Kia Maia; be bold and adventurous
Kia Maia is one of Dr Selwyn Katene’s six lessons in Māori leadership. It’s exactly what we asked our participants on the first Upskills He Muka Tangata to do when they said ‘yes’ to joining our programme in 2023.
Fast forward 8 months and this rōpū, from up and down Aotearoa, with participants from Griffin’s, Silver Fern Farms, Inbox Solutions and Delegat, is graduating at Maataatua Marae, to celebrate their leadership achievements.
Exploring culture, identity, wellbeing and leadership through a Te Ao Māori lens
This wharenui in Auckland’s Mangere was where the kōrero deepened the learning through active learning principles and whanaungatanga. It’s clear on He Muka Tangata graduation day, that the group formed a strong bond as they navigated the Level 3 Certificate in partnership with Service IQ Te Pukenga to gain their NZQA qualification.
The course is focused on exploring culture, identity, wellbeing and leadership through a Te Ao Māori lens. Importantly, it also reconnects many participants with their Māori whakapapa. Funded in partnership with Te Puni Kōkiri, the wider goals of the course are thriving whānau, hapu and iwi – starting with this rōpū with a ripple effect.
Feedback from participants and their managers
For Maree Rihari from Griffin’s, getting to know people from different walks of life has inspired her.
“I know and understand positive, mana-enhancing communication,” says Maree.
She’s keen to share the learning and work with others at Griffin’s to help them achieve their leadership paths.
Her colleague Vicki Herangi, has worked at Griffin’s for 14 years and now leads a production line at the iconic Kiwi biscuit factory in Papakura. She was motivated to climb the ladder to a management role. Vicki firmly believes in the power of the team to get you there, quoting an inspirational quote to sum it up:
“‘If I dream, I dream alone. If we dream, we dream together.”
The course, facilitated by Saran Read and Matina Clarke, provided leadership input to a kete of skills and knowledge to help leaders step up and thrive. Everything from delegation, mana enhancing communication, continuous improvement, emotional intelligence, wellbeing, Te Whare Tapa Whā and key Māori concepts to drive great leadership including tika, pōno and aroha.
For Inbox Solutions’ Luke Beeston, He Muka Tangata has been a journey of self-discovery.
“It’s been uplifting for me learning and being on the marae. I’ve been given a taonga that I can now hand down to my whānau,” says Luke, who initially felt nervous about stepping onto the course because he lacked confidence in his ability to learn. “But I pushed myself to lead to benefit my family and found the courage to lead at work and home. Learning is a great feeling and I now have the tools to improve my reading and writing skills,” says Luke.
Similarly, Manuel McKenzie, from Delegat’s West Auckland Winery, was also shy about participating in the course initially. The best part of He Muka Tangata for him?
“The courage to come out of my shell and the belief that I can achieve.”
Manuel is grateful for the opportunity to become a potential leader and now considers himself a man on a journey.
Manager support and belief along the way, alongside coaching conversations, have been an important part of the growth. Drawing on a Māori whakatauki, Inbox Solutions Manager Sean Conolly emphasised this:
“He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.”
He Muka Tangata brought people together from all over the motu. We were delighted that our Silver Fern Farms whānau could take part. Silver Ferns worker David Houia felt the group environment helped him to open up, reflect and learn.
“The dynamics of the group helped me to share. It’s a neverending journey to become a leader, but now I have the tools required.” Likewise, his colleague Phillip felt he sharpened his people skills:
“I now know how to deal with different personalities.”
Their manager at Silver Fern Farms, Ricky is extremely proud of his team’s tohu.
“It’s a huge achievement to attend the He Muka Tangata graduation with the confidence to continue to inspire and help lead others in the future,” he said. “The course really helped, not only to create good leaders but to know how to raise the next good leaders too.”
Congratulations to our very first Upskills group of He Muka Tangata graduates.
Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui.
Find out more
About He Muka Tangata our public course for emerging Māori leaders
About Te Puni Kōkiri Cadetships (exclusive to your organisation)
