Waikato Business News May/June 2021
Waikato Business News has for a quarter of a century been the voice of the region’s business community, a business community with a very real commitment to innovation and an ethos of co-operation.
Waikato Business News has for a quarter of a century been the voice of the region’s business community, a business community with a very real commitment to innovation and an ethos of co-operation.
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WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2021</strong><br />
7<br />
“<br />
On our course, we look at the many<br />
aho or strands that are woven together<br />
to make up the fabric of te ao Māori<br />
t<br />
r.<br />
Māori tikanga increasingly<br />
important for business<br />
Learning about tikanga, the protocols and practices of the Māori<br />
world, is increasingly important for businesses, according to Te<br />
Wānanga o Aotearoa kaiako (tutor) Tiriana Anderson.<br />
He teaches TWoA’s Te<br />
Whāinga o Te Ao Tikanga<br />
Level 3 Certificate<br />
programme, at the Apakura<br />
campus in Te Awamutu.<br />
“Understanding te ao<br />
Māori, our world, and knowing<br />
how to act within it are skills<br />
modern Kiwi business people<br />
need to know to operate most<br />
effectively,” says Tiriana.<br />
“Māori rituals and tikan-<br />
ga are an increasingly common<br />
‘shared space’ between<br />
all New Zealand cultures and<br />
learning about tikanga helps<br />
businesses inhabit that space<br />
authentically.”<br />
The 25-year-old has<br />
strong whakapapa (genealogical)<br />
links to <strong>Waikato</strong> iwi,<br />
affiliating with<br />
Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti<br />
Rārua and <strong>Waikato</strong> on his<br />
mother’s side, and to Ngāti<br />
Rereahu, Ngāti Hikairo and<br />
Ngāti Maniapoto again on his<br />
father’s.<br />
He has a passion for teaching<br />
and inspiring pūrākau (stories),<br />
kōrero tuku iho (ancestral<br />
knowledge), whakapapa and te<br />
ao Māori generally.<br />
“On our course, we look at<br />
the many aho or strands that<br />
are woven together to make up<br />
the fabric of te ao Māori.<br />
“People come to know and<br />
understand some of the Māori<br />
cultural practices, and can navigate<br />
them with confidence.”<br />
These include but are not<br />
limited to formal pōwhiri<br />
(welcome rituals), tangihanga<br />
(funerals), whakatau (general<br />
welcomes) and karakia<br />
(prayers).<br />
Tiriana says tikanga also<br />
helps businesses establish a<br />
model or basis for relationships<br />
in the workplace, and<br />
with clients and stakeholders,<br />
particulary Māori.<br />
“Tikanga allows people to<br />
define and describe for themselves<br />
what their purpose is.<br />
It’s like a road map of what<br />
teamwork looks like and how<br />
effective relationships can<br />
work in any context, and to<br />
develop relationships through<br />
a principled approach.<br />
“In the business scene relationships<br />
are some of the most<br />
important things and tikanga<br />
provides the tools to work out<br />
where these relationships fit in.<br />
It’s a bit like a SWOT analysis.<br />
We encourage businesses<br />
to consider sending members<br />
to our tikanga courses to help<br />
them develop effective relationships<br />
skills, in their own<br />
worlds and particularly if they<br />
engage with te ao Māori.”<br />
On the rituals of te ao Māori<br />
– such as pōwhiri and karakia<br />
– becoming an increasingly<br />
shared common space for Kiwis,<br />
Tiriana feels this space is<br />
boosting mutual understanding<br />
around reciprocity (mutual obligations<br />
to each other).<br />
“For example, in class we<br />
teach about the aspect of aroha<br />
(love) involved in recognising<br />
that we sometimes need to<br />
change and adjust the way we<br />
do things to end the distress<br />
of others or to help them be<br />
their best.”<br />
For Māori, the course offers<br />
a chance to connect in detail<br />
with te ao Māori and the history<br />
of tangata whenua, while<br />
for non-Māori it provides a<br />
foundational understanding of<br />
that world and helps people to<br />
confidently engage with it.<br />
“For non-Māori, I have a<br />
saying, that in order for you<br />
to understand te ao Māori you<br />
need to see yourself in it. This<br />
course will help you find your<br />
place there.”<br />
The mana of people, the<br />
land, te reo Māori and the natural<br />
world are all key “pou”<br />
or pillars supporting what’s<br />
taught on the course.<br />
“These are the four key pou<br />
of tikanga. They encompass<br />
the complexity and entirety of<br />
tikanga Māori,” says Tiriana.<br />
He sees clear benefits for<br />
everyone of having more people<br />
– Māori, Pākehā and other<br />
ethnicities – understanding and<br />
incorporating authentic tikanga<br />
Māori into their lives.<br />
“It helps them understand<br />
their place individually and<br />
shows them the Māori world is<br />
not only just for Māori. This is<br />
everyone’s world.<br />
“It’s also about feeling<br />
more at home in Aotearoa,<br />
feeling more at home within<br />
yourself. Tikanga takes people<br />
on a journey of reflection,<br />
and development. You can<br />
find a spiritual awareness and<br />
confidence you never knew<br />
you had, enhanced by an<br />
understanding you never<br />
thought existed.”<br />
Learn about<br />
Māori culture<br />
Tikanga is about purpose, practices and protocols, and you’ll<br />
find it in every aspect of te ao Māori (the Māori world).<br />
This introductory programme gives you the foundations<br />
of understanding what tikanga is, why it exists, and how<br />
it manifests itself in practice.<br />
Te Whāinga o te Ao Tikanga Level 3<br />
No fees - apply now<br />
0800 448 962<br />
twoa.ac.nz/whainga<br />
Visit our webpage for detailed information about our programmes.<br />
All programmes are subject to approval and class numbers.<br />
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa © <strong>2021</strong> | 194