SEHC ROOTS

Innovation From The Roots

Harvesting Indigenous Ingenuity

Proudly sponsored by The Southern Initiative: Māori and Pasifika Trades Training and The Ministry of Education - Pacific Education Innovation Fund

Kia mau ki ngā kōrero tuku iho – Holdfast to the knowledge passed down from generation to generation.

Welcome message from our Senior School Tumuaki/Principal Ms Kiri Turketo

Symposium Friday.mp4

Ngā mihi nui Ministry of Education and the Pacific Education Innovation Fund.

PURPOSE

Innovation from the Roots: Harvesting Indigenous Ingenuity 2023, aims to explore the challenges and issues which impact young people in our community.

By bringing together Māori and Pasifika voices, academics, activists, influencers and the community, we hope to create a powerful and positive platform for sharing knowledge, fostering sustainability, and promoting social activism within Ōtara.

Recognising the significance and importance of indigenous knowledge, allows us to acknowledge the values, wisdom and traditional practices that have sustained Māori and Pasifika people for millennia. Applying these different worldviews to finding sustainable solutions will be transformative in addressing the challenges that impact our Ōtara community.

During the two-day event, our school is open for the community to participate in FREE interactive workshops, panel discussions, lectures, and hands-on demonstrations which will enhance our collective learning experiences and enable participants to actively engage with the themes being shared. We hope to ensure that we facilitate a space where everyone feels connected and belongs.

By creating a learning landscape for kōrero and collective problem-solving, we look to empower our Ōtara community to continue to take charge of our futures and find innovative pathways towards a sustainable and more equitable society.

OUR PRESENTERS

We are excited to introduce some of our amazing Presenters who will deliver engaging and informative workshops across the two-day event. Check out their profile and brief bio's below.

Hilda Halkyard Harawira

Hilda Halkyard-Harawira,

Te Rarawa, Te Aupouri , Ngāti Whātua

Tauira tawhito o Hillary College

Karani, Kaihoe, Kaiako ,

He tumuaki kura kaupapa Māori o mua

Tiriti activist

Far North District Councillor.

Fa'anānā Efeso Collins - Inviscid Consulting

Over the past decade, Efeso has served as the local Councillor and Board member for Manukau, in Auckland

Council. Last year he stood for the Auckland mayoralty. Born and raised in South Auckland, of Samoan heritage, Efeso grew up in a state house in Otara to migrant parents who worked in blue-collar jobs. Having represented the poorest Ward in Auckland he is deeply committed to ensuring

diverse communities have a say in decisions that affect them and increase their participation in democratic practices.

These experiences have shaped his values around climate

justice, social and economic fairness, inclusion, spirituality

and hope. Efeso has worked with young people and community

organisations all his life and sees himself as an activist for

equity. He is married to an amazing woman and has two beautiful daughters. Efeso’s hope is for a sustainable, fair and

just future for his children, their friends and future generations

Atarau Pouwhare-Ellis

The Southern Initiative: Māori and Pasifika Trades Training

Born and raised predominantly in south Auckland, Atarau is Ngāi Tūhoe and Cook Island Māori Her haukāinga is Waiohau in the Bay of Plenty.

Atarau went to Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate Senior School and then on to Auckland University where she graduated with a BA in Sociology and Māori studies. She then joined TSI in the Māori and Pasifika Trades Training (MPTT) team before moving into a Youth Innovator role and then Systems Innovator with the Healthy Families team.

In late 2022, Atarau moved back to MPTT taking over as Kaihautū and now leads the programme. She is also a trustee with the Student Volunteer Army and a member of the Infrastructure Committee for Auckland.

Lupematasila Misatauveve Dr Melani Anae

Polynesian Panther Party Legacy Trust (PPPLT)

QSO– PPP member and member of the university intelligentsia, now a member of the Panther Party Legacy Trust – is the Co-ordinator of the Educate to Liberate Programme in schools since 2011, and the Our Living Room Professional Development Programme for teachers since 2020. She is an Associate Professor in Pacific Studies, at the University of Auckland. Dr Anae has been a recipient of the Fulbright New Zealand Senior Scholar Award (2007) and was awarded the Companion to the Queen’s Service Order for services to Pacific communities in New Zealand (2008). Focussing on issues of ethnic identity for 1st/2nd-generation Pacific peoples born in the diaspora, her transformational work has successfully developed strategies for improving research outcomes for Pacific peoples/families and communities across the sectors of education, health and well-being to improve well-being for Pacific peoples, families and communities in New Zealand. She has published extensively in her specialty areas of ethnicity, health, education, and Pacific research methodologies, including several books and articles on the Polynesian Panthers. She has just published a book called The Platform: The radical legacy of the Polynesian Panthers 2020 – which is all about her journey with the Polynesian Panthers. Her academic career over the last 20 years has focused on the PPP platform – peaceful resistance against racism, Pacific empowerment and liberating education.

Tigilau Ness

Polynesian Panther Party Legacy Trust (PPPLT)

PPP Minister of Culture and fine arts and member of the military wing, now a member of the Polynesian Panther Party Legacy Trust - is of Niuean ancestry. He became a Panther member in the early 1970s and has been a consistently active voice in issues of justice, freedom and equity. This has often been reflected through his music. In his award winning music career, he was presented in 2009 with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the fifth Pacific Music Awards in New Zealand in recognition of more than 30 years in the music industry. In 2016 he won the Vodafone NZ Music Awards roots reggae award. He continues to give back to the community with his lead role in the Mellow Dads programme, and his role as an assessor for Creative New Zealand grants. He is also part of the Educate to Liberate Programme in schools, and Our Living Room Professional Development Programme team.

Sa’uila Dr Sonny Natanielu - Reniu Limited

Sonny Natanielu was born in Samoa but raised and educated in West Auckland. He comes from a Social Work background, primarily in crime prevention, also in mental health support and then more recently in education, and always with the Pacific community. Sonny learned that the Western models of counselling and psychology do not work in Pacific communities, and has set about finding indigenous ways of bringing healing and holistic health. This led to an 8-year PhD research project that explored a Samoan approach to psychological resilience, by looking at traditional tattooing, and traditional navigation, which he completed in 2020. Sonny has connections to the villages of Sale’imoa, Salamumu and Falealupo.

Reverend Alec Toleafoa

Polynesian Panther Party Legacy Trust (PPPLT)

PPP member and member of the military wing, now a member of PPPLT - Polynesian Panther Party Legacy Trust - is of Samoan ancestry. Having completed training at Knox Theological College University of Otago he was ordained in 1986 to ministry in the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand. During the course of ministry he has been involved in the care of people in urban street communities, youth and adult custodial and residential settings, developing youth leadership and personal development skills learning. His interest in this work has its roots in his experience as a member of The Polynesian Panther Party during his youth with its emphasis on working for justice, among other important issues.

He is a member of the Educate to Liberate Programme in schools, and Our Living Room Professional Development Programme team. The response to an evolution of interest in Pacific People’s history in Aotearoa New Zealand and in particular the pivotal role played by The Polynesian Panther Party. It is now part of the New Zealand history curriculum in schools.

Vasa Fia Collins - Vasa Consultancy

Fia is a diversity and inclusion specialist and an engaging

facilitator. Most recently in her role as National Manager,

Diversity and Inclusion at Diversity Works New Zealand. She designed and delivered national training on unconscious bias, gender equity, youth enablement, cultural responsiveness and

inclusive leadership. She has delivered keynote addresses on diversity, inclusion equity for women and youth engagement.

Fia’s clientele spans across NZ and the Pacific region, working with small to large-scale, private, not-for-profit and public sector organisations, facilitating key planning sessions to develop strategies that enhance D&I outcomes, increase employee participation and

strengthen inclusive decision-making processes. She has extensive experience in coaching and training senior and executive leaders, middle managers, teachers, students and young people with the primary focus of empowering them to become the best version of themselves. Her individual coaching sessions are customised to her client to ensure her service is optimal and effective. One of Fia’s greatest strengths is collaboration. She is keen to explore ways to offer dynamic workshops by sharing spaces with other experts and

master facilitators. In a voluntary capacity, she mentors young people and leads local community-connect programmes, designed as a sharing and support network for women in emerging leadership roles. Of Samoan heritage, born and raised in Ranui, West Auckland she is a trained

secondary school teacher with previous experience in the public service, industrial relations and workplace equity and inclusion. Fia is an active member of her local church and is married with two young daughters. Her passions include netball, Siva Samoa and advancing Pacific peoples. She holds the Samoan tulafale chiefly title of Vasa from the village of Puapua, Savaii and is proficient in Samoan.

Inspector Tua'ipulotu Willie Cuthers

I was born at Middlemore Hospital and in my early years grew up around Otara and East Tamaki. I am currently an Inspector of Police and the Manager of Maori Pacific and Ethnic services for the Waikato policing district. Have been in the NZ Police for 21 years and have worked across a range of work groups in police in South Auckland and the Waikato. I am also an academic researcher and have published a number of academic articles. I have a connection to Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate as my mother and her siblings are all former students.

Angela Fusitua - ARUP

Angela was born in Tonga and since migrating to New Zealand in 1997, she has been living in South Auckland her whole life. She attended Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate from year 4 to year 9 and completed the rest of her high school years at McAuley High School. She then went on to the University of Auckland where she completed her Bachelor and Masters degrees in Urban Planning (Honors). She is now working at Arup NZ, a multi-disciplinary Engineering and Planning consultancy as an Intermediate Urban Planner. Her passions lie within urban regeneration, community and stakeholder engagement, play in urban spaces, spatial planning and combating negative impacts of gentrification.

Dave Fa'avae - University of Auckland

David Taufui Mikato Fa'avae is the grandson of Sione Taufui Mikato Fa'avae and Vika Lataheanga Fosita (paternal grandparents) and Melenaite Vetekina Jennings and Sione P. Tomasi (maternal grandparents). He was a secondary school teacher in South Auckland from 2006-2013. David is a member of the Siasi 'o Tonga Tau'ataina congregation.

Cate Jessop -Enviro Schools

I tipu au I raro I te maru o Aōraki

Kō Hakataramea te awa e rere ana

Kō kōterani te iwi

Kei Onehunga toku kainga anāinei

No te ohū kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau Sustainable Schools Ōtara-Papatoetoe ko raua Howick ahau

Kō Cate Jessop toku ingoa

I grew up in the shadow of Mount Cook, and the Hakataramea River flowed by. My family are of Scottish descent. I live in Onehunga now and work for Auckland Council in the Sustainable Schools team and the local boards I work in are Howick and Ōtara Papatoetoe).

Noah Megitt - Te Hononga Akoranga COMET

Noah is the Kaitūhono Māori at Te Hononga Akoranga COMET, where he provides coordination, advocacy, and leadership collaboration to drive system change towards equity for Māori learners. He was previously the Head of Māori Studies at Rosmini College, where he led te reo Māori and tikanga Māori programmes, and played a crucial role in supporting the Kāhui Ako. Noah is passionate about uplifting the voices of our tamariki and rangatahi, helping them to find their place in the world.

Kathleen Ng Shiu -Pacific Vision Aotearoa (PVA)

Otara Blue Light

Te Huringa o te Tai o nga Wahine (The Turning of the Tides for Young Girls)

Otara Blue Light

Otara Blue Light has been serving youth in the community for almost 40 years, through Blue Light discos, Sports in Schools, taking youth to international sports events, and Spirit of Adventure, to name a few. In 2015, Otara Blue Light and local youth aid officers saw a need for an early intervention/prevention programme for young wahine in the local area. In 2016, started the very first Te Huringa o te Tai o nga Wahine camp was delivered with a strengths-based approach and a Te Ao Maori lens to empower our rangatahi to build resilience, self-esteem and set goals to aid in making better choices and more positive life outcomes.

Marisa Pene - University of Auckland

Marisa’s most recent role has been the Regenerative Kaupapa-Māori lead for Enviroschools and Te Aho Tū Roa ki Tāmaki, where she championed education for sustainability services for Māori medium settings. She has also run her own business in cultural and management consultancy and has recently completed her PGDipBus in Māori Development and MBA at the University of Auckland Business School.

Marisa is passionate about sustainable practices, the environment, education and the arts.

Matalena Fale - Te Taiwhanga Rangatahi Youth Lab

MATALENA FALE - Lena (Laulii village, Sāmoa) told us in her interview that her superpower was being non-judgemental and empathetic, and she was not kidding! Lena joined Te Taiwhanga Rangatahi after working as a Covid-19 contact tracer and she has been using and honing her empathy skills. She makes very thoughtful contributions to the team and also loves connecting with her peers and people in the community.

Lena is now passionate about the Puhinui Stream because of her work on its regeneration through Te Taiwhanga Rangatahi. She is bilingual in Sāmoan and English and loves Sāmoan dancing. She is pretty good at sports too, including touch rugby but will play volleyball, tag or any sport as long as she knows the rules! Lena lives in Manurewa with her ‘aiga.

Ryan King - Te Taiwhanga Rangatahi

Ryan (Ngāi Tahu) is a former student of Manurewa High School. He is an amazing team player – supportive and organised. His super power is making things simple. He is based with the path-ways team as a transition specialist for ākonga leaving Manurewa High School. Ryan attended the University of Auckland as part of the First Foundation programme on a Hynds Education Fund Scholarship. He received a Bachelor of Commerce in International Business, Entrepreneurship and Innovation and was the President of the Pasifika and Māori Commerce Students’ Association. He also had a stint at Vodafone but Manurewa High School got him back.

Ryan is extremely resourceful at harnessing empathy interviews, including with his brother who lives 10 minutes from Manurewa High School. He supports the Sacramento Kings Basketball team (great colour scheme and can’t get past the great name) and loves wrestling.

Nicola Perry & Sage Vernell

Auckland Council are preparing a series of Plans, called Shoreline Adaptation Plans, to help guide how we manage the impacts of coastal hazards on our shared coastal areas (council-owned land and assets) for the future.

Shoreline Adaptation plans look at how coastal hazards, like flooding and erosion (the loss of land to the sea), will impact our coastal areas and how we might need to change how we use these areas over the next 100 years.

We need to plan now for the future of our beaches, parks, roads and things we use to make our city work, like water pipes and wharves, so that we have what we value and need for people today and make sure we leave good choices and healthy environments for our future communities.

Our workshops will work with youth to introduce some key coastal processes (science) and discuss what participants value about their coasts and what we can do to ‘adapt’

Charlotte Smaill - Beautification Trust

Community Educator

https://www.beautification.org.nz

Rohit Sawhney - Beautification Trust

Community Activator

https://www.beautification.org.nz

South Seas Healthcare

Papaya Stories

Papaya fruit is great for health & wellbeing, it is full of colour and positivity. It has a tropical Pacifica influence that we connect and explore in our work. Look at Papaya closely and you will see that it is full of tiny seeds. Each human is like a seed full of potential ready to blossom. But at times in order to unleash our full potential, we need a helping hand, awakening moment, kind guidance, or inspiring real-life story. Papaya Stories plants the seeds of inspiration in every human being to remind each person about its incredible extraordinary nature and potential.

Puhoro

Pūrau or STEMM is a kaupapa Māori approach to STEMM and seeks to improve equitable access to Pūrau education, and pathway Māori into high-value careers to revolutionise the landscape. Pūhoro recognises the unique position we have in Aotearoa where we have access to two knowledge systems: Mātauranga Māori and Western Science. At Pūhoro we celebrate mātauranga Māori as a rich Māori knowledge ecosystem underpinned by kaupapa and tikanga Māori (Te Pūtahitanga: A Tiriti-Led Science-Policy Approach for Aotearoa New Zealand).

Ephram Fisiihoi - ToloxBlack

Raised on the East Coast of Aotearoa I moved to South Auckland in 2006. I attended Aorere College then I worked in warehousing. I eventually returned back to school to complete Level 3 Electrical Engineering and became an Electrical Apprentice in 2018. In 2020 I experienced a heart-wrenching loss and as a result, I needed time to heal. I pivoted and changed my career working in a Youth Prison. From here the motivation and drive to start my own business was piqued. In 2022 TOLOXBACK was created and we focus on T-Shirt design and garment printing. In conjunction with starting my own business, I have recently begun to use my experiences in the youth justice system and entrepreneurship to deliver positive youth programmes for our rangatahi. Having overcome many challenges in life, I now use these experiences to help others. I am blessed to be a stay-at-home dad with my kids, whilst also being able to oversee my business enterprise, ToloxBack from home. I also co-own a personalised gift business JayneDIYCrafts. These business ventures let me use my creativity to help others and I run T-Shirt Youth programmes for tauira. And it allows me the opportunity to be a motivational speaker as well. A fun fact about me is that I would much rather watch Anime than real-life movies.

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