Uia mai te pātai, he aha te mea nui o te ao, he whenua, he whenua, he whenua haumako e.

Kei ngā kaitiaki, ngā kaiwhakaurungi o te kaupapa, tēnā koutou katoa, 

Nau mai, welcome to the first edition of Ngā Mahi a Te Haumako, a pānui that keeps you up to date with our work for Māori. 

Each edition will share updates on our mahi, focusing on the ongoing actions outlined in Te Haumako, our Māori workforce development plan and other Māori engagements being undertaken across the food and fibre sector. 

Te Haumako

Our Māori Workforce Development Plan for the Food and Fibre sector is called Te Haumako. Through this name, we recognise the need for our work to provide a rich and fertile base which Māori can use to grow their workforces in the food and fibre sector.

On Monday 21 October, Muka Tangata was honoured to be hosted by Tātou Tātou o Te Wairoa and its horticulture division, Haumako, to formally launch Te Haumako. He mihi atu ki a koutou. 

Please take a few minutes to watch the video of the wonderful day in Wairoa where we were inspired by the leaders and future leaders of this kahui. 

Te Haumako Projects

Te Haumako is a living plan – there are 19 ongoing actions that we have started working on which will guide work throughout Muka Tangata, including qualification development and quality assurance work. 

You can read Te Haumako in full, and view progress on implementing these actions on our website.  

Many of you contributed to Te Haumako and we welcome any additional feedback or questions you may have regarding our progress in working through the actions.  

Māori Leadership Development Framework

Māori play a vital role in the food and fibre sector, both in terms of their land holdings dedicated to production and their participation in the workforce. It is widely accepted, though, that Māori representation within food and fibre leadership doesn’t match their contribution to the sector. Simply put, kaimahi Māori tend to be working directly on the whenua with the tools, with significantly fewer in supervision, management and executive roles. 

Muka Tangata has started working with the Food and Fibre Centre of Vocational Excellence on a project that aims to build a framework of leadership principles and then work with provider partners to teach these principles through wānanga, individual mentoring and reflection. 

The core values of the framework have been established, and the first draft of the toolkit is in progress. We expect to be socialising this draft for feedback early 2025.  

Iwitanga micro-credential

There is much research that shows the value of mātauranga Māori in supporting Māori learners to succeed. While some of that mātauranga is formalised as part of the education and qualifications system, much of it is part of informal or non-formal learning.  

This project explores how the mātauranga that iwi Māori teach can be acknowledged in the formal system in a way that recognises the mātauranga as a taonga belonging to that iwi.      

Muka Tangata has worked with Te Pou Oranga o Whakatōhea to develop the first draft of the micro-credential and is currently sharing it with other interested iwi and hapū.  

Workforce Development Tool

We have started working to on a tool to support smaller Māori businesses and ahuwhenua trusts to develop their own workforce plans. This project will combine the goals and aspirations of those entities with industry and regional data to help build a step-by-step plan for the training of kaimahi. It is our hope that this will enable these businesses to unlock and expand the value of their land and provide broader returns for their shareholders.  

Support for ākonga Māori

Tirohanga Māori to support providers

We continue to support providers by delivering workshops to assist them with embedding tirohanga Māori values within their learning material. These workshops also give support to providers around the delivery of these concepts to better meet the needs of ākonga Māori.

During this quarter we have had workshops with NMIT, Otago Polytechnic, and Seafood and Aquaculture providers. These workshops are ongoing to better support providers to support ākonga Māori.

Develop resource to support with the embedding
tirohanga Māori values 

Many providers have asked for our support to embed tirohanga Māori values within their course material. In general, they have an understanding of the concepts, but struggle to see how these concepts can be applied. In response to these requests, we are developing some guidance for providers to use when developing learning materials. 

Māori Agribusiness Leaders Network

Senior Māori leaders from across agencies in the primary industry sector have come together online to formalise a network enabling us to connect on a regular basis. The Māori Agribusiness Leaders Network allows us to share insights, movements, policy and strategic decisions, best practice, events calendars, opportunities to collaborate and/or partner, wellbeing strategies, recruitment, and overall, a safe place to be Māori.  

The network meets fortnightly online and comprises representatives from:

Spotlight on Māori wellbeing leading to success

In response to requests from Māori industry, we will be seeking and promoting workplaces that have employed Māori wellbeing concepts that have brought about success for the business, kaimahi, akōnga, shareholders, whanau and community.  

If your workplace has successfully implemented Māori wellbeing practices or other examples of support, mentoring, counselling or the like, and you would like to share that with others, please contact James Hamiora directly at james.hamiora@mukatangata.nz 

Career pathway resources for Māori

Trying to find career pathway resources in the food and fibre sector can be challenging but trying to find anything specific to Māori is even harder.  

Alongside our Vocational Pathways Coordinator we are engaging with kura Māori and Iwi education teams to help design by Māori for Māori resources that highlight skills, not qualifications, that can lead to a range of different jobs in the food and fibre sector. The resources should have instant appeal to Māori and resonate with the learning and working environments they come from. 

This mahi is currently in progress, and we look forward to sharing these resources with you.

Qualification updates

Reviewing and writing qualifications and standards is one of the main ways that we support education and training in the food and fibre sector.

Incorporating mātauranga Māori into qualifications is one way we can make the qualifications work better for Māori.

It’s a new approach and it’s a challenge that we can’t do alone. If you are involved in a food and fibre industry and wish to see mātauranga Māori better reflected in your skills and training, please let us know. 

Here’s some areas we are currently working on:  

Entry Level Qualifications

Level 2 and 3 qualifications cover skills that are needed in many industries. The qualifications are being designed to support career pathways by focusing on core transferable skills.   

We have settled on the proposed shape and format of a Level 2 entry level qualification and are currently working on Level 3 development, building more transferable technical skills, such as using vehicles and operating machinery.  

Agriculture Qualifications

Dairy, sheep, beef, deer, arable, pork, and poultry farming - we’re looking at the current and future skills needs of these agriculture industries to ensure the qualifications are fit for purpose. 

The format options for livestock qualifications have been drafted and advisory groups are closing in on a preferred option. The strands and the skills to be covered by the qualification have been confirmed, and we are now formalising these with the writing of Graduate Profile Outcomes.  

Freshwater risk management micro-credential 

A micro-credential covering specialist knowledge that can contribute to better decision-making and practices around freshwater risk management in Aotearoa. 

The micro-credential has been approved by NZQA and published on the Qualification and Credentials Framework. Providers are now able to develop programmes that lead to achieving this credential.

New Zealand Diploma in Primary Business Management

A Level 5 qualification designed to provide learners with the knowledge and skills needed to manage a business within the primary sector, which includes industries like agriculture, horticulture, farming, forestry, and fisheries. The qualification is focused on developing practical management capabilities for individuals who may be in or aiming for leadership roles within these industries.   

We are calling for expressions of interest from potential partners to contribute to the review of the New Zealand Diploma in Primary Industry Business Management (Level 5).

For more information and to submit your expression of interest, please complete the expression of interest form.

The deadline for submissions is Friday 17 January 2025.

Nō reira ka tikina ake te kōrero e ki ana "Nā tō rourou, nā taku rourou ka ora ai te iwi", with your food basket and my food basket the people will thrive.  

We thank you for your ongoing support of Te Haumako. 

Ngā mihi 

Muka Tangata 

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