Innovation in Te Ao Māori
Hone Thorpe, the Business School’s kaiārahi, talks to us about innovation.
Without innovation, the great tribes of New Zealand would never have arrived in Aotearoa. Think of the vast Pacific Ocean; how do you travel across that without innovation? Our Māori ancestors sailed the great ocean of Kiwa for thousands of years, and they perfected the design of their huge double-hulled waka hourua so that they could go anywhere and go fast and safely. They brought innovative thinking to Aotearoa, and it continues to this day.
One of our Māori words for innovation is tangongitanga. This noun can be translated as divergence, difference, variation, variant or innovation. The base word is the verb tangongi, which can be translated as turning aside, diverging, or deviating. Contrast this with the English meaning of innovation, a new idea or method. The base word ‘innovate’ in English means to introduce changes and new ideas. The scope of the Māori words is much greater. They give us the idea of taking something that exists and introducing some variation.
In 1982, the first immersion Māori language nest Kohanga Reo was opened in Wainuiomata. This initiative by Jean Puketapu and Dame Iritana Tawhiwhirangi is a classic example of Māori innovation born from a community need to preserve te reo Māori. Since the mainstream education system was ignoring te reo Māori, they knew they had to swerve away from that education system. Since then, well over 60,000 children have graduated with the ability to speak the Māori language.
Another language innovator was Dame Kāterina Te Heikoko Mataira. She also wanted to preserve te reo Māori and her efforts led to the development of Kura Kaupapa Māori. This innovation was for high school students so that the work of Kohanga Reo could be continued at a higher level. She also introduced the Te Ataarangi method for learning te reo Māori, where cuisenaire rods build language capability. She took this method from the French and adapted it to Aotearoa. It is a popular method with older learners wanting to regain their ancient language.
In 1984 Mason Durie developed a holistic model of Māori well-being and health, which has been adopted by indigenous people worldwide. His model describes health and well-being as a wharenui, as seen at a marae. The four main carved parts at the front represent the important components of well-being and health. These are wairua or spiritual, hingengaro or mental, tinana or body and whānau or extended family. The idea is that all four parts are needed for the whare to stand.
Similarly, for well-being and health, all parts must be considered together. This innovative metaphor is now an essential part of investigating the well-being and health of any group of people. It is another innovation that arose from a need to improve Māori well-being and health.
In the business world, we are seeing lots of innovation which involve the use of Māori concepts and ideas. Māori leaders are being hired in the business world. They are assisting organisations, government entities and businesses in developing their organisational culture in Māori ways that lead to better outcomes for all stakeholders and, thus, for society in general.
A quick internet search will reveal many Māori products developed by innovators taking ideas from te ao Māori with great care, giving them adjustments or adaptations to meet market needs. A simple example is a pack of cards with a Māori king, a Māori queen, and so on. These are very popular amongst whānau Māori. There are many more such culturally innovative products.
There are many more examples of Māori innovation in all areas of life. Many of which have been adapted for use by other ethnic groups. Māori innovation arises from many places as well as needs. Māori being practical people who have had to survive ever since they arrived in Aotearoa have always been innovative when faced with challenges. Often it is practicality and deep understanding of the natural world and cultural understanding which drives innovation in te ao Māori. We could conclude by saying that Māori innovation benefits not only Māori but also benefits all people eventually.
Today we can look out on the Waitemata Harbour in Auckland and see many high-tech catamarans setting out on their journeys. It is nice to know that these ocean voyaging vessels travel in the wake of our early Māori waka hourua that once upon a time dominated our seascape. Our modern catamarans have a Māori whakapapa, which serves as a metaphor for many Māori innovations in our society that are often not spoken of.
Hone Thorpe (Te Āti Awa) is the University of Auckland’s Business School’s Kaiārahi. He helps the Business School develop strategy to bring a Te Ao Māori view into the foreground so that Māori can succeed as Māori at the Business School.
