Feature - 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.

As 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.

Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway Alliance

As 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.

Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway Alliance

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 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.

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.

“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.”

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 balanced result is “we ultimately do the mahi faster and safer,” says Mark.

“It’s all about doing the right thing and empowering people to enhance their own wellbeing,” says Hēmi. “Health is now at the forefront of people’s minds and how they can enhance theirs and those around them.”

“With this level of nurturing and supporting of the individuals, the road construction, in a sense, takes care of itself – because people build roads, machinery is simply the (albeit very important) tool,” says Mark.

“We’ve had no major incidents on the project to date, and that’s almost unheard of for such a largescale project.”

Another practical empowering tool the Alliance has used is appreciative inquiry. This organisational development tool looks at the good that is happening. By focusing on the positive things people are doing, workers can feel empowered in their work. This framework can then be taken back to their own whānau and communities, having a positive impact on the whole of Aotearoa as a result of this work.

“It’s about manaakitanga (decency and respect) for people, and that’s been a very powerful experience for us,” says Hēmi.

By reconnecting communities through the gorge project, the Alliance can be incredibly proud of its approach to partnership, which holds people and culture at the very centre of what it does, within the broader environmental context.

Bank of New Zealand

With the intention of accelerating the development and representation of Māori in leadership positions and building a strong pipeline of Māori talent, BNZ has recently introduced Te Hōkaitanga – BNZ’s Māori leadership programme. Te Hōkaitanga also plays a critical role in honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi, futureproofing the organisation, ensuring the makeup of BNZ colleagues is an accurate reflection of Aotearoa New Zealand’s demographics and achieving the ambition of being ‘The Bank for Māori’.

From left to right: Alannah Marriot, Denis Grennell, Emma Collins.

“We felt it wasn’t enough to have greater representation alone, but as well ensure our Māori colleagues feel comfortable and confident to incorporate and bring their Māoritanga to mahi and lead in a Māori way,” says Emma Collins, Leadership Lead.

“Te Hōkaitanga helps us create an inclusive and safe place to work, becoming an employer of choice to attract and retain Māori talent and ultimately be able to serve and understand our Māori customers effectively,” says Emma.

The name ‘Te Hōkaitanga’ references the size of the shift between where you are now and your next step: “te hokai nei o taku tapuwae” referencing “the span of my footstep”. The 12-month programme comprises six kete (modules), each two-to-three days in length and all taking place on marae across the motu (country).

It was critical for BNZ to have a genuine partnership with external tāngata whenua providers, to ensure authenticity of content and delivery. Internally led by BNZ’s Leadership Lead Emma Collins, BNZ partnered with Māori leadership and development specialists Alannah Marriot (Ngati Porou) and Denis Grennell (Maniapoto, Ngāti Toa) of SWITCH Consultants and Trainers Ltd to co-design and deliver the programme. This ensures the programme is focused on tikanga and has a Māori worldview.

Tauira during evening wānanga at Tuapō Marae.

Some of the team from the Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway Alliance

Te Hōkaitanga also received funding and support from Te Puni Kōkiri.

Results of the programme are already starting to show, with one-third of Te Hōkaitanga alumni having had a change of role or career progression of at least one Hay level up. BNZ is working through some alumni roles being re-scoped to allow for one day a week of their time to be reallocated and dedicated to working on kaupapa Māori and supporting the Māori business and colleague strategies.

In addition, following the successful presentation of tauira (participant) projects to the Executive Team; three new Māori-focused roles will be created within the bank. Two focusing on Māori home ownership and addressing the current inequities faced – at present being scoped – and a Head of Māori Colleague Strategy role that has been created and recruited for. This role focuses on BNZ achieving the target of having 15 per cent of its workforce identifying as Māori by 2025. These roles are in addition to the existing role of GM Māori Business, meaning BNZ covers both internal and external kaupapa Māori.

Alongside Te Hōkaitanga, BNZ has also implemented Te Pūtaketanga – BNZ’s Māori cultural intelligence programme. Te Pūtaketanga is a oneday interactive workshop that aims to give all BNZ colleagues a base level understanding of Māori culture. The workshop covers te reo Māori, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, tikanga and the Māori economy. Implementing Te Pūtaketanga alongside Te Hōkaitanga ensures BNZ has the right culture for the programme to be well received and embedded.

As the respected Māori psychiatrist Dr Hinemoa Elder writes in her book Aroha: Māori wisdom for a contented life lived in harmony with our planet, “We are born to connect. Born social. Strengthening our bonds with others is a central part of our lives”.

These sentiments and actions live on in both of these organisations.

Reflecting on what is critical to success when HR teams look to address biculturalism, Emma Collins shared her thoughts.

• Māori representation within HR/People teams – often we focus on the wider business without first reflecting a mirror back on ourselves, and this is a common area of under-representation. Given HR teams form and drive policies and strategies relating to all things people and culture, it is critical to have a Māori perspective feeding into those, right from the start.

• Genuine and authentic partnerships with Māori organisations and providers – these should be mutually aligned and beneficial in both aspirations and values.

• Understanding that cultural capability is a critical skill – one that should be both resourced and remunerated appropriately and that does not create burnout and cultural tax with an expectation of colleagues to do mahi in this space off the side of their desk.

• Creating the right organisational culture and building the cultural intelligence of your people – supporting the development of your people to have a base level understanding of te ao Māori will ensure initiatives in this space and organisational change are well received and that customers – both internal and external – are understood and served well.

• Ensure the organisation has the right people, systems and processes to support an authentic approach – ensuring mahi can be delivered in a way that is reflective of Māori practices and values and with strong capability supporting it.

• Strong and clear ‘why’ – being honest about what’s driving work in this space and communication of this to the organisation. Bringing everyone along on the journey ensures clear understanding, buy-in and support, and sets clear expectations.