Haka Works Talks

Dan Walker is the Global Co Chair of Indigenous at Microsoft. He says being Maori is his super power. Is there a place for indigenous knowledge within tech? Are corporations like Microsoft appreciative of the benefits that diverse perspectives from indigenous cultures can bring? What can be done to bring these two worlds together in a way that brings benefits for both parties.

What's it like to be on the boards of some of Australasia's biggest companies? What are some of the attributes of a good director? Is there any difference in being a director of an iwi owned company vs a publicly listed company? With Maori shareholders now expecting their businesses to be more aligned to tikanga/ Maori values when operating, how does that impact on the role of directors?   

Mark Tume is a full time company director. He has been on boards of some of the biggest companies in Autralasia and is currently chair of Infratil, Ngai Tahu Holdings, Te Ati Awa Iwi Holdings and a director of Retire Australia. He had a career in finance and investment, loves his surfing, and is working on his BJJ.   He is also a relation of mine from Ngati Maru in Taranaki. Our ancestors came from a small village, Purangi, which is right up the back of the Waitara River. Looking forward to hearing his thoughts on how we Ngati Maru can prosper moving forwards.

And we are back! Talking to Dr. Rebecca Burke from her home in Germany about the haka performed by a right wing German group. “What the f…k are these people doing?....It’s really bad that someone with this kind of Nazi thinking would declare war on our government with a haka.”  Rebecca has a doctorate from Victoria Uni's Maori department. She has a really interesting story about her journey into te Ao Maori (the Maori World) and a non Maori perspective of what Maori culture can bring to the world. 

Haka Works talks with Rachel Taulelei about her journey into leadership, now as CEO Kono, the Maori owned food and beverage business, the impact that indigenous values have on organisational culture and how Maori and indigenous knowledge can help solve some of the world's biggest problems around sustainable management. 

Rachel is an award-winning entrepreneur and business woman whose values include kaitiakitanga, whanaungatanga and pono – guardianship, relationships and integrity. As former Trade Commissioner, founder of sustainable seafood company Yellow Brick Road, and now CEO of KONO NZ , Māori-owned food and beverage business, Rachel is a champion for New Zealand’s primary industry and the country’s position as a world-class producer of food and beverages. She is passionate about the Maori economy, and about supporting the potential and growth of others. Her governance roles include APEC Business Advisory Council, the Prime Ministers Business Advisory Council, and the Young Enterprise Trust.

Chey and Kahurangi Milne are a Rotorua based communications company with a mission: "kia whakatairanga i te ahurea Māori ki te ao!" the promotion of Maori culture to the world. They come from family with haka pedigree and through their business have been bringing haka and Maori culture to a new generation and bigger audiences through modern media channels.