Te Paea Paringatai is a New Zealand librarian. Since 2018 she has been a Commissioner on the Library and Information Advisory Commission. In 2025 she became the first International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) President-elect from New Zealand.
Life Paringatai was brought up by her grandparents in the rural area of Whakamarama in the North Island. She is a descendant of Waikato, Ngāti Ranginui, and Ngāti Porou.
She received the Te Rōpū Whakahau Meri Mygind Wahine Toa Award in 2016.
New Zealand's Internal Affairs minister, Tracey Martin, appointed her as a Commissioner in November 2018 of the Library and Information Advisory Commission. David Reeves chaired the commission and her fellow commissioners were Dr Judith Johnston, Carolyn Robertson, Helen Tait and Matthew Oliver. Her role on the commission is to advise the minister. This should take into account the knowledge and the culture of the Maori people which is known as Mātauranga Māori. Her upbringing and heritage were qualifications.
In 2020 she was at the Central Library at the University of Canterbury where she was the Manager of Customer Services. In 2021 her work was rewarded when she became an honorary member of Te Rōpū Whakahau, the national body that represents "Māori engaged in libraries, culture, knowledge, information, communication and systems technology".
She was the popular choice to be the next International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) President when she was chosen in 2025. She will succeed Leslie Weir in 2027. She will be the first from New Zealand and she should bring a Te Ao Māori viewpoint which she learned about as a child. This Maori worldview acknowledges the connections between everything in the world whether living or inanimate.
At the time of her election she was studying for a doctorate at the University of Otago.
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