Chief Operating Officer Kauahi Ngapora (Whale Watch Kaikoura Ltd)

A New Zealand Maori raised in the small coastal town of Kaikoura on the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island, currently the Chief Operating Officer for Whale Watch Kaikoura a 100% Maori owned and locally operated company that offers up close encounters with the Giant Sperm Whales all year round.

Whale Watch Kaikoura was founded in 1987 by 4 local families to create employment for local Maori and create an economic base for Ngati Kuri, it has since developed into a key contributor to the development of not just a people and an industry but an entire community.

Kauahi has been with the company for 18 years from the age of 15 working his way from a spew bucket emptier, guide, skipper, supervisor, manager and now the companies senior executive.