Pioneering change – HERA launches two new kaupapa Māori initiatives

In a vibrant celebration of culture, innovation, and community, HERA proudly launched two kaupapa Māori projects this week.

The launch ceremony, ‘Ka rongo te pō! Ka rongo te ao!’ was held at HERA House and marked a significant milestone in our commitment to incorporating mātauranga Māori into our research and engineering workforce development.

An early start to the day honouring tradition

We aligned our launch ceremony with a formal opening of HERA House which was never performed by mana whenua in the past.

From a tikanga perspective, this was carried out by a special dawn ceremony blessing, setting a spiritual and respectful tone for the events that followed.

The formal opening then began later in the morning and was attended by a cross-section of the education, research, construction, engineering, and manufacturing sectors, as well as iwi and tauira (students), who were welcomed warmly with a traditional pōwhiri.

Unveiling key projects

Two major projects were unveiled during the ceremony, each showcasing the integration of mātauranga Māori as part of our commitments to Vision Mātauranga.

The Tohu App – developed in partnership with the Auraki Group, the Tohu App is a career pathway app specifically designed for rangatahi. Statistics show there is a slow uptake of Māori into STEMM careers but tracking forward they will make up around 20% of our future workforce, so we have particularly targeted this app toward Māori students as we are keen to stimulate interest in and understanding of the possibilities in our sectors amongst younger generations through channels that they connect with.

The app consists of interactive questionnaires that allow students to discover their alignment to ngā atua, identify their strengths, skills, and interests, and match these core values to STEMM-related jobs that align with kaupapa Māori values.

We were privileged to have Naomi Manu (Rangitāne, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Raukawa), known for her significant contributions to kaupapa Māori initiatives, speak to this kaupapa. Her passionate korero highlighting the importance of such initiatives in empowering Māori youth.

Ngākopa Construction 4.0 Hub – our Endeavour supported research on Construction 4.0 “Developing a Construction 4.0 transformation of the Aotearoa New Zealand construction sector” also has a dedicated focus on incorporating mātauranga Māori. As part of this mahi, a karakia and branding entity gifted to represent our Construction 4.0 digital hub was launched as part of this ceremony.

We were grateful to have Saul Roberts (Waiohua, Waikato-Tainiui, Ngapuhi) speak to this kaupapa on the day. As the acknowledged kaitiaki of the Ngākopa Construction 4.0 branding and the karakia conceptualised for this rangahau, we feel fortunate to be able to have him work on this mahi with the support of the Mātauranga Māori roopu for our Endeavour project.

Marking the event well

The launch of these kaupapa Māori projects marked a significant milestone in our commitment to fostering a more inclusive and innovative engineering sector.

To remind us of this occasion, we marked this event with the unveiling of mahi toi (Māori artwork) by artist River Jayden (Ngāti Tahu – Ngāti Whaoa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) named “Teretere”. This artwork was commissioned as part of our commitment to embrace te ao Māori within the walls of our whare, HERA House.

We are honored to have collaborated with River, an emerging wahine Māori artist who embodies HERA’s spirit of innovation, boldness, and ingenuity. River’s unique, vibrant, and contemporary approach to toi Māori made her a natural choice to visually tell the pūrakau (story) of steel.

Looking ahead

As we move forward, we remain dedicated to honouring the rich heritage of mātauranga Māori and integrating it into the mahi we do to ensure that our work is not only technically advanced but also culturally enriching.

We’d like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all who attended and supported this event to make it the success that it was. In particular we’d like to acknowledge Saul Roberts who played a hugely significant role in guiding us through the day to ensure we carried this launch ceremony out with integrity.

We are proud of the work we are doing in this space and we are excited to continue this journey, working collaboratively with our partners, members and wider industry stakeholders to create a brighter, more sustainable future embracing mātauranga Māori.