“Dad was an inventor,” says Billie Jo Hohepa-Ropiha, recounting her childhood in the Northland settlement of Moerewa. It’s a US rust belt-style factory town, full of Māori families whose multiple generations have lived and died within a 5km radius of the AFFCO meat processing plant for the past hundred years. Childhood was a lesson in sustainability for Hohepa-Ropiha and her family, but this wasn’t unusual in the small Māori town where DIY was often the only option.

Ngamaru Raerino, Maria Baker. Gilbert Taurua, Tui Taurua, Wayne Blissett. Chair Panel: Moe Milne

Kirsty has worked in Māori health service delivery and national workforce development for over 20 years.  She was the inaugural Coordinator of the Te Rau Puawai scholarship programme at Massey University in Palmerston North and foundational Chief Executive Officer of Te Rau Matatini, establishing a culture of success for innovative and transformational Māori health workforce development programmes.

Kirimatao Paipa has a wealth of knowledge and skills from her decades of work as a family violence practitioner, Kaupapa Māori researcher and evaluator. She is currently studying a Masters of Applied Indigenous Knowledge through Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and also teaches te reo Māori. Kirimatao is genuine and authentic.

I am a direct descendant of my maunga tūpuna; Taranaki. This kōrero and truth is passed down from my kaumatua and kuia of the Tongaaw’ikau w’anau. It reminds us of our inherent connections to Te Taiao (The Natural World), that we are all bound by the same mauri (lifeforce) . Kaitiakitanga is transformative; influencing the balance of mauri (lifeforce) and āhua (form). A perpetually applied practice that envelopes and permeates all engagement in any field.  

An examination of the systemic injustices and potential for an evidence-based framework to be developed to leverage equity for iwi Māori.  

Moe and her tamariki will share te tuku i ngā taonga, their journey on the intergenerational knowledge transfer.