Parau kau tū kau - Returning home as the new te rau matomato, CEO of our kaupapa.

For Aisha Ross, Te Rau Matomato CEO of Parininihi ki Waitōtara Incorporation, putting people at the centre and moving in unity is the key to success.

“The high calibre of skills and experience of our kaimahi are integral to the success of the business, and their commitment to the legacy of PKW is critical to the way we achieve that success,” he says.

“Like many of our Taranaki Māori enterprises, the strength of our organisation comes from our people. The capability and talent we have in our whare is impressive and the collective dedication they have to our kaupapa is inspiring”.

His core belief that PKW is a whānau-owned business played a large part in his decision to move from Waikato, where he had been based for many years, to come home to Taranaki.

Of Ngā Ruahinerangi, Ngāti Ruanui, Taranaki Iwi, Te Atiawa and Ngāti Mutunga whakapapa, Aisha’s grandmother, Rangimaimaiao Ross, was a PKW shareholder, and he became an associate director on the PKW Board in 2014.

After taking over the Te Rau Matomato role five months ago, Aisha has a clear perspective for the future of our business, and – like the foundational vision of PKW –people are at the heart of it.

“Forging stronger ties with our shareholders, with whānau, hapū and iwi, through partnership and collaboration, is important both culturally and economically for both the business and Taranaki Māori as a whole,” he says. “It has been great to see how relationships have grown as a result of better engagement with hapū and marae and a genuine desire to help people reconnect with their whenua.”

“I know being given the opportunity to speak to their narratives through their own kōrero and express that connection in a visible and meaningful way, such as with the gifting of a name, has been appreciated, but we need to continue to remain open to what can be done to further those relationships.”

He is interested in sharing the knowledge and expertise the Incorporation has to develop ideas for land use options and provide support to embrace opportunities for whānau.

“We have a rich identity and history, and we are proud to share our kōrero,” says Aisha. “Supporting and encouraging our people as they undertake their own cultural learning journey is an area we have been focusing on and we are making good progress.”

When it comes to business matters, Aisha signals that while the Incorporation has a strong balance sheet and robust foundations, the current economic climate and the high cost of doing business in a rapidly changing world will continue to be a challenge.

“We have to be agile, and we have to embrace innovation in order to keep growing as a business and continue to deliver the results our shareholders expect,” he says.

“This isn’t anything new for PKW – the spirit of innovation is the fabric of PKW history as our pāhake had a willingness to try new things and test ideas.”

“Some of them worked and some of them didn’t – but ultimately exploring new ventures requires managing the risks and executing all investments with commercial discipline and a values-based approach grounded in tikanga.”

Climate change and the growing compliance expectations and legislative restrictions being experienced by the agricultural sector means that solutions must be found.

“If carbon zero is the destination, then how do we get there? And not only that, how do we get there on our own terms as a Taranaki Māori whānau owned business and make it something we do well, that we excel in? There’s no easy answer.”

With this backdrop to PKW’s operations, diversification remains a key strategy to ensuring the commercial engine of the business continues to run well.

“Investment will always be the key to maintaining our economic base and growth into the future,” says Aisha.

“But any opportunities we consider have to align with our values and kaupapa as measured by Te Ara Putanga. This tool will continue to be the main driver for our business decisions as we continue to fulfil the vision, He Tāngata, He Whenua, He Oranga.”