Dr Charlotte Severne (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāi Tūhoe) is the Māori Trustee and leads Te Tumu Paeroa, the Office of the Māori Trustee. The Māori Trustee is appointed to act as trustee to administer Māori freehold land and other assets on behalf of the beneficial Māori land owners.
Charlotte holds a PhD in Geology from the University of Auckland. She spent 20 years as a commercial scientist and executive as well as serving as Deputy Vice Chancellor at Lincoln and Massey Universities. In 2016, she was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, in recognition of her contribution as an advocate and mentor for Māori Development and Science. Charlotte also has a wealth of experience in working with Māori business as a science advisor and in governance roles in energy, fisheries and farming entities. She was appointed the Māori Trustee in September 2018.