Advance magazine, winter 2018

MÄ ori Innovation

Winter 2018

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Contents 8

2 Advance shorts 4

Second to none

8 Sharing stories of success

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Amplifying the Māori voice

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Tackling homelessness

through marae-led care

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Connect and conserve

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A new path to business success 22

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Editor Ngaire Molyneux Writers Mary de Ruyter, Jess Perenara Contributors Jenny Lee-Morgan, Rau Hoskins, Matt Crawford Photography Design Tineswari Maruthamuthu Published by Unitec Institute of Technology Private Bag 92025, Victoria Street West Auckland 1142, New Zealand

Carvings from Ngākau Māhaki (the wharenui) of Unitec's Te Noho Kotahitanga Marae, pictured on the cover and through the magazine, were created by tohunga whakairo Lionel Grant.

Printed on recycled paper made from 100% FSC® certified post-consumer waste, using a chlorine-free process.

ISSN 1176-7391 Phone 0800 10 95 10 www.unitec.ac.nz

Mā mua ka kite ā muri; mā muri ka ora ā mua.

Understanding the past provides vision for the future; vision for the future provides purpose in the present.

Ngā mihi nui kia koutou katoa.

We’re living in an exciting time when it comes to Māori innovation and entrepreneurship. I compare the surge we’re seeing to a great wave building momentum, its full power only just becoming visible.

Māori innovation is evident in tribal and non-tribal Māori enterprises, across every sector of the economy, both social and commercial. Māori innovators are producing products and services with a Māoritanga that is palpable, daring, satisfying and delivering value to consumers globally and locally.1 This issue of Advance showcases how Unitec staff and students are tackling issues, building partnerships and realising their creative projects, all the while displaying a proudly Māori kaupapa. The stories cover everything from fashion and conservation to entrepreneurship and socialissues research.

When discussing Māori innovation at the 2016 Matariki X Conference, speakers invariably identified five elements: first, a creative idea; second, exceptional execution, for an idea without implementation is an unfulfilled promise; third, passion for a kaupapa greater than oneself; fourth, surrounding oneself with people smarter and better than you, which in one case meant paying some more than the owner paid himself (a notion one must discuss further with one’s employer); and fifth, profit.2

What sets our innovators, and others around the country, apart is their dedication to an holistic approach that gives weight to economic, social, sustainable, spiritual and cultural goals. Māori culture and languge provide a strong foundation from which innovation grows, and is apparent in the cultural competitive advantage that Aotearoa espouses.

These elements have come together to create rapid, diverse growth in the Māori economy3. This is a prime time for Māori innovation and entrepreneurship to ensure a better future for Aotearoa. Watch this space.

There are numerous examples of brilliant Māori innovation in various forms: eco-tourism, agriculture, digital media, science, design, service, performing arts, fashion, specialised manufaturing, aerodynamics, and even rocket science.

Earlier examples include Mason Durie’s whare tapa If you have any questions whā Māori health about the research articles in model. this issue of Advance, please

contact the Unitec Research and Enterprise Office.

We’d love to hear from you.

Ko Mātaatua te waka, ko Ōhinemataroa te awa, ko Taiarahia me Maunga Pōhatu ōku maunga, ko Tūhoe te iwi, ko Ngāti Rongo, ko Māhurehure me Ngāti Kōura nā hapū. Ko Tauarau, ko Te Rewarewa me Ōtenuku nā marae. Tihei mauri ora!

Kia tau te rangimarie, Ngaire Molyneux Academic Leader in Business Practice Unitec Institute of Technology

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INTRODUCTION COMMUNITY

Unitec has seen the positive opportunities inherent in Māori innovation, and made it their third Strategic Research Foci.

In July, they hosted the annual Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics Research Symposium, named Ka Rewa and with a theme of Māori Innovation. As the story in this magazine explains, the symposium was centered around Whai Rawa (Research for Māori Economies), Te Tai Ao (The Natural Environment) and Mauri Ora (Human Flourishing). A variety of speakers contributed to, and supported, the opportunities inherent in the Māori innovation economy.

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atariki X Conference, Rotorua, June 2016. https://www.callaghaninnovation.

M govt.nz/blog/what-m%C4%81ori-innovation-snare-sun-and-then-some Matariki X Conference, Rotorua, June 2016. https://www.callaghaninnovation. govt.nz/blog/what-m%C4%81ori-innovation-snare-sun-and-then-some Business and Economic Research Ltd, NZ.

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ADVANCE Kaiako question social structures Two recent Māori graduates whose research examines the way New Zealand’s social systems affect Māori, will challenge Unitec students to do the same now they’ve begun their new roles as kaiako (teachers).

Paula Bold-Wilson and Eliza Wallace achieved their Master of Applied Practice (Social Practice) in April, and were both awarded First Class Honours; they now lecture at Unitec in social practice.

Bold-Wilson’s thesis, The injustice in justice, examined the quality of legal representation young Māori men receive in the criminal justice system. She found a need to critically examine key aspects of the lawyer/ client relationship, the use of legal terminology, legal options made

available to clients, and more. “My research employed kaupapa Māori methodology, which can provide an effective means to empower research participants, and add value by enhancing social justice in an area that is not widely researched,” says Bold-Wilson.

Wallace’s thesis is entitled Manawanui: illuminating contemporary meanings of culturally effective social work supervision in Te Tai Tokerau/ Northland. It focused on Māori models of supervision, to discover how socialwork supervisors and supervisees determine what culturally effective social-work supervision means to them. Wallace found unique learning opportunities were often lost when social-work supervision approaches failed to engage in authentic cultural

Eliza Wallace (left) and Paula Bold-Wilson on graduation day.

dialogue, particularly in Te Tai Tokerau’s numerous rural communities.

“By repositioning indigenous knowledge and disrupting the dominant discourses of social work, we could create new conceptual frameworks for more effective social-work supervision,” says Wallace. Both theses are available in the Unitec Research Bank.

SHORTS

PĒPEHA Ko Te Arawa te waka

No Hokianga ahau

Ko Matawhāura te maunga

Ko Hūnoke te maunga

Ko Rotoiti te roto

Ko Waiwhatawhata te awa

Ko Te Arawa te iwi

Ko Te Kai Waha te whare

Ko Ngāti Pikiao rāua Ko Tūhourangi ōku hapū

Ko Ngāti Whārara te hapū

Ko Hinekura tōku marae

Ko Ngāpuhi te iwi

Ko Paula Bold-Wilson tōku ingoa.

Ko Eliza Wallace tōku ingoa.

Decolonising urban design What does a decolonised city look like?

That’s the question Dr Diane Menzies (Ngāti Kahungūnu) posed to a group of 38 tertiary students from around the country on a recent design charrette, leading up to the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architecture’s (NZILA) conference.

Decolonising a city doesn’t mean removing all the people; it’s about

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creating buildings and spaces that reflect the layers of stories and identities of all residents, not just the colonisers. Menzies, a NZILA life member and former Unitec lecturer, is also the deputy chair of Nga Aho, a nationwide network of Māori design professionals.

“It’s important for all students, whether they’re planning or design students, to understand there are different

Stories support marae-based education Recording the tāhuhu kōrero (historical and ancestral stories) of Northland hapū Te Uri o Hau is the latest step in a partnership between the hapū and Unitec, which aims to share mātauranga Māori – specifically, Māori cultural and environmental knowledge – in maraebased education.

Molyneux will write a business case for the overall programme to be developed

by Unitec specialists and Te Uri o Hau kaitiaki (guardians). A school holiday programme pilot will include teachers and principals from local schools, to ensure the tikanga and content link with school curricula.

The tāhuhu kōrero will inform the cultural heritage education programme delivered at four of the hapū’s marae, in northern Kaipara. “In fact, they will underpin everything taught at the marae, and provide wānanga (educational programmes) with a solid foundation. There’s something different about each area, and unique stories that relate to each place and marae,” says Ngaire Molyneux, Unitec’s Academic Leader in Business Practice, who is the principal investigator on the project.

“The hapū would like to commercialise these programmes, taking an holistic approach including economic, social, environmental, cultural and spiritual outcomes. This is all about looking after future generations from a strategic, sustainable, Māori perspective,” says Molyneux.

During a series of upcoming wānanga at Te Uri o Hau’s marae, kuia and kaumātua will meet with Unitec education development specialists to discuss and record the tāhuhu kōrero.

This will include aspects of mātauranga Māori special to mana whenua in the rohe (area); the rich knowledge and history shared through tāhuhu kōrero is a taonga (treasure). Kaitiakitanga, or guardianship informed by ancestral knowledge on how to look after the land, will be a central theme woven into educational experiences.

cultures and values affected by what they’re doing; to develop some humility in design, and try to understand a landscape, town or suburb from other cultures’ perspectives,” she says.

During the charrette (an intense period of design or planning activity), the students stayed on Unitec’s Te Noho Kotahitanga marae and studied an area of Onekiritea/Hobsonville under development. Working in groups, with advice from indigenous experts in Auckland for the conference, they

“Te Uri o Hau have worked with Unitec to develop a marae-based science programme, focused on local schools, and have run a pilot with outdoor education students. The tāhuhu kōrero wānanga is the final part of this project, weaving the programme together.”

As reported in the winter 2015 issue of Advance, marae can offer something unique to the education market.

Dodson said in 2015, “Often rural, coastal communities don’t have the capital or financial assets to achieve the kind of social and economic goals they may have. But they do have assets in terms of culture, knowledge, whakapapa, and also the physical assets of marae, of land, of landscape, and of course the people.”

Students could be studying outdoor pursuits, history or environmental studies; all these fields are deeply enriched through engagement with mātauranga Māori. The Māori way of teaching has benefits for all students, said Dodson.

“It’s a relationship-based approach, with experiential learning in nonclassroom contexts and situations...

This project is aiming to take that to its logical extension, which is about the learning taking place in a Māori context, co-delivered with Māori people for the benefit of all, not just Māori students.”

SHORTS

SHORTS

Molyneux and Dr Giles Dodson, a senior lecturer in Business Practice at Unitec, began working with Te Uri o Hau in 2015. The hapū wanted to look at ways of using its marae as a place school groups can go to learn about and experience the local environment, and enhance those experiences with mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge).

came up with ideas and interventions around decolonisation.

“Several of them worked on ideas for integrating the marae site, planned for Ngāti Whātua ki Kaipara and Kawerauā-maki, with the community and its maritime history, through events such as working bees or art walks. These physical experiences would help people understand life from different perspectives,” explains Menzies.

Approaching the processes of design, planning and architecture in different

cultural ways isn’t easy, says Menzies, but it’s crucial for creating equitable, sustainable communities amid Auckland’s housing crisis.

“Interpreting the narratives of a site illuminates a truer history of this country. It’s also a challenge to designers, to think about how you interpret Māori ideas into something that’s not just pou, or koru designs in footpaths, but incorporates ideas such as mahitahi (working as one) and narratives of local place.”

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Second to none Atarangi Anderson’s new clothing label offers ethical fashion sourced from secondhand and organic fabrics – and it won the former student a Unitec Bold Innovators Scholarship.

CREATIVE ENTERPRISE

Atarangi Anderson.

A young Māori designer is using the creative ethos she grew up with to develop an ethical clothing label that puts fast fashion to shame – with a little help from a Unitec Bold Innovators Scholarship.

Atarangi Anderson (Te Aitanga a Hauiti, Ngāti Porou) graduated from Unitec last year with a Bachelor of Creative Enterprise, having already set up Inky Cat, a fashion label using recycled and organic fabrics. Her initiative is hardly surprising, given her creative parents: they made most of the family’s toys, presents, tables, chairs and shelves.

“My upbringing was that you have clothing and then you pass it on. Aunties would take a bag away whenever they visited, and I remember having clothes come back to me years later!

We would wear clothes until they were falling apart,” she laughs.

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Winning 2018’s first Bold Innovators Scholarship – initiated by Unitec’s Tūāpapa Rangahau; partnering research and enterprise – meant she received a grant, and access to an on-campus workspace and resources. It’s given her time and space to work on her winter 2018 collection, Texture Me. “I’m currently obsessing over layers and textures,” Anderson says, which is evident in her completely secondhand outfit worn while speaking to Advance. A dusky pink wool skirt provides warmth on a chilly day; a modified black t-shirt drapes over a sheer polka-dot undertop from the Inky Cat Summer 2017 collection, in turn layered over a crop top.

“I really like the look of the three tops combined, and when I move you can see the layers. It’s a similar idea for the winter collection: there are so many layers, and they reveal my process.”

She describes her design aesthetic as “a kind of nostalgic streetwear.

It definitely has a street influence, but it’s a bit more homely, with block colours and soft tones.

I want to look nice and be comfy!”

New Zealanders throw away 100 million kilos of textile waste each year, according to the Ministry for the Environment. It makes Anderson determined to keep working sustainably, though creating a collection completely from rescued materials has its challenges.

“Initially I wanted to make everything out of sheets from op shops! But it was really hard to maintain a sense of consistency. Now I combine recycled and upcycled fabrics with offcuts and organic fabric I’ve bought.”

Texture Me went on sale in early July (inkycat.co.nz), and Anderson is running a pop-up shop in Auckland’s St Kevin’s Arcade

CREATIVE ENTERPRISE

She describes her design aesthetic as a kind of nostalgic streetwear. "It definitely has a street influence, but it’s a bit more homely, with block colours and soft tones."

Easy-wear summer options from the Colour Me collection.

(July 9-22). Clothes are sold until fabric stocks run out. She will release two collections a year, a deliberate contrast to the speed of mainstream fashion.

“There’s no time for pauses or giving back.

Every two weeks it’s common to have releases of new clothes, so you get no time to appreciate and live in the clothes you’ve just bought,” explains Anderson.

“It also puts so much pressure on vulnerable garment workers. It’s an unhappy cycle.” This kaupapa (ideology) comes so naturally to her that she doesn’t think of it as innovative.

“Māori thinking influences me as a person, which influences everything I do. I didn’t know this was a thing – the idea that you give back to the land, you take what you need and not more – that made me passionate about ethical fashion. It was just how we grew up.”

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CREATIVE ENTERPRISE

These pages: Comfort and a street-smart edge shine through in outfits from Inky Cat's Colour Me collection.

Anderson’s first collection, created as part of her final-year project, was named Colour Me. She showcased the colourful, easy-wear summer range in November 2017 during a fashion show she masterminded at Auckland’s Studio One – Toi Tū gallery.

That caught the eye of Creative Industries Academic Leader Paul Woodruffe, one of two lecturers who nominated Anderson for the scholarship.

“The way she staged the fashion show was very professional. Atarangi is a very hard worker and very active in research,” says Woodruffe.

“She wasn’t afraid to explore new territory. She saw a market where you can have something original, and it’s affordable. She looked at high

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fashion and asked ‘What is it?’ – it’s boutique, not made in a factory, and instead of using expensive new fabric, she’s using recycled fabric.”

“It’s boutique, not made in a factory, and instead of using expensive new fabric, she’s using recycled fabric.”

He describes Anderson’s creative practice as “a wonderful combination of artistic sensibility and practical production design. She’s not afraid to do her own thing, but at the same time she realises there is a system in place for making and selling clothing, and she’s quite happy to engage in that.”

CREATIVE ENTERPRISE

“I think the world is ready for this, in terms of sustainability. It’s becoming a trend and hopefully it will turn into a way of life.”

Marcus Williams, Dean of Research and Enterprise, helped choose the scholarship winner, and says Anderson exudes entrepreneurial spirit.

“When she staged a full fashion parade in her final year, which was highly successful, she found sponsors, and had students building the stage, modelling, doing design, lighting and filming it all. She is highly outgoing, highly collaborative, and unafraid to ask people to help her – and people just do.”

In her workroom, surrounded by piles of fabric and images for inspiration, Anderson

acknowledges there’s a risk in using secondhand fabrics.

“The life in it is a bit shorter, so you have to choose the fabrics you use quite carefully. People often associate secondhand fabrics with The Sound of Music, making clothes out of curtains, and I have to say no!” she laughs.

“I think it’s a beautiful thing, to give something a new life. While it can be risky, I think it’s cool and it’s worth the risk. And I think the world is ready for this, in terms of sustainability. It’s becoming a trend and hopefully it will turn into a way of life.”

contact

Atarangi Anderson inkkycat@gmail.com

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Sharing stories of success A focus on Māori innovation and its role in New Zealand’s future set minds buzzing when Unitec hosted the annual ITP Research Symposium.

SYMPOSIUM

Hemp production, gamification and social housing development – these industries aren’t often associated with the traditional view of innovation, but they were among the stories of Māori success at this year’s Unitec-hosted ITP Research Symposium.

not just in technology.

Unitec Dean of Research and Enterprise Marcus Williams says the ITP sector can learn a lot from Māori innovation.

During the Ka Rewa: Māori Innovation symposium (July 10-11) at their Mt Albert campus, Unitec showcased Māori innovation stories to students and staff in applied tertiary education. The aim: to highlight the value and impact Māori bring to teaching, learning and research, while better connecting the ITP (Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics) sector and Māori.

“What makes ITPs different in the research space is what we do, and that’s impactful and applied research that looks to solve business or community problems; it isn’t necessarily blue-sky research. There’s great potential in partnering with Māori industry, companies and organisations with that philosophy because they often already do problem solving so well,” he says.

The ITP Research Symposium is now in its sixth year, and Ka Rewa was the first symposium to focus on Māori innovation across all disciplines,

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“There’s great potential in partnering with Māori industry, companies and organisations with that philosophy because they often already do problem solving so well."

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SYMPOSIUM

Members of the Ka Rewa organising committee: from left, Jessica Aranui, Shaughan Woodcock, TeUrikore Biddle, Donald Lawrie, Dr Josie Keelan.

The two days of knowledge sharing was divided into three streams – Whai Rawa: Research for Māori Economies; Te Tai Ao: The Natural Environment; and Mauri Ora: Human Flourishing. A variety of speakers contributed to, and supported, the opportunities inherent in the Māori innovation economy. There was also a strong focus on how the ITP sector could better incorporate Māori innovation stories into teaching, learning and research.

Staying true to Unitec’s applied, real-world ethos, Ka Rewa attendees also visited one of three sites of Māori innovation for half a day.

Te Puea Marae, The MindLab – Tech Futures Lab, and Māori TV all opened their doors to symposium attendees, who were able to connect with and explore stories of Māori innovation first-hand.

For Williams, hosting the symposium is a sign that Unitec wants to develop and become known for its ability to partner with Māori in research.

“One of the things we identified in Unitec’s 20152020 Research Strategy was the need for us to identify targeted areas of strength, capability and opportunity, known as mission-led research, as well as continuing to support interest-led research,” he says.

In 2017, the first two areas – Cybersecurity and Applied Molecular Solutions – were joined by the third focus, Māori Research. “Committing to the theme of Māori Innovation for Ka Rewa adds a whole new dimension to our work.

It created a critical energy, an excitement and attention around all things Māori; we’re incredibly supportive of the growing respect for Māori knowledge and how they choose to use it, because of what it could mean for all of New Zealand,” says Williams.

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CASE STUDY: Hikurangi Enterprises The idea of using hemp, or cannabis, for medicinal purposes has a long, contentious history in New Zealand. But for charitable company Hikurangi Enterprises, the idea has generated huge community excitement and investment because of the opportunities it will create.

SYMPOSIUM

Managing director and co-founder of Hikurangi Enterprises Pānapa Ehau (Ngāti Uepōhatu, Ngāti Porou) was one of two keynote speakers at Ka Rewa. The company, based in the small East Coast town of Ruatōria, focuses on communityled economic development and creating local jobs through ventures that benefit the people and the land.

Hikurangi Enterprises has ventures in medical cannabis, bioactives and carbon farming; at the time of publication, it was on the verge of securing a $160 million medical cannabis deal, conditional on Labour’s medical marijuana bill passing through government. The deal will benefit a community of people by creating a “sustainable inter-generational economic

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pathway that utilises and enhances local natural resources”, says Ehau.

Hikurangi Enterprises

An ITP Research Symposium is not your typical research event, says Unitec Dean of Teaching and Learning Mātauranga Māori Dr Josie Keelan (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tūhoe). It’s a chance for the ITP sector to connect with inspiring business and community groups, in addition to staff and students from the ITPs making presentations on research with iwi/Māori communities, businesses and organisations.

“Usually Māori research is synonymous with health and social services. When it comes to innovation, often it’s spoken about in regards to high techonology. But in actual fact, there’s a huge amount of Māori research and innovation happening in other areas, such as social housing, and Ka Rewa provided an awesome opportunity to present and learn from new knowledge,” Keelan says.

More stories of success Alongside keynote speakers Ehau and Nikora, a number of other speakers shared stories of innovation by Māori, with Māori for Māori, and engaging with the Māori economy and related social and economic activity. These included: »» Māori Television CEO Keith Ikin (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Apakura, Ngāpuhi, Whanganui) »» the founder of game studio Metia Interactive, Maru Nihoniho (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui) »» DesignTRIBE Architects director Rau Hoskins (Ngāti Hau, Ngāpuhi) »» business adviser, public speaker and ‘tech believer’ Teresa Pollard (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu ki Whaingaroa).

Showing students the future

During discussions about the symposium, the organising committee realised there was a need to nurture innovation in Māori students.

SYMPOSIUM

Members of the organising committee at work: from left, Donald Lawrie, Maxine Graham, Jessica Aranui, TeUrikore Biddell, Shaughan Woodcock, Dr Josie Keelan.

During discussions about the symposium, the organising committee realised there was a need to nurture innovation in Māori students.

In a first for the annual ITP Research Symposium, Māori ITP students from across New Zealand were able to attend a wānanga focused on establishing a solid foundation of understanding in relation to indigenous knowledge, before attending Ka Rewa.

Māori students of all academic levels spent a full day at the pre-symposium wānanga, enabling them to learn through activities and guest presentations. Dr Curtis Bristowe (Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau a Apanui, Te Aitanga a Māhaki), a Unitec Pou Huritao working with teaching staff to embed mātauranga Māori in courses, covered indigenous knowledge and research.

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CASE STUDY:

Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga

Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga

The three research themes central to New Zealand's Māori Centre of Research Excellence, Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga (NPM), were a direct inspiration for the three streams of discussion at Ka Rewa.

SYMPOSIUM

Co-director of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, researcher and academic Linda Waimarie Nikora (Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāi Tūhoe) spoke in her keynote address about the three thematic research areas, and how Te Reo me Ngā Tikanga Māori (Māori language, values and practices) are embedded in their work – a statement that’s also true for everything Ka Rewa’s organising committee did.

NPM has 21 partner research entities, which contribute research of relevance to Māori communities. Live research projects cover a wide range of topics across the three themes: from health and wellbeing to the governance of Māori data, and the role of wāhine in the Māori economy.

The organisation’s goal is to realise the creative potential of Māori communities, and bring positive change and transformation to the nation. Like NPM, Nikora believes Māori can lead New Zealand into the future with their knowledge and capabilities. Summaries of NPM’s research strands, below, offer a vision of the opportunities on offer: »» Whai Rawa: Research for Māori Economies acknowledges and describes “the diverse elements of the Māori economy – where regional iwi- and hapū-led economic networks, both rural and urban, engage with national and international business... Unique to the Māori economy will be the transition

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between historic Te Tiriti o Waitangi / Treaty of Waitangi claim settlements and the ever-increasing post-settlement activities.

Most iwi will have settled by 2018, and have established their post-settlement governance entities with often significant financial and phyical resources to manage.” »» Te Tai Ao: The Natural Environment is NPM’s research platform for environmental integrity and sustainability. It “will build on a unique body of knowledge and practice, bringing together a multi-disciplinary team of Māori researchers with expertise in developing solutions derived from indigenous knowledge and science”. »» Mauri Ora: Human Flourishing “articulates the high-level objectives of an integrated and comprehensively targeted social wellbeing research programme focused on Māori flourishing… Mauri Ora recognises the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, requiring a step back from a preoccupation with Māori deficits, and instead a focus on a commitment to embrace and build on practices that sustain, strengthen and liberate communities.”

Keelan explains NPM’s research themes enable her and her team to show ITP-sector colleagues there are research opportunities in everything people teach. “The Ako Ahimura Mātauranga team, which I manage, is about embedding mātauranga Māori in Unitec’s programmes and courses. Ka Rewa reinforced the fact that Māori knowledge is a value add, and here’s a whole set of knowledge you can start looking at embedding in what you teach.”

She says it’s also about changing people’s perceptions of what research is. “Every time you try and make something better, you are doing research.”

SYMPOSIUM

Inside the wharenui at Te Noho Kotahitanga Marae.

“The idea of student inclusion may not have come about had the organising committee not been focused on Māori innovation."

Aubrey Te Kanawa (Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Koata, Ngāti Porou), the project manager of Tainui-a-Whiro whānau housing development Te Kopua Papakāinga, spoke about indigenous knowledge in action.

Dean of Research and Enterprise Marcus Williams says student inclusion is something ITPs have always strived to achieve at the research symposium, and believes the focus on Māori innovation has allowed the idea to come to life.

“The student wānanga provided an opportunity for the sector to become more connected through a network of students and staff

across ITPs. Unitec’s well-connected research office, and Kaihautū – who are responsible for embedding mātauranga Māori in programme design, deliver staff professional development, and monitor quality assurance as it relates to embedding mātauranga Māori – contributed to an organising committee ready to focus on Māori innovation. The idea of student inclusion may not have come about had the organising committee not been focused on Māori innovation,” he says.

“The goal of the national symposium has always been to publicise the ITP sector’s point of difference and its contribution to the research community – applied research with impact.

The theme for the symposium changes every year, and over the years, the themes have becoming increasingly inclusive of innovation.

Māori innovation is a value proposition I hope people will one day associate with Unitec and the sector.”

contact

TeUrikore Biddle tbiddle@unitec.ac.nz

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Amplifying the Māori voice Assistive technology charity TalkLink has joined forces with Unitec to help Kiwis with communication impairments speak te reo Māori.

COMMUNICATION

Ann Smaill.

Kiwi charity TalkLink helps people without a voice to communicate using technology, and its latest project is an ambitious one: creating a synthetic voice that enables its clients to speak te reo Māori. Through the ITP Research and Enterprise Voucher Scheme, Unitec staff and students are helping lay the foundations for this life-changing idea.

When people cannot speak, because of neurological conditions such as motor neurone disease, disabilities or accidents, they can communicate using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices.

TalkLink helps people with communication impairments acquire and learn how to use these devices, but currently, only American, British and Australian accents are available.

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TalkLink chief executive officer Ann Smaill thinks it’s time te reo Māori had a voice – though she acknowledges the project is more complex than simply transferring a collection of phrases into a software program.

“It’s not just about developing a voice, but also looking at the cultural aspects of the project.

There are different dialects and methods of pronunciation in te reo Māori; we’ve worked a little with this across different regions when including te reo on our low-tech communication boards, but none of it has been very systematic and research based,” says Smaill.

"It’s not just about developing a voice, but also looking at the cultural aspects of the project."

COMMUNICATION

"If we can improve our cultural competency, make connections and get various iwi and hapū involved, there are lots of materials we can develop for our clients."

TalkLink ambassador and client Geneva Hakaraia-Tino uses her AAC device.

TalkLink client Shyla-Mei Corbett uses an eyegaze communication device.

“If we can improve our cultural competency, make connections and get various iwi and hapū involved, there are lots of materials we can develop for our clients.”

That’s where Unitec’s expertise comes in. Since 2016, Smaill has worked with Ngaire Molyneux, Academic Leader in Business Practice, through the ITP Research and Enterprise Voucher Scheme to develop TalkLink’s strategy, delivery and cultural know-how.

Initially, says Molyneux, the focus was on helping TalkLink review and develop their strategic plan, to diversify their revenue streams. (Smaill is working on creating a New Zealand English accent for AAC programmes, too.) Over time, Unitec staff and students also made a short film, conducted market research and social-media marketing, and helped TalkLink develop online client satisfaction and equipment surveys.

Molyneux and Unitec Master of Communication fellow Māni Dunlop put together a cultural competency programme, which has so far been delivered to TalkLink’s Wellington-based staff. During a two-day wānanga, staff learned about basic greetings and te reo, discussed the Treaty of Waitangi and subsequent treaty breaches, and looked at Māori frameworks in the health sector.

Smaill recognises the importance of working alongside tangata whenua in an appropriate, respectful way. “We need to make sure all our staff know about everything that makes that possible. Building our relationships across New Zealand with a staff of just 40 people is actually quite challenging; wherever we are in the country, we’ll have to go about things in a slightly different way.”

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Non-verbal and speaking out: Geneva Hakaraia-Tino at Hoani Waititi Marae and (inset) at the 2017 Attitude Awards. Images courtesy of Attitude TV. COMMUNICATION

It’s the groundwork of a project that will have a life-changing effect for people such as Geneva Hakaraia-Tino (Ngāpuhi, Te Aupōuri).

The TalkLink client, mentor and ambassador was born with athetoid cerebral palsy, and communicates by using pre-programmed words and phrases, as well as text-to-speech, through a speech-generating device. Hakaraia-Tino completed a Bachelor of Communication Studies at the end of 2017, just after winning the Spirit of Attitude and Supreme Winner awards at the annual Attitude Awards for people living with a disability.

She has become the public face of TalkLink’s campaign to raise money and support for a synthetic voice in te reo Māori. In a recent submission to the Vodafone Foundation, Hakaraia-Tino explained it’s important that she, and people who have similar challenges with speech, can talk in their own language.

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“My culture is very important to me; it is part of who I am as a person.

Last year, I enrolled in a te reo Māori paper at university, which is not easy when your communication device ‘speaks’ English.

Learning te reo Māori has been awesome, but I am restricted when it comes to doing verbal assessments and having conversations in te reo.

“Initially, I would phonetically spell te reo Māori kupu (words) into my device but as I learnt more words, it became difficult to make the words sound as close as possible to its pronunciation.

Currently, people have to read off my device if we are conversing in te reo. If there was a te reo Māori voice, it would definitely make things easier and allow others who have a speech impairment like myself to finally be heard within te ao Māori (the Māori world).”

COMMUNICATION

"It’s very applied and students really enjoy projects where they can get involved and actually help, particularly when they’re helping a charity."

TalkLink clients and mentors use a talking mat (left) and an AAC device (above).

Hakaraia-Tino is heading to Australia in late July to speak at a conference for the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, to share her passion for the idea and hopefully find support to help realise this dream.

Since 1992, the year after TalkLink was established, it has been based on Unitec’s Mt Albert campus – Unitec Pae Arahi (Māori advisors to the chief executive) Haare Williams and Hare Paniora gave TalkLink its Māori name, Wahanga Tū Kōrero, that same year. Paniora is currently TalkLink’s kaumātua.

But the recent land sale to the Crown means TalkLink now has to find a new home. Still, Smaill and Molyneux see ongoing opportunities for mutual learning and benefit between TalkLink and Unitec.

Molyneux has used the charity as a case study for her business students. “There’s all sorts of value for students in the opportunity to actually work with a real organisation. It’s very applied and students really enjoy projects where they can get involved and actually help, particularly when they’re helping a charity,” she says.

As communication becomes easier in our increasingly digital world, and interest in learning te reo Māori grows, Smaill says the idea of a Māori voice is beginning to catch on.

“It is something that a lot of people want now they’re aware it is technically possible. It’s not just about helping one voice be heard, but changing the way disability is viewed and accommodated in society.”

contact

Ann Smaill Ann.Smaill@talklink.org.nz

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Tackling homelessness through marae-led care HOUSING

A Unitec-University of Waikato research team is examining Te Puea Memorial Marae’s kaupapa Māori-led work with vulnerable whānau, to show how marae can be an integral part of urban housing solutions.

In the winter of 2016, Te Puea Memorial Marae (TPMM) voluntarily opened their doors to vulnerable whānau seeking emergency housing.

Continuing the legacy of Te Puea Hērangi1, the marae responded to the call of homeless whānau in Auckland, helping them to access food, housing, employment and financial assistance – at a time when the previous government had refused to acknowledge homelessness as a ‘crisis’ or even a serious issue.

The small team at TPMM not only made the reality of homelessness visible by caring for 181 people (of all ethnicities and cultural backgrounds) that winter through a kaupapa Māori-led response, they also disrupted the dominant narrative by naming the housing situation in Auckland as a ‘crisis’2.

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They also disrupted the dominant narrative by naming the housing situation in Auckland as a ‘crisis’.

Unitec’s Rau Hoskins (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hau) and University of Waikato associate professor Jenny Lee-Morgan (Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Mahuta) are the coprincipal investigators leading a two-year National Science Challenge research project entitled Te Manaaki o te Marae: The role of the marae in the Auckland housing crisis. Hoskins and Lee-Morgan bring together a wealth of knowledge and experience about Māori housing, architecture and design, and kaupapa Māori research (research done according to Māori principles and ideology).

P rominent Waikato-Tainui leader and Māori social advocate of the early 20th century; niece of the Māori King Mahuta.

C ollins, S. (2016, June 1). Marae calls for army to help with homeless crisis. NZ Herald. Retrieved from http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11648844

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HOUSING

The wider research team outside Te Puea Memorial Marae: from left, Allister Young, Rau Hoskins, Dr Mohi Rua, Wayne Knox (rear), Lena Henry (blue top), Miriam Moore (rear), Ella Henry (black dress), Rihi Te Nana (orange scarf), Kat Poi, Jenny Lee-Morgan, Trent Hohaia, Reuben Smiler and Matt Roskruge.

Both say they appreciate the privilege and opportunity to conduct research at the marae with the support of the board of trustees, the chair and director of Te Manaaki Tāngata Hurimoana Dennis (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungūngu, Rongowhaakata – and a Master of Applied Practice student at Unitec), the programme team and whānau.

Other key members of the research team are associate principal investigator Dr Mohi Rua (Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Whakaue), of the University of Waikato, and Unitec research officer Rihi Te Nana (Ngāti Hāua, Ngāpuhi);

"Our team are acutely aware that marae have always been the epicentres of whānau, hapū, iwi and urban Māori communities."

they have a strong background in kaupapa Māori research and working with vulnerable whānau.

The wider research team includes people with expertise in statistics, planning, finance, urban Māori wellbeing and economics, ensuring the research findings are well grounded and capable of directly influencing local and central government Māori housing policy.

“As kaupapa Māori researchers, our team are acutely aware that marae have always been the epicentres of whānau, hapū, iwi and urban Māori communities, and have always provided shelter for those in need. Marae provide a critical connection to our culture, whenua (ancestral land) and the wider natural environment, and continue to be foundational to our tūrangawaewae (cultural security) and sense of identity,” says Lee-Morgan.

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View from Māngere Mountain: the research team is examining the physical environment in which the marae operates, as well as the historical, cultural, political and social contexts.

HOUSING

“We recognise that TPMM is enacting an age-old tradition of manaakitanga (holistic hospitality), while demonstrating that marae can also play a significant role in urban emergency and transitional housing solutions today. Given there are more than 70 marae in the Auckland region3, as an established feature of the Tāmaki Makaurau cultural landscape, there are currently a range of significant marae-led housing solutions, of which TPPM is one.”

Along with students from the Te Hononga centre of Unitec’s Architecture pathway, Hoskins and co-lecturer Carin Wilson are leading the design of urban marae Māori housing solutions to support the Te Manaaki o te Marae research.

They are developing three separate marae housing typologies based on medium density, detached and hostel models, and all informed by direct engagement with TPMM and three other Tāmaki partner marae.

While the focus of this research project is the role of marae, in particular TPPM (who have

3 4

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"There are currently a range of significant marae-led housing solutions, of which TPPM is one."

continued their revamped Manaaki Tāngata programme in 2017 and 2018), in providing emergency and transitional housing, this is only one dimension of Te Manaaki o te Marae. The broader research context concerns marae-led housing interventions premised on the ability of marae to extend their cultural reach into communities.

The transformational potential of marae for Māori is heightened as the Auckland housing crisis continues to escalate, and the number of Māori living in the region is expected to grow. Worse still, Māori are disproportionately affected; for example, 53% of rough sleepers in Auckland are Māori.4 This research seeks to provide information that will strengthen marae (through mana whenua, taura here and mataawaka5) to engage in the housing crisis for urban Māori in culturally consistent and sustainable ways.

I ndependent Māori Statutory Board. This number also includes institutional marae, ie. at schools and universities.

A uckland City Mission 2016 (https://www.aucklandcitymission.org.nz/2016/06/08/200-counting-central-aucklandsrough-sleeper-population-reaches-record-high/) M ana whenua: power from the land; taura here: urban kinship groups; mataawaka: tribe, clan.

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HOUSING

Key members of the research team: from left, Rau Hoskins, Jenny Lee-Morgan, Rihi Te Nana, Dr Mohi Rua.

“Our hypothesis is that marae have the capacity to assume central roles in the provision of critical, culturally based housing initiatives that enhance Māori whānau lives in the city, and inform a new Aotearoa New Zealand housing continuum. While the holistic nature of ‘te manaaki o te marae’ is not new, the agility and success of marae to respond to ‘homeless’ whānau in the current Tāmaki housing context is an innovative Indigenous intervention,” says Hoskins.

"Marae-led housing interventions bring added value as a social and cultural network, and therefore a source of resilience in the face of the crisis."

“It is fundamentally different because it is underscored by an interconnected set of Māori values, beliefs and practices. We posit that marae-led housing interventions bring added value as a social and cultural network, and therefore a source of resilience in the face of the crisis. This research will be foundational in realising the potential of marae to contribute to long-term Māori housing solutions.”

Team members are still in the informationgathering phase of the research. They will begin distilling initial research findings in August, and complete their research outputs for dissemination by the end of June 2019.

contact

Rihi Te Nana rtenana@unitec.ac.nz

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Connect and conserve An ambitious ecological restoration project in Northland is forging links between iwi and community initiatives to restore the mana of the land – and Unitec experts feel privileged that they’re becoming part of this collaboration.

COMMUNITY CONSERVATION COMPUTING CONNECTION

Launching a drone flight over Whirinaki's lower catchment, Hokianga.

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"It’s about how we can be more responsive to communities, working around what they want to know."

Picture a small group of people – iwi and academics – on the side of an unsealed road, bent over screens or peering at the autumn sky as a drone hovers over Northland forest. Modern conservation comes in all forms, and this group is the result of an emerging collaboration between Unitec and Northland iwi to help native flora and fauna flourish.

He Ripo Kau is a community-led, large landscape ecological connectivity project in south Hokianga.

Facilitated by the Reconnecting Northland Trust, its goal is a coordinated, sustainable approach to ecological and cultural restoration – incorporating traditional Māori knowledge (mātauranga Māori) and mahi tahi (working together) – rather than community groups working in isolation.

“The project came from the Hokianga community and was designed by the community,” says Hema Wihongi (Te Uri o Hau, Ngāi Tewake, Te Ihutai), a Unitec Māori science liaison, and the research assistant and cultural liaison for this project.

She and colleagues from the Environmental and Animal Science (EAS) pathway are building a long-term partnership with them, through the

CONSERVATION

From left: Dr Glenn Aguilar, Bill Rawiri and Joe Wynyard discuss an area to be surveyed.

Reconnecting Northland Trust, and the drone flights in May were the latest step in that process.

During the test flights, EAS senior lecturer Dr Glenn Aguilar flew a drone over Whirinaki’s lower catchment, capturing infrared images to identify different types of plants and weeds.

In Geographic Information Systems, which he teaches, acquiring images of vegetation or land cover is followed by processing and developing data, to identify areas of weeds for eradication and areas for reforestation, protection and other interventions.

He Ripo Kau began with a series of hui in 2017 to discuss how the project might work; priority areas include freshwater and wetlands, indigenous forests, economic resilience and food sovereignty. Being from the area, Wihongi was invited to the hui, and saw an opportunity for Unitec to help in a meaningful way.

“It’s about how we can be more responsive to communities, working around what they want to know as opposed to what we think they should know,” she says.

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Community groups involved with He Ripo Kau gather for a hui at Pukerātā Marae.

COMMUNITY CONSERVATION COMPUTING CONNECTION

“A lot of people involved in projects within their hapū territories, they can see there’s work to be done and they’re doing the best they can. Some are trying to balance their forest interests with other parts of their land – grassland, mānuka – and want to use their land more sustainably.”

One of He Ripo Kau’s strengths is its ethos that people can achieve more working together than in separate groups.

“Recently the Ministry for the Environment put out its Our Land 2018 report, saying nearly 83% of indigenous land-based vertebrates (birds, mammals, reptiles) in the threatened-species system were either threatened or at risk of extinction. Plant-eating by pests, as well as disease and weeds, also threatens indigenous biodiversity. I felt absolutely devasted to hear that; that’s why we have to collaborate and partner with as many groups as possible,” adds Wihongi.

She, Aguilar and EAS colleagues Andrew Veale and Peter de Lange have attended hui in Northland, discussing their work and listening to presentations on local initiatives. EAS hosted a hui at Unitec’s Mt Albert campus in March, with

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"One of He Ripo Kau’s strengths is its ethos that people can achieve more working together than in separate groups."

Reconnecting Northland and hapū representatives, during which they heard from EAS specialists; a geneediting scientist, assistant professor Kevin Esvelt from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, showcased emerging technologies for potential pest eradication.

Northland is very “weedy”, with a large array of weeds at any one site, says de Lange, an EAS associate professor who previously worked for the Department of Conservation as a principal scientist for 27 years.

“Weed management requires careful planning.

It’s not as simple as removing, say, wild ginger because its removal will usually result in replacement by another weed, for example tradescantia. It’s better to first catalogue what weeds are there, through a combination of ground-truthing data and drone footage,” he says.

“We are also beginning work with Te Roroa iwi to rejuvenate Roimata-o-Tohe (Pimelea eremitica) – a taonga plant close to extinction – and found only on Maunganui Bluff.”

Removing animal pests also needs to be done carefully, he adds, as they often keep weed species under control. “On Rangitoto Island, possum and wallaby eradication triggered a mass spread of Italian evergreen buckthorn that is now costing millions to eradicate. Rather than rushing in, we prefer to take careful stock of what we have first.”

This multi-dimensional project will evolve over decades, says Wihongi, so iwi need to know Unitec is “in it for the long haul. The partnership has to be mutual, and people need to feel assured we’re not going to disappear once we’ve got our research data.”

CONSERVATION

A coordinated approach to conservation: from left, Dr Glenn Aguilar, Joe Wynyard, Bill Rawiri and Hema Wihongi.

De Lange wants to teach Northland rangatahi (youth) skills that will enable them to manage their own lands. “I’m keen to see Unitec teach courses on their marae, as iwi have pointed out their youth often don't wish to leave their rohe. I see excellent opportunities, too, for our students to visit their marae and get a better understanding of tikanga and how Māori view their world. There is a lot we can learn from iwi.”

Wihongi believes being guided by the community is essential for maintaining relevance as a tertiary educator. “This is where the disconnect has happened between academia and communities.

Typically we go in and research things we’re interested in, and often it’s part of the solution, but we’ve got to look at truly collaborating to deliver more holistic, relevant, empowering knowledge to people who want to learn.

“We need to restore the mana and integrity of the environment, because without that you can’t have sustainable economic development.”

contact

Hema Wihongi hwihongi@unitec.ac.nz

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A new path to business success An innovative Unitec pathway blends traditional Māori ways of teaching with business and enterprise, demystifying entrepreneurship and giving students a cultural competitive advantage.

BUSINESS & ENTERPRISE

Māui is well known throughout Māori and Pacific communities as one of the greatest ancestral heroes. Now the stories of Māui – and the art of pūrākau (traditional storytelling) – are part of an innovative suite of new Unitec courses created to inspire Māori entrepreneurship.

Te Awa inspires ‘Māuipreneurship’ by using a traditional role model to encourage entrepreneurial activity. Māui’s adventures have passed traditional knowledge between generations, and he is an exemplar of entrepreneurship; he saw opportunity where others would accept the status quo. There are 15 stories of Māui where he displays his leadership and entrepreneurial prowess, and in each story his will and energy keep the central theme alive (Keelan and Woods, 2006)1.

Te Awa pathway is named after the place in which it was conceived, at the heart of Unitec’s Mt Albert campus. The stages of Te Awa

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Combining business knowledge with mātauranga Māori is what makes Te Awa a reflection of Māori entrepreneurship.

reference the sacred and special sites at Unitec, including Te Noho Kotahitanga (The Marae), Te Wai Unuroa o Wairaka (The Spring), Te Wai Tohu o Rurangi (The Awa, or Stream) and Te Pa Harakeke o Rangimārie (The Flax Plantation).

Collaborative research between Dr Josie Keelan, Dean Teaching and Learning Mātauranga Māori (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tūhoe), and Ngaire Molyneux (Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Kahungungu), Academic Leader in Business Practice, brought the pathway to life. A pilot ran in 2017.

Molyneux says combining business knowledge with mātauranga Māori is what makes Te Awa a reflection of Māori entrepreneurship, and relevant for Māori and non-Māori students studying all kinds of disciplines.

M āuipreneur: understanding Māori entrepreneurship (Keelan & Woods, 2006). Also see Pōtikitanga: indigenous entrepreneurship in a Māori context (Tapsell & Woods, 2008) and The Māuipreneur (Keelan, 2009).

unitec.ac.nz

BUSINESS & ENTERPRISE

Opposite page: Ngaire Molyneux.

This page: One of the programme's four stages is named after Te Noho Kotahitanga Marae.

“We use pūrākau, ako (learning together) and tuakana-teina (knowledge transfer), and te reo me nga tikanga (Māori language and culture) where possible, and the ‘Māuipreneurship’ framework to inspire students to get started.

It’s about nurturing and supporting entrepreneurs to make their enterprise dreams a commercial reality,” she says.

There are some factors unique to Māori business.

Organisations place Māori culture and values at the centre of how they operate, in all aspects of work.

Often there is particular legislation to adhere to, particularly for

Māori enterprise is inter-generational and relationship centric, helping support whānau, hapū and future generations.

organisations protecting and growing shared assets for multiple owners.

Māori enterprise is inter-generational and relationship centric, helping support whānau, hapū and future generations. It takes a holistic, multiple bottom-line approach, with a strong focus on sustainability and kaitiakitanga (guardianship).

The fundamentals of starting a business are the same; it’s applying them using kaupapa Māori in an applied learning environment that makes Te Awa useful for any entrepreneur, Māori or non-Māori, Molyneux adds.

For generations, Māori have passed on knowledge through pūrākau. Bachelor of Business student Terry Tauroa was attracted to Te Awa because of its promotion of Māori values. He says using pūrākau helped to focus the sharing of knowledge that was useful for his enterprise.

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Detail from carving at Te Noho Kotahitanga Marae.

Inset images: Parker, and examples of her work.

BUSINESS & ENTERPRISE

Te Awa also uses the tuakana-teina concept, an integral part of traditional Māori society where an older or more expert tuakana (brother, sister or cousin) helps and guides a younger or less experienced teina (originally a younger sibling or cousin of the same gender).

This model allows all participants to learn. “With ako, the teacher-learner experience is about sharing. Terry Tauroa helped me with te reo me nga tikanga for other students – a great example of ako,” says Molyneux.

Those enrolled in Te Awa learn how to articulate their idea into a tangible product/service, build strong foundations for a business, and identify opportunities for future growth and funding. They work alongside entrepreneurs,

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business owners and mentors, pitching ideas to those who can guide and support them after they graduate.

Molyneux says the tables have turned, with huge growth in the Māori economy and asset base.

Systems and legislation that historically hindered Māori enterprise now pose opportunities.

Through economic growth and resilience, iwi organisations have paved the way for savvy Māori entrepreneurs to play a big part in the New Zealand economy.

Bachelor of Creative Enterprise graduate Whiromena Parker valued the whakawhanaungatanga aspect of the Te Awa course she completed.

"We embraced values such as tikanga, manaakitanga and tino rangatiratanga in an environment that is heavily focused on strategies, operations and financials."

“Ki te kahore he wh Ka n

- Tawhiao Matutaera Potatau

BUSINESS & COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE

“Without foresight or vision, the peo

“I enjoyed the openness and honesty of sharing knowledge between the students, lecturer, visiting guest speakers and entrepreneurs.

Sharing the different levels of knowledge and experience was empowering, and understanding business processes, structures and operations became less intimidating,” she says.

kia ahitanga

Te Whakaritenga

ōtahitanga Me

a tau i raro i te

ōtahi

atoa, Haumi ē!

i ē!

ha

Maunga te Moana

“Te Awa allowed me to combine my creative aspirations with core business and enterprise structures. The storytelling framework was interesting because it made learning business information easier, and helped me to better understand how my story has an impact on the way I build and operate my business. It’s a foundation that helps me even more now I’ve graduated.”

This famous Whakatauki by King Tawhiao is a need to be looking forward in order for my future is why I am passionate about utilising my skil document elements of Whakapapa so that it m Itcome has helped Parker before me, those who are with me and thos

realise and better articulate her enterprise vision. She believes knowing her ‘why’ gives her an edge. “Te Awa is innovative because it has the competitive advantage of blending te ao Māori with business and enterprise,” says Parker.

“We embraced values such as tikanga, manaakitanga and tino rangatiratanga in an environment that is heavily focused on strategies, operations and financials.”

Molyneux hopes to run the courses later in 2018, and also emphasises the power of working with others. “It’s important to get across they don’t have to be and do everything if they go into business. Sometimes it’s best to partner up with people, so Te Awa is also about helping students form networks – which is living the values of Te Noho Kotahitanga, Unitec's partnership document with Māori."

contact

Ngaire Molyneux nmolyneux@unitec.ac.nz

Waka

toa te Iwi

Tangata

i te Hapu

Marae Parker toku Ingoa

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phone 0800 10 95 10 web www.unitec.ac.nz Mt Albert campus 139 Carrington Rd Mt Albert Auckland 1025 WaitÄ kere campus 5-7 Ratanui St Henderson Auckland 0612