Downer plans to up its Māori in leadership roles throughout the construction business

Graduates of the Te Ara Whanake leadership programme. Photo / Whakaata Māori

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Downer Group NZ is celebrating Māori trades graduates through its leadership programmes, which aim to enhance Māori representation at all levels.

Downer is one of the largest service providers in the country, with employees specialising in engineering, infrastructure management and construction.

It has partnered with Te Puni Kōkiri and the Ministry of Māori Development to create leadership programmes called Te Ara Whanake, which are aimed at encouraging Māori staff to advance their career in all leadership levels of the business.

The programmes have a huge commitment to te ao Māori and tikanga protocols, with training held in a marae setting. They aim to provide Māori leaders with the opportunity to embrace their heritage while simultaneously improving their skills.

Downer chief financial officer Evan Jensen says it's great to immerse both Māori and non-Māori employees in the world of te ao Māori, by bringing them to the marae and teaching them Treaty principles and tikanga.

Downer Chief Financial Officer Even Jensen. Photo / Facebook

He says Māori make up 20 to 25 per cent of Downer's workforce - and potentially more in some areas of the business - but are under-represented in leadership positions, so the company wants to promote Māori into senior roles.

Roimata Maihi is a graduate of Te Ara Whanake and is now a facilitator of the Māori women's programme, Wāhine Toa, as well as an award-winning forewoman. Maihi says she knows what it's like being a Māori wāhine and a supervisor in a male-dominated environment.

"I like to awhi the wāhine, not just my mentees but the wāhine I see on site. I get really excited! I tell them, 'you know you can do the next step, there's more to do'. Once you're done with the tools, you jump up and step into management. You can run this place or go run your own business."

Maihi said it's been challenging as an urban Māori being so far from her marae but the Te Ara Whanake programmes bring together a whānau connection.

"We want everybody to be themselves because your best self is always yourself, and as a Māori wāhine, it's beautiful seeing our reo and our tikanga woven into our mahi, I love it."

Rob Matete, who went through the programme himself and is now a Te Ara Whanake facilitator, says it's an awesome day to celebrate their young Māori achievers.

"I'm overwhelmed with happiness for our Māori people, to believe that they can dream big, think big, have big aspirations and big goals because if you don't dream big, that's the problem," Matete said.