NEW CHAIR OF THE BOARDView GalleryHide Gallery

We are delighted to announce that James Johnston has been appointed new Chair of the Board of Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School.

James has been on the board of Toi Whakaari since 2007. Chairman of Partners at Wellington-based law firm Rainey Collins and former Chair of the New Zealand Law Foundation, he is a lawyer with  expertise in commercial and business law and has extensive experience in Treaty of Waitangi Settlement Negotiations and governance. He holds a number of positions including Lead Legal Counsel for the Ngati Porou negotiations with the Crown, Advisory Trustee for the Porou Ariki Trust, and is an external Specialist Advisor on to the Ministry of Justice Legal Aid Services Group.

 As a former Youth Advocate James also has a particular interest in youth justice and restorative justice principles, particularly as they pertain to young Maori, and has spoken about that to the United Nations as well as training Youth Court judges.

Of Ngati Porou descent and originally from Gisborne, he also has a strong sporting background, being a talented swimmer and rugby player and also involved in rugby coaching and administration.

James is passionate about Toi Whakaari and its place as New Zealand’s pre-eminent drama school. He has found serving on the board to date an interesting and rewarding experience, and says of his appointment as Chair: “I look forward to working with the Board and Director Christian Penny to oversee the implementation of the recently completed Strategic Plan”.

We are delighted to have his experience and expertise at the helm of Toi.