Equity Opportunists: The Hāpai Tūhono approach to Māori career development
Photo / Hāpai Tūhono Instagram
Hāpai Tūhono is a Kaupapa Māori career development/activation organisation based in Manukau, Auckland. Working as ‘Equity Opportunists,’ Hāpai Tūhono has a clear mission: to ensure that Māori have the necessary networks, resources and support to gain wealth and life sovereignty for their futures.
Taking a holistic, personalised approach to career navigation that is immersed in Te Ao Māori, Hāpai Tūhono place identity at the centre of their philosophy, taking the time to understand the individual, their whakapapa, their interests and their drive.
“The power of a good career intervention and activation is not to be underestimated – it can change the entire life trajectory of not just an individual, but also their whānau (family),” says Tanya Kaihe (Ngāpuhi), Amorangi (CEO) at Hāpai Tūhono.
“At times, a job is a job, and is necessary just to put kai (food) on the table (it doesn’t have to be a your forever job). However, within us, we each have unique strengths, interests and passions.
“On top of this, to carve a future that allows us to gain wealth and life sovereignty creates a beautiful empowerment for whānau that cannot be replicated in any other way. It’s powerful to have agency over the decisions we make, and to live outside of just meeting our basic needs.”
Photo / Hāpai Tūhono Instagram
The Mana Tūroa Approach
Mana Tūroa is at the heart of Hāpai Tūhono, a 12-week programme that aims to identify career pathways by mapping out realistic, but aspirational plans and outcomes for Māori, so they are able to create a legacy they can be proud of.
Codesigned with rangatahi (youth), career practitioners, teachers and youth mentors, the process revolves around four pou (pillars). These include whakapapa (connection to whānau and the environment), pūmanawa (skills and qualities), tūmanako (hopes and interests) and mana (the unique power and strength we hold).
“A lack of confidence or inability to visualise a logical path forward can make the pressures of navigating a career feel insurmountable,” says Kaihe. “It was important to us to create a network that considers a person as a whole, and makes pursuing these more accessible,” says Kaihe.
A recent case saw a young man, who taken at face-value, had previously been told he would make a good security guard. However, upon diving deeper, Hāpai Tūhono discovered his passion for books and creative writing, and he has since gone on to become a librarian – a role that brings him great enjoyment and has changed his life but had previously never been considered as an option.
Practically, the programme ensures everyone leaves with a CV, a career plan, and short and long-term goals. However, the Kaupapa Māori nature of Mana Tūroa also far transcends this, incorporating 12 months of ongoing pastoral care, career support, and mentorship.
“Particularly as Māori, the beauty of our culture is our ability to unify and uplift one another,” says Kaihe. “Finishing the 12 weeks does not mean that that tautoko (support) stops – we work with rangatahi for up to 52 weeks.”
Through Mana Tūroa, job placements have been made everywhere from libraries and sports teams to companies such as Steel and Tube or Spark. Throughout this, Hāpai Tūhono continue to work with employers to ensure that they are including Māori into their management structures, and that Māori employees are getting the treatment and promotions they deserve.
Photo / Hāpai Tūhono Instagram
He Taonga Pūrākau
Hāpai Tūhono also enlist their ‘He Taonga Pūrākau’ stream of work, as advocates for equitable access to quality and culturally appropriate career development advice and support. This honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi) as a way of strengthening rangatiratanga (sovereignty) for Māori.
“Urban Māori have suffered systemic and entrenched racism, that unfortunately continues to linger,” says Kaihe. “We’re often represented too highly in poverty, and yet stereotyping sees us continue to be directed towards mundane, low-paying roles.”
“A holistic programme grounded in Te Ao Māori considers Hauora (wellbeing), intergenerational trauma and finding acceptance in our identities in a way that a Westernised system cannot.”
“Our mahi (work) is about creating careers by design rather than default and is equally focused towards helping people to find their voice, draw strength from their whakapapa, and acknowledge being Māori as their superpower.”
Photo / Hāpai Tūhono Instagram
Although predominantly delivered to rangatahi Māori (Māori youth), the goal is to firmly embed career interventions and activations of quality across the ecosystem of Aotearoa (New Zealand), for rangatahi (youth) right through to kuia and kaumātua (elders).
Going forward, they are working with the Tertiary Education Commission to develop a community resource/service into a product that can be used across the country. This is to firmly embed career intervention through your lifetime learning journey.
“We are by Māori, for Māori, for everyone; and simply want to see that everyone is able to access and harness the opportunities that allow them to reach their full potential.”