Dame Jenny Shipley, who was New Zealand's first female Prime Minister, has been appointed chair of the Waitangi National Trust. RNZ reported this on 15 June 2026.

She replaces Tania Simpson, who was the Trust's first female chair. Simpson studied Māori knowledge and custom at university level and brought that expertise to the role. Te Ao Māori News reported on 15 June 2026 that the Trust made the announcement the same day.

The Waitangi National Trust looks after the Waitangi Treaty Grounds in Northland. This is the place where the Treaty of Waitangi was first signed in February 1840 — a moment that shaped New Zealand's relationship between the Crown and Māori. Running this site means more than just managing the land. It means deciding how Waitangi Day celebrations happen, what message the place sends about the Treaty, and how it sits in the middle of ongoing arguments about how the Treaty should be honoured today.

Shipley was Prime Minister from 1997 to 1999. She came to the job before the more recent push for large Treaty settlements and debates about shared government with Māori. During her time as PM, though, the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998 was passed — one of the bigger settlements of that time. Since leaving Parliament, she has taken board positions in various organisations, including chairing China Construction Bank in New Zealand.

Waitangi is not just a historical site. Each year, it becomes a kind of weather station for how Crown and Māori are getting on — the place where Māori leaders meet with Prime Ministers, where people protest, and where you can see the mood of Treaty politics most clearly. The Trust's chair doesn't decide what happens there, but runs the place where it all happens.

It's not yet clear whether Shipley's appointment brings new government connections or more Crown support to the Trust. The Trust only said who was being appointed. Why they chose her and what direction they want to go have not been explained publicly.