Our heritage my vision

Doing things differently

Knowing who you are and where you come from is the heritage Johnson McKay values most

INTERVIEW: JACQUI GIBSON

I’m Ngāti Porou, with whakapapa links to the US and Scotland. Mum’s people are from Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, Dad’s Scottish ancestor, John McKay, migrated to Aotearoa in the 1800s, marrying a daughter of Waikato chief and first Māori king, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero. One of their grandsons went on to marry my ancestor, Ngāti Porou wahine Riria Paniora.

That whakapapa link to Riria is why I think of a small marae about 10 kilometres southwest of Ruatōria as my cultural home. The marae is called Penu. It’s one of the marae of my hapū, Te Aitanga a Mate. I love the fact that the identity of Penu is associated with a strong Māori woman. It’s a beautiful marae too. It was carved by master carver Pineāmine Taiapa, one of the first students of the Rotorua School of Māori Arts and Crafts, with support from Ngāti Porou leader and politician Sir Apirana Ngata. So it feels special in many respects.

I hadn’t visited Penu until about five years ago. I grew up in Manurewa listening to Dad tell me the old stories. But I could never place them. Exploring my cultural identity is something I’ve done later in life, with a law degree under my belt, as a husband and father of five, and as a business owner keen to better align my 16-year-old brand and creative agency, Fly, with my values and purpose.

It’s been a journey. In 2016 I realised I wanted to support the Māori cultural renaissance I saw going on around me. I wanted to be part of normalising Māoritanga – from the language to our cultural knowledge or mātauranga Māori, to our unique spiritual values.

So I enrolled in a full-time, year-long total immersion te reo Māori course at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. The course led me home to Penu, it reunited me with my culture, and it helped me completely change my business. Today, Fly is all about elevating Māori perspectives.

When I started Fly in 2005, we had no Māori clients. We weren’t working on any kaupapa Māori. Through my journey, I realised I needed to find some different clients. It was time to do things differently.

Johnson McKay (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Rongomaiwahine and Tainui) is the founding director of Fly, a purpose-driven creative agency based in Auckland.

It’s been a journey. In 2016 I realised I wanted to support the Māori cultural renaissance I saw going on around me

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