Paula Carr is senior manager, Maori strategy and partnerships at Creative New Zealand / Toi Aotearoa (CNZ) based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington. As a member of the executive leadership team, she is responsible for overseeing CNZ's national strategy for Maori arts. She provides strategic leadership support to the Council of Pacific Arts and Culture (comprising 20+ Pacific Island nations and territories) to strengthen the four yearly Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture (FestPAC) and partnership initiatives in the intervening years. Paula is from Ngati Ruanui, Ngaruahine, Te Atiawa, Nga Rauru tribes of Taranaki, located on the West Coast of the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand - symbolized by the raukura (albatross) feather that she proudly wears. Raised on her ancestral lands, Paula’s upbringing is immersed in whanau (family), hapu (sub-tribe) and Iwi (tribal) development. With a background in governance at tribal levels, Paula follows in the leadership footsteps of her great great grandmother Ngarewarewa, her great grandmother Rongomaipaia, her grandmother Matekitawhiti, and her father Waemura who were change agents that stood for the retention of Maori land, community empowerment, restoration of Maori sovereignty. Paula contributed to the International Federation of Arts Council and Culture Agencies (IFACCA) Discussion Paper for the 10th World Summit on Arts and Culture in May 2025 (Seoul) where she was also a speaker. Her diverse career spans the historical Treaty of Waitangi Settlements in Aotearoa, central government, major festivals and events, community development, and the arts.