Toa Faneva and Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga
Regional co-leaders, Toa Faneva and Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga send the below message to all Rohe 1 kaimhai on Monday 8 May…
Ka titiro a māua I nga maunga e kōrero ana, ngā awa me ngā moana e rere ana, nga hapū katoa tae noa mai i te rohe nei, mai Tamaki ki te Rerenga wairua, mihi mai, mihi mai, mihi ma rā.
E ngā kaimahi me ngā kaiako o te rohe hou o Te Tai Tokerau, ko te rohe Tuatahi- tēnei te mihi atu ki a koutou katoa.
Ko te kaupapa tuatahi ko te Ōranga o ngā Ākonga hei whainga I ngā kete o te wānanga, ko te tuarua ko te Mauri Tū, Te Mauri Oho o ngā kaimahi katoa I raro I te āhuatanga mō a tātou ūara, te manawanui, te manawaroa, me te manawa ora. Tihei Mauri Ora!
We begin our first update as co-leaders by thanking the iwi representatives, kaimahi and whānau who welcomed us so warmly at Te Noho Kotahitanga Marae, Unitec.
We’re honoured to be leading this region as two individuals from different places, backgrounds, approaches and relationships to our founding document; with a shared responsibility to partner in the interests of all learners gaining equal access to the full benefits of skills training.
The pōwhiri began a series of engagements – both formal and informal – to take place in coming weeks; allowing us to meet, talk and listen to kaimahi across the region. There will be a whakatau on Thursday (11 May) on the Raumanga, Whangārei campus, to formally welcome Peseta Sam to NorthTec. He will be accompanied by Matua Hare Paniora (Pae Arahi – Unitec) and Katrina Van de Ven (Pounuku Tangata ā-rohe 1 | People and Culture Director – Region 1).
The details of this and on campus meet-and-greet opportunities across the rohe will be shared soon.
We understand the significance of getting to know one another kanohi ki te kanohi – ‘face to face’ before we can develop a sense of belonging, unity, pride and purpose in being part of Rohe 1 | Region One.
At the moment these rohe 1 updates are being sent to kaimahi at MIT, Unitec and NorthTec business divisions only. As we go through further integration across Te Pūkenga we may look to expand this distribution.
As a group we are responsible for the success of tens of thousands of learners in Te Tai Tokerau | Northland and Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland. Our widespread area is not only home to the largest population base in the country, but also significant numbers of ākonga Māori, Pacific peoples and other priority learner groups.
The scale achieved through Te Pūkenga gives us all the opportunity to make a big structural difference to outcomes for learners, their whānau, communities, industry, te iwi and hapū we serve.
Making sure we deliver on that potential means bringing together the collective experience, understanding and passion of our thousands of kaimahi in this region to help build the sustainable future of vocational education as we continue to negotiate a challenging operating environment in the present.
Both of us have recently served as business division executive directors and well appreciate the prolonged journey of transformation your organisations and their people have been on.
A big part of our role is to carefully assist kaimahi through this process. It’s important you fully understand what the upcoming further release of the organisational structure means for you, your teams and business divisions so you can make the most of engagement opportunities when the consultation period opens in the week beginning Monday 12 June.
In the latest Ngā Taipitopito, Peter Winder shared an update on the ‘kaimahi kōrero’ series of staff hui which will be a great opportunity to ask questions directly to Te Pūkenga Executive members; please take a look and keep an eye out for an invitation to these hui.
Iwi Leaders Forum
Last week, Toa attended the National Iwi Leaders Forum in Rotorua. A key priority of the Reform of Vocational Education (RoVE) is to better recognise the rights of Māori – and to partner in a way that acknowledges the rights, interests and aspirations of hapū, iwi and Māori in education and employment, and their pivotal role in regional prosperity.
Te Pūkenga co-leaders along with dedicated Te Tiriti o Waitangi relationship teams in the regions will be the key points of contact for our management and operations, to influence and be agents of change.
Key network updates were provided as part of the Mātauranga Iwi Leaders Group (MILG) report back to the iwi of the forum. An update was given on the shared priorities of iwi, via MILG, and Te Pūkenga as per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was signed in 2021.
We look forward to seeing you all soon,
Nakū noa
Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga
Tumu Whenua ā-Rohe 1 | Executive Director, Region 1
Toa Faneva (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa, Te Māhurehure)
Tumu Whenua ā-Rohe 1 | Executive Director, Region 1