilities.

Alysha’s relationship management skills, alongside her other abilities and qualities, make her the ideal person to keep our Auckland office running smoothly.

Ann is a Chartered Accountant with over 30 years experience spanning a variety of roles and industries including private practice and Corporate work. Ann began her career with Ernst and Young before specialising in banking at Westpac, where she held several senior positions, predominantly in Treasury and Business Banking. Her banking career also took her to San Francisco to work for Bank of America in Foreign Exchange.

A stint in Melbourne saw her running her own CA practice and, upon returning to New Zealand, Ann spent many years as the General Manager of a creative agency specialising in film and visitor attraction production with clients in New Zealand, Australia and the US. In her spare time she worked with the New Zealand Basketball Academy on a pro bono basis.

Ann provides a diligent, professional approach across the full breadth of Niche’s strategic and operational finance functions.