The Matihiko Awards explore Māori excellence and contribution across a range of digital kaupapa.
It’s an opportunity to showcase what’s happening in the matihiko space, enhancing visibility across the sector.
The awards focus on contribution and impact, rather than the cost or value of mahi.
The awards consist of 11 categories, including Living Icon, Emerging Icon, Change Maker, Emerging Change maker, Kaitiaki Public Sector, Innovator, Emergent Innovator, Rangatiratanga and Corporate Change.
Each category received two tohu or trophies — the tōtara, for someone who has been in the industry for seven or more years and the tipu, for someone who is new to the industry or early in their career.
Rose Schwass, Te Whatu Ora Tairāwhiti information systems educator and tester won the award for Corporate Change, and tohu of tōtara.
This award recognises contribution to progressing and empowering kaupapa Māori within the corporate workplace.
“The Corporate Change tōtara award at the Matihiko Awards is an amazing tohu and reminder of what we are doing in information technology matters,” Ms Schwass said.
She has been encouraging Māoritanga within the organisation through manaakitanga and awhi of the new computer science interns from EIT Tairāwhiti and staff coming into the Te Whatu Ora – Tairāwhiti.
“Last year we introduced an intern programme in the IT department and were fortunate to have Jahminique Chivers join us, and after completing her capstone project (IT Ticketing System) with us she was appointed a role within the team. Jahminique then nominated both Rose and Jamiessa Boyd (IT Team Leader) both an award with Te Hapori Matihiko.
Rose is the first from Te Whatu Ora to be nominated for this award.
“Attending the ceremony in Pōneke on Friday we were reminded about the Māori proverb ‘Kāore te kūmara e kōrero mō tōna ake reka’ (The kūmara does not say how sweet it is), although we need to highlight when we do achieve to inspire our future generations to identify and see themselves in these roles,” she said.
Mel Gollan of RIPA Global won two awards, Kaitiaki o te Taiao which recognises contribution to digital projects which have a positive impact on sustainability and te taiao (the environment) and the Whiua Ki te Ao Awards for contribution to global projects in digital and tech.
Ms Gollan created RIPA Global which she says “takes away the pain, stress and stigma attached to health and welfare payments”.
“Our dream is to see this Gisborne -designed patented technology serving the people of Aotearoa.”
This project was originally designed as an app on her lounge floor in Kaitī. The early investors are from Tairāwhiti including a small investment by Ngāti Porou Holdings Ltd.
“I lived in Gisborne for seven years, and although I am of Te Rarawa descent, I left my soul behind when I had to move to Wellington to start this business. I have always said I will be back, and I will always do everything I can to support my community there.”
Ms Gollan said, “Winning the two awards was a touching and humbling acknowledgement of the hard mahi our team, advisers and investors have done to provide the opportunities this Tairāwhiti-founded fintech now has on the global stage.
“It can be a very lonely and stressful gig when a small Kiwi business is taking on the world of payments, so to feel the aroha in the room from my community on Friday surrounded by some really good mates from Gizzy was awesome.”
Phil Kupenga won the Rangatiratanga Award which recognises wāhine and tāne excellence in leadership, in either governance, business leadership or rōpū leadership.
“I don’t know who nominated me but I am very humbled to win the rangatiratanga award for the mahi we have been doing in Tairāwhiti around getting more of our community into information technology jobs,” Mr Kupenga said.
“I am so stoked to see our region being highly represented at this inaugural and historic event.”
Along with the winners other Tairāwhiti locals were nominated — Dylan Pahina of Altered State Machine in the Whiua ki te Ao Tipu category, Shanon O’Connor of Tōnui Collab in the Change Maker category and Warren Williams in the Kaupapa and Living Icon categories, and Tena Baker-Clark of Tolaga Bay Innovation Hub in the Kaiāwhina Totara Toa category.
Honours for Tairāwhiti tāngata fostering Māoritanga in IT and digital projects