TIKANGA MĀORI AND HRM KATHY CATTON
How Māori culture can uplift HR and business A Māori way of thinking and doing business can be significant when it comes to making a difference, not just to our people but also to our organisations. Kathy Catton spoke with Karli Te Aotonga and Bentham Ohia to learn more.
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arli is passionate about the wellbeing and development of all people in the workforce, particularly the wellbeing and development of tāngata whenua (indigenous people) who are represented throughout many diverse workplaces in Aotearoa. Karli, who is currently working in an organisational development and strategy role for St John, holds a Bachelor of Management in HRM and a Masters degree in Māori and Indigenous Leadership. She has also recently started a PhD in Māori Studies through Aotahi – School of Māori and Indigenous Studies, University of Canterbury. Her research will focus on Māori cultural responsiveness for HR practitioners, an extension to her Masters degree that focused on the wellbeing of the Māori health workforce through HRM.
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HUMAN RESOURCES
SPRING 2021
“We all bring unique characteristics and qualities to the workplace,” says Karli. “To honour the articles and principles of Te Tiriti [the Treaty] and our bicultural nation, and uplift Māori culture, language and identity, the opportunity here is a tikanga Māori-led approach to HR and how we empower, support and foster wellbeing for all people in the workplace.”
I would want my grandparents and my parents to be proud of me in the way I treat people, not only as a former CEO or manager, but in all aspects of my life. Bentham Ohia, past Chief Executive of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, agrees with Karli. “As a nation, our competitive advantage is our Māori values. What’s unique about Aotearoa can become a competitive advantage for all businesses, across all industries.” Karli’s Masters research examined how a Western-led HR approach has impacted on the wellbeing of the Māori health workforce. She found that current HR practice can
marginalise Māori and seriously affect their physical, emotional, social and cultural wellbeing. This reinforced for her that we must change the narrative, addressing this through a tikanga-led approach to move away from ‘traditional and contemporary’ Western-led HRM. Since then, she has been approached by HRNZ to lead the development a bicultural HR movement, seeking to collectively transform workplaces and the lives of people. “I enlisted the support, leadership and cultural wisdom of my cousin Bentham and Koro Timi to work with me on this very important kaupapa,” says Karli. This led to the creation of the HRNZ Transforming HRM Aotearoa programme, a threeday intensive wānanga for people leaders, focused on addressing systemic bias and rearchitecting bicultural HR solutions for organisations and their people. For a course review, see page 40.
Both parties have equal mana and both people assume the other one is awesome. With this mindset, you can bring a fullness to the workplace.
