Māori visible leading change and shaping futures
Achieving whānau, hapū and iwi aspirations through innovation and a long-term commitment to intergenerational equity is a deeply Māori process. Mokopuna Decisions have always been part and parcel of Māori thinking: many of us find ourselves in places and spaces our koroua and kuia envisaged for us, created for us.
Last week, our team of social innovators and indigenous system thinkers was fortunate to visit the rohe of Te Whānau-a-Apanui to gain inspiration from others who are also creating impact and positive change in their communities. Inspiration is important for innovators because it provides the motivation and means to be creative, learn from others, and achieve goals. Innovation is the process of contributing to and improving an existing service or process or solving a problem that others have been unable to.
We are extremely grateful to the whānau and groups who generously gave their time and shared their stories and mātauranga with us last week. We learned about innovation and collective impact happening at the whānau, hapū and iwi levels.
Whānau business: Tōrere Macadamia Nursery based in Torere.
Hapū initiative: Te Whānau a Maruhaeremuri based in Raukokore.
Iwi collaboration: Te Raukumara Pae Maunga Team based in Te Kaha.
In strong alignment with the Healthy Families Rotorua principles and values we observed examples of:
Tikanga-led design: An indigenous-led approach that prioritises the power of whānau to lead their own responses to social and other issues.
Localised solutions: These either address issues that exist in a community or take advantage of opportunities that are apparent at a local level.
Building whānau capability and capacity: Significant growth and development is generated as leaders and kaimahi plan, activate and monitor their initiatives.
Collective efforts, growing movements: Wicked challenges require all parts of the community, all generations and segments of society to contribute to the solutions. People we listened to understand the importance of ‘taking their people with them’.
Leadership: All of the initiatives we saw created considerable opportunities for mentoring, succession and role modelling to occur in authentic contexts. Leaders grow other leaders, and, in this way, the whole tribe and community can benefit.
Tino rangatiratanga in Action: Whānau, hapū and iwi taking a leading role. United by a common purpose, locals are organising solutions enabling an effective whole-of-systems approach and showcasing how effectively they can partner in social, environmental and economic change.
Revitalising cultural connections: These include whakapapa connections, pūrākau, mātauranga-a-Taiao, living on whenua tūpuna, reclaiming a ‘Māori way of life’ in harmony with each other, with the marae, the ngāhere, awa and moana. Looking back to go forward.
Māori social innovation is highly participatory and is based on the premise that people at the local level already have the ideas, knowledge, tools and capabilities – the lived experience – required to create their own innovative solutions to the challenges they experience in their communities. Our research has shown us that Māori have been innovating for generations, and Māori cultural values are catalysts for social innovation and shaping better futures.
As Wiremu Wharepapa from the Raukumara Pae Maunga kaupapa told us, “All Māori need is an opportunity and some resources, and we can do anything.”
Kai ngā tipu o Rongo-māui, o Pani-tīnaku. Nei rā mātou ngā maramara kūmara nō te kete rokiroki e mihi nei i te reka o ngā hua, i te riringi o ngā kōrero i puta. Nō mātou te māringa nui.
