INSIGHTS KATHY CATTON
Whanaungatanga – community and connectivity Human Resources magazine takes a closer look at the work of two organisations seeking to ensure that the health and wellbeing of all its communities are front of mind for its people every day.
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approach of working with local iwi in a genuine Crown–iwi partnership to build a new 11.5 km highway over the Ruahine Range. The road is due for completion in December 2024 and provides work for up to 350 people at any one time. The outcome is not only to connect regions but also to honour sacred spaces and nurture communities.
s a profession, HR is all about people. And, for many people, their culture is an integral part of who they are. The adoption of te ao Māori values has been a focus for many organisations in recent years in an effort to invest in diversity and, therefore, in the growth of the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. Here, we look at the work of two of these organisations: Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway Alliance and the Bank of New Zealand.
Five iwi have a connection to the project area. While a long history exists of inter-iwi connection, they had not sat around the project governance table together before. Rangitāne o Manawatū, Rangitāne ki Tamaki nui-a-Rua, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki nui-a-Rua, Te Runanga o Raukawa (Ngāti Raukawa and Nga Kaitiaki ō Ngāti Kauwhata) are part of the Alliance alongside Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, HEB Construction, Fulton Hogan, Aurecon and WSP to rebuild the highway.
Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway Alliance
“This project is more than a road,” said Dr Mark Long*, Manager – People, Safety and Culture for the Alliance, last year. “We have been very deliberate in how we look after our people. It’s been a valuesbased approach, and as a result, we have experienced far better and far broader positive outcomes for our people and their whānau.”
When a massive slip in the Manawatū gorge left the road impassable in April 2017, the impact on local communities and the wider region was huge, and a new route was urgently needed. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency committed to a new
For example, part of the first-ofits-kind approach has been to ask people to reflect then rate themselves on an app based on Tā Mason Durie’s Te Whare Tapa Whā model of wellbeing. People score themselves from zero to ten on how they are feeling in terms of their emotional wellbeing (taha hinengaro), their spiritual wellbeing (taha wairua), their physical wellbeing (taha tinana) and their family wellbeing or connectedness to others (taha whānau). If any of the Alliance’s workers are rating themselves between zero and three, Hēmi Heta’s health and wellbeing team will contact them almost immediately, to ensure support and services are provided. The premise is to provide support responsively, based on the needs of the person. “It’s important that every single person – along with their whānau – who works on the project has a sense of belonging, and the opportunity to be part of a holistic approach to health and wellbeing,” says Hēmi Heta, Wellbeing and Culture Manager for the project. “A commitment to te ao Māori is at the heart of all decisions. The team wants to understand what is going on for the individuals, so that we can support them to feel better – the
*Mark is now Chief People Officer with Ara Poutama Aotearoa, the Department of Corrections, and says the kaupapa and people on the Alliance will forever hold a very special place in his heart.
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HUMAN RESOURCES
WINTER 2022
