Transforming HRM Aotearoa

Aroha ki te tangata, ahakoa ko wai, ahakoa nō whea  

Take care of all people, irrespective of who they are, where they come from, the culture they were born of and the role they play as part of our collective 

HRNZ recognises that Aotearoa New Zealand is a unique country with unique cultural influences. It acknowledges the kaupapa of transformational change and culture and is committed to developing HR practices that ensure the success of Māori within those workplaces. This includes embedding an ao Māori context into workplaces and taking practical action to give effect to te Tiriti o Waitangi. HRNZ encourages HR leaders to enact ūara (values) and mātāpono (behaviour): manakitanga, rangatiratanga, to be pono (true, honest, genuine), tika and not afraid to show aroha (love) and advocacy for themselves and others for the good of the collective. 

As Nick McKissack, Chief Executive of HRNZ, states, “If we don’t reflect this in our HR practice, we risk creating systemic bias that disadvantages particular groups in the workplace. If we’re honest, that’s the situation we’re currently faced with. Māori aren’t succeeding as well in New Zealand workplaces as they should be.” 

Course content 

The three-day programme seeks to allow HR practitioners to develop their HR practice to benefit Māori employees directly and intentionally. It recognises Māori as Tāngata Whenua o Aotearoa and te Tiriti o Waitangi partners within our uniqueness of being a country that is proudly bicultural. The programme and follow-up projects aim to facilitate the development of culturally responsive and equitable HRM practices that aim to improve the employee experience for Māori in the workforce and create space for mana to flourish. 

As a kaupapa-Māori-led programme, it is delivered through a wānanga Māori approach and facilitated by whānau.  

HRNZ has been fortunate to have Chartered HRNZ Member Karli Te Aotonga who has created this professional development programme for business leaders and HR experts. Karli is a Māori HR and OD people leader, practitioner and researcher. Karli has sought the support of her cousin Bentham Ohia, a leader within his community with extensive experience in tertiary education and research throughout Māori and indigenous networks. 

Participants are also joined by Karli’s koro (grandfather) Timi. As a kaumatua (elder), his presence allows participants to experience what is normal intergenerational contribution and adds a deep and enriching experience to the programme providing the leadership and cultural safety for participants. 

Day one focuses on the local context that business and HR should weave through their approach to their organisation when they are operating anywhere throughout Aotearoa: the mana whenua (local people with authority over the land in which the organisation resides). It also focuses on tikanga, and its role within a business context, and cultural safety and wellbeing.  

Day two continues to build theoretical knowledge and thought leadership concepts through Māori HR and leadership research, at the same time as deepening the development of HR cultural practice through the employee lifecycle. 

Day three starts to reimagine and re-architect the future of HRM in Aotearoa and what the building blocks would be to develop a truly bicultural HR practice in New Zealand. The group identifies practical HR solutions that can lift the cultural capability of its people, its leadership and governance and shift its system through culture change and organisational development. It also reinforces the importance of whakapapa, which is nurtured throughout the wānanga, no matter where in the world you are from.  

The transformational learning journey of Transforming HRM Aotearoa has been an integral part of HRNZ’s Professional Development offering since June 2021. Human Resources magazine finds out more about its continued success. 

To continue reading this article, and discover more articles related to this topic, check out the latest issue of our magazine. The theme for the Winter 2023 issue of Human Resources is Diversity: let’s make more progress. Access it online: https://issuu.com/hrnz.magazine/docs/2023_hrnz_winter_magazine_issuu