NZCTU NATIONAL HUI FOR MAORI ORGANISER AND MAORI DELEGATES

MANA MO NGA KAIMAHI MAORI ME NGA UNIANA

Strengthening and enhancing Maori participation in the work place and trade union movement

15-17 Oct 2005

By

Sharon Clair Maori Vice President CTU

MOTEATEA (developed by Maori Organiser s/Delegates Oct 2005)

NAU MAI PIKI MAI KAKE MAI RA

WHAKARONGO KI TE KAUAE KAIMAHI E

MATUA PAKEKE RANGATAHI E

HE AHA KIA WHAI ORANGA E TATOU E

MA NGA TAONGA O NGA TIPUNA

KA ORA

Greetings,

Please listen to themessage of Te Kauae Kaimahi

To the young, middle-aged & kaumatua alike:

"How are we to survive and thrive?

Throughlearning fromthe deeds of the ancestors

Enabling us to thrive, enabling us to thrive"

The National Organiser’s and Maori delegates Hui was held on the 15th -17th October 2005 at Tapu Te Ranga Marae, Island Bay, Wellington. The Hui was opened with an address from Maori Vice President Elect Sharon Clair (NZNO). (The address is available on the CTU website and the NZNO PAUA website)

The hui focused on three themes:

· Maori Creative Potential

· Productivity and Maori organising within the CTU

· CTU Maori political strategy.

Background

In October 1984, the Hui Taumata (Maori Economic Development Summit Conference) called by the Hon Koro Wetere, Minister of Maori Affairs, set a platform for the next 20 years that would lead to a cultural and economic renaissance for Maori. Approximately 200 Maori leaders attended this Hui, seeking to understand the economic issues facing Maori at the time and finding solutions to achieving a “truly equal status in the economic and social life of New Zealand”.

The second Hui Taumata was held on the 3^rd -5^th March 2005 at Te Papa Wellington two decades after the first Hui Taumata in 1984. The Hui paid attention to three themes Developing Enterprise, Developing People and Developing Assets.

Since the first Hui Taumata Maori economic development has improved with higher levels of Maori employment and incomes. There remains challenges including but not limited to education and training of the growing Maori workforce.

Council of Trade Unions

Developing People was one of the three themes that most interested the Council of Trade Unions. Finding effective and accessible ways to improve the skill levels of Maori who are already in the workforce requires CTU involvement.

The growing Maori workforce will become increasingly attractive to employers and the need to encourage Maori workforce development through the trade union movement was advocated at the HUI TAUMATA 2005.

The number of Maori in the main working ages (15-64 years) is projected to increase from 350,000 in 2001 to 468,000 in 2021, an increase of 117,000 or 34%.

The key to Maori economic development will rest on human capital. The educational and skills development of the growing Maori workforce must be addressed.

The incomes earned by these people will be the basis of Maori economic growth and will have a proportionate impact on national development.

Maori employment has largely shifted away from the protected Manufacturing sector, to a renewed focus on primary industries and a new involvement in the services sector. This is in line with NZ’s shift to an open, tradeable economy.

The Maori asset base is heavily invested in primary export industries (farming, fisheries, forestry, and increasingly tourism) – $4.5 billion of assets in this area as at 2001, producing export income of at least $650 million.

Overall the NZ population is aging, and the baby boom generation is heading for retirement. There will be fewer young people to fill jobs and drive the economy, making Maori capability a key driver in the future economic well-being of New Zealand.

Hui Taumata 2005 believes that if this challenge is not accepted, New Zealand faces the creation of a marginally employable underclass over the next twenty years. From an economic perspective, and given the age structure of the population, that is not a viable option, unless NZ turns to mass immigration as a response to the inevitable skill shortage that will result. The Hui Taumata believe that Maori do not wish to be a labouring class in their own country, and do not want an immigration response that comes at their expense.

This means a massive national investment in education and training, including work training. It means finding and funding solutions that will work for Maori. One of the solutions put forward by the Council of Trade unions that was supported from the Hui to Government is to relaunch Trade Training programs.

The Council of Trade Unions supported the Hui Taumata 2005 finding that improving the skills and qualifications of Maori school students and working age adults must be a priority for the nation. Leadership in the Union committed to finding a way to work with leadership within Iwi/Business and focus on union problems.

The CTU discussion encompassed the following:

Better skills and better education to keep up with the economic pace
Free Trade Deals
Influence in assets
Who speaks for the blue collar working Maori? Unions are the platform to drive power and influence forward
Women are doing jobs of 2 parents. Who is preparing the young Maori workforce?
Regular forum be developed between unions to engage and dialogue with Maori leaders to share development strategies
Union business is the advocating of fair and equitable employment
Economic development/wealth creation and distribution requires work environments that provide opportunity for participation
People understand the need to get skills the CTU can assist through:

Adult education programs run by CTU at workplace level
Sector work and Ministry of Development

CTU is restructuring the way we work in sector groups and continues to increase union input within the sectors so that the CTU can get a better focus on skill development need and address it. CTU currently has supported more than 30 health and safety trainors and elected learning representatives in the workplace.

The CTU Maori organiser and delegates Hui October 2005 aimed to both celebrate Maori creative potential and once again bring the power of Maori thought together to develop strategies to enhance Maori workforce participation.

The Challenge for CTU is to encourage life long learning cultures amongst the Maori workforce so that opportunities arise for the sharing of benefits to workers from increased productivity.

This means a massive national investment in education and training, including work training. It means finding and funding solutions that will work for Maori. This was the focus of the CTU Organiser s and Delegates Hui.

Maori Creative Potential: Charles Royal

Historically a perspective that is unspoken is that Maori people and sport are gifted but erratic.

We can see creative potential through the transformation of Matauranga Maori being creatively developed into something new.

A few examples of traditional knowledge transformed into contemporary existence are:

Hector Busby: The creation and development of the waka

Michael Campbell: The pursuit of excellence through focus and determination

Whale Ryder (comes from deep Polynesian and Maori background, comes from Matauranga Maori knowledge and made into something new.)

Charles emphasized that Creative potential does not mean taking away anything from Maori rights, or diminishing Maori rights. But rather that

Maori are turning to creativity as a way of advancing Maori issues, concerns and development.

The creative potential of Maori people

The creative potential of Matauranga Maori

Can be expressed individually and collectively

Individual level: skills, talents, abilities, aspirations, dreams

We can express these skills talents aspirations etc through our work.

Genuinely work should be aligned to our skills, talents and aspirations. If there is no place to express our talents then depression results.

Work: Work is one of the most important avenues by which we

Come to know ourselves as a person. Through our work we are able to understand, use and refine our skills and talents we are able to achieve our aspirations.

Work and Organising: How do we make this meaningful in our work lives?

Through the understanding of Kaupapa and Tikanga

Thinking on first principles always and the things that we do that arise out of that

We can do this as individuals and as groups of people

Work is a place to give expression to talents etc

Organising is a process to revisit the things that we do

An exhortation to excellence

Kei monenehu te kura

Lest the plumes become wet.

The plumes refer to the feathers at the end of the waka

When the waka is journeying and the crew are working together and the waka is moving fast the feathers do not get wet this is because the crew are unified.

Work

Work is the place and the activity in which we spend most of our waking lives

We want to make sure that our work, therefore, aligns well with our sense of ourselves as an individual and a person

We want to be fulfilled in our work. We want to see that we are doing good things for us, others and employers.

Organising

It is important to work together to achieve unity and purpose

To be of one mind, to collaborate, to relate to one another in meaningful ways, To understand goals.

To understand ways of achieving those goals.

Workplace productivity drivers:

Rangatiratanga- a concept of leadership that is truly collective, at all levels and expressed by all.
Translation of Rangatiratanga
Ranga = weaving, Tira =collectivity, tanga = a purpose
Classic examples of Rangatiratanga is a school of fish, or flocks of birds, moving in complete unison with each other to get where they need to be.
A willingness to work together is experienced when there is unity
Nga Tikanga, Nga Whakahaere
Behaviours: the way we do the things that we do (the culture of our workplaces)
Nga Whakahaere = the specialised practice of an individual
Maramatanga – looking for innovative ideas, how can we improve what we do, resolve certain issues in the workplace and how can we use technology in the workplace, looking for opportunities to be improved.
He Tangata – investing in people and skills
Nga Pumanawa- investing in people, skills and talents
Kawa- A system of process, rituals that we do
Ohu – Organising work well ,organising people together, assigning tasks, understanding how the tasks relate to one another, resourcing.

Diversity is not an antithesis of unity. There may be scope for Te ao Marama cultural spaces Maori. (an example is Pak n Save in Auckland where the owner has made cultural space and encouraged diversity through differing cultures encouraged to speak in their own language, the creation of a prayer space for Muslim workers).

Two possibilities for Te Ao Marama in the workplace

The Whare = fostering unity and kotahitanga
Te Papa The marae atea = encountering of difficult ideas and confronting the problem to resolve it.

Cultural Space

In every workplace there is a need to create a space to resolve conflict
Fostering identity(fostering the collective mana, the manaakitanga of everybody); let us understand our identity as people and how that synergises with our work

Summary of Maori Creative Potential

Organiser s and delegates showed positive support for the creative potential model of Life and Work through the waka and whare models developed by Charles Royal. There was agreement that Maori creative potential = productivity. The use of Matauranga Maori (Maori cultural concepts/traditions’ knowledge) to inspire Maori creative potential is critical to the success of HANGI and Maori workforce participation. The hui participants entered into discussion to map a pathway for organizing kai mahi Maori. The recommendations made from the workgroup discussions can be located in the appendix.

An introduction to the HANGI project. Thomas Webster, Sharon Clair

HANGI: Helping Advance Nga kaimahi through Growth and Innovation

Building the Maori workforce through workplace productivity education programs for Maori Economic development.

HANGI is a joint CTU and Hui Taumata taskforce workplace productivity project for Maori workers. Maori organisers and delegates were presented with an overview of the project by Thomas Webster HANGI project manager. Participants broke into workgroups to discuss and answer questions relevant to this project.

A summary of the workshop discussion and feedback can be found in the appendix.

Challenges

• Reconciling two world views

• Maori are at different levels of confidence in development and identity.

• Sharing responsibility to increase worker value

• Hui vs meeting

A few ideas for Maori Economic Development Success (but not limited too)

Building strong governance capacity
Workforce planning and strategic approaches
Frameworks for considering Maori are:

Outcome focus
Future Orientation
Integrated Approach in Social/Economic Policy
Partnerships beyond the Crown, collaboration of networks
Maori Paradigms

A Memorandum of Understanding: Huirangi Waikereperu, Sharon Clair

At the 2005 CTU Runanga Annual General Hui held at Te Herengawaka marae, Victoria University, Wellington a motion was moved for the continued development of the CTU’s constitutional commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

The Motion:

That the CTU Runanga and the NAC develop a memorandum of understanding, inclusive of Kaupapa and tikanga that will be considered by a national hui mo nga kaimahi Maori o Aotearoa within twelve months of July 2005.

The Agreed Kaupapa for the development of a Memorandum of Understanding between Te Runanga CTU and the National Affiliates Council CTU (NAC) was discussed at the Maori organisers and delegates hui. The beginnings of inter-relationship understanding was developed with the suggestion that an invitation be extended to the NAC to discuss the motion and proposed Kaupapa at a NAC meeting to be held on a marae in February 2006.

Consideration given to the Memorandum of Understanding is derived from an Inter-relationship of understanding. Fundamental concepts discussed guided the pathway for the positive development of the inter-relationships between Tangata whenua and the CTU NAC.

The Kaupapa for the Memorandum of Understanding

As Tangata Whenua we are anchored by our understanding of our connection to the universe. To find this connection we look to where the people are connected to the landscape and are able to identify physically, spiritually, emotionally and mentally where the anchor comes from. From this identification mana grows and restoration of knowledge, language, culture, understanding and building of inter-relationships is made possible.

THE ANCHOR

RA NGI ATEA NUI

THE GIFTS OF MANA

1. WHAKAPAPA

2. MANA ATUA

3. KAWA TAPU

4. POU TOKORANGI

5. WAIORA/WAIRUA

6. MARAMATANGA

7. HOHOU RONGO

10.

ATEA

MARAE

MANA WHENUA

RESPONSIBILITIES TO UPHOLD OUR MANA

1. MANA TANGATA

2. MANAAKITANGA

3. KAITIAKITANGA

4. WHANAUNGATANGA

5. TIKANGA Maori

6. KAUPAPA Maori

7. MATAURANGA Maori

8. AWHINATANGA

10.

ATEA NUI

PAPATUANUKU

ACTIVE LIFESTYLES OF RESPONSIBILITIES

A CTU Maori Political Strategy: Rawiri Daniels

The key policy position for the CTU is to support measures which are integrated and balanced around the objective of a:

High wage

High skill

High trust

Quality economy that is sustainable and can underpin a strong export focus. The hui understood the CTU strategy includes policy integration around such areas as:

• sustainable development

• fairness at work to set basic standards

• growth and innovation

• productivity

• regional and industry development

• investment in education, research, innovation, and skills development

• quality public services

• active government

• social wage advances and

• Social inclusion.

The CTU Runanga voiced the political strategy for Maori within CTU by stating that CTU Maori seek:

• Improved labour market outcomes through investment in skills,

• A concerted approach to reduce the level of Maori unemployment,

• Genuine engagement with Maori workers to ensure their views and experiences matter.

• Advocate for good faith employment relationships. This includes respect, acknowledging diversity and recognition of tikanga Maori .

• The CTU Runanga seeks ongoing support from Government for an active union role in the process of Maori economic development.

• Asset governance structures need to take account of worker and union perspectives.

The Organisers and delegates were supportive of the Maori political strategy and suggested mutual communication lines be established with Maori to identify clear issues and how we can work together through mutual understanding.

Issues identified by the Maori Organisers and Delegates were:

• Arrangements with other parties and other Maori MPs

• Involvement with the Maori Party

• Fear of going with national

• Where is the leadership

• CTU stability in an unstable political environment

Challenges identified by the Maori Organisers and Delegates were:

• Alignment with others

• Stand Alone

• Building Relationships

• What is the CTU Runanga Kaupapa

• Direction

• Te Ara Taumata

• Upholding worker rights

Opportunities identified:

• Consultation

• CTU Input

• Building relationships

• CTU Runanga kaupapa

• HIGH ROAD= high wages, high skills, high value, high productivity

• Macro/Micro or Long and Short term strategies

• Revitalisation of Mana Motuhake/ Maori nation

Conclusion:

The hui concluded on a positive with organisers and delegates committed to a framework for organizing kai mahi Maori with the long term goals of building

Maori unionism by undertaking the challenge to increase Maori union membership, networking more closely with each other and offering support to organising efforts for Maori by Maori , unionising non union sites and the essential need to continue ongoing training programs to include but not limited to:

Treaty of Waitangi

Education of Employers

Health and Safety/ACC

Legislation

Workers Rights

Maori Rights

Customary Rights

Indigenous Rights

The importance of encouraging Matauranga Maori education programs for Maori workers particularly through the HANGI project was encouraged to develop in a structural way within the CTU.

Implementing cultural needs into collective agreements and education programs for employers was considered critical to retaining the positive

Energy within Unions.

APPENDIX 1

Maori TODAY

586,000 Maori as at 2001; 15.1% of total NZ population
Maori median age of 22 years; compared to NZ median age of 34.7 years (census)
Unemployment rate of 10% as at Dec 2003 (Household labour force Survey)
Maori median income was $14,800 as at 2001; vs $18,500 for all NZ adults (Census)
Treaty of Waitangi Settlements worth $680 million from 1992 to end 2003.

Note; Median age means that half the Maori population is currently under

22 years of age, whereas half the entire NZ population (including Maori ) is over 34.7 years of age.

THE Maori ECONOMY: STRENGTHS

Younger workforce, increasing uptake of tertiary education (now 13% of all graduates)
Strong growth in entrepreneurship and business formation
Workforce has adjusted to the impact of economic reforms; now has much lower exposure to uncompetitive industries
Export focus of Maori collective assets
Long term stewardship of primary assets allows a focus on sustainable development
Increasing economic power of iwi, through Treaty settlements (e.g. Ngai Tahu)

Questions Raised:

What can we do to create cultural space in collective agreements for workers?
What can we do to create recognition of the importance of Maori culture within the union?
How can we build these concepts ie (tapping into peoples creative potential) into conflict resolution between employee and employer?

Discussion:

1. Know who you are, who you are going to work with, who they work with.

2. Fostering collective mana, the manaakitanga of everybody.

3. Issues of Tikanga Maori not being followed.

Recommendations for Organising kai mahi Maori

Workgroups (Roopu Moemoea, Nga Hine o Papatuanuku, Te roopu o Tane Mahuta) Exercise 1:

Question: What do we need, to develop a framework for organizing kai mahi Maori ?

Framework:

An upright Pou that encompasses integrity, tikanga Maori , Kaupapa Maori , whanau, hapu and iwi.

Have a Clear Vision ie

Creative Maori Potential

Guiding principles: Whakapapa, Mana Atua, Wairua, Turangawaewae

Have a clear strategy ie

· Improving workers lives by taking the High Road

· High Skills

· High wage

· High value

· High productivity

Short Term Goals

• Establish a focus committee for protocol

• Te Kauae Kaimahi innovative awards

• Developing Education Programs that raise awareness of Matauranga Maori in the workplace

• Increase numbers of Maori organisers

• Mobilising membership through access to training and skill development

• Implementing cultural needs into collective agreements

• Education programs for employers

• Energy within Union

• Workshops in the workplace

• Website development

• Conflict resolution

Long Term Goals

• Increase Maori Union membership

• Unionising non union sites

• Ongoing training programs to include but not limited to:

Treaty of Waitangi

Education of Employers

Health and Safety/ACC

Legislation

Workers Rights

Maori Rights

Customary Rights

Indigenous Rights

Identify stakeholders to build whanaungatanga

• Workers

• Unions

• Government

• Employers

• Management

• Customers

• Financial institutions

Investment in Resources

• Training

• Education

• Membership

• Organisers/delegates

• Maori Educator within CTU

• Maori Advisor within each union

• Funding

• Establishment of bipartite partnership

• Workgroup to represent workers, unions,

and employers

Evaluation of Kaupapa Maori Initiative

• Maori Appropriateness

• Resources

• Time Bound

Day 2: An introduction to the HANGI project.

HANGI: Helping Advance Nga mahi through Growth and Innovation

Building the Maori workforce through workplace productivity education programs for Maori Economic development.

The following is a summary of the workshop discussion and feedback

Question: What does productivity mean from Maori worker perspective?

Raising awareness of inclusiveness and working as a team
Cultural aspects/Cultural needs
Networking and working in harmony
Profit for the employer
Empowerment and autonomy
Unions and benefits as Maori
Multi culture and bi culture -vs- Mono culture
Values Systems
Productivity to the Whanau Katoa – What the benefit to the whanau Katoa in a cultural way
Policies, legislative impacts of those on the community, employees and whanau Katoa
Social policies that recognise the needs of the impact
Taking care of issues in a holistic way
Awhinatanga- supportive in many ways
Support a worker in their dreams and aspirations
Potential of support, guided by circumstances eg tangihanga, Powhiri,
Being Champions in what we do
Knowing your skill base
Collective Direction
Meeting Targets
Job Satisfaction
Putea
Working/Social Environment
Communication
System process, standards of practice

Question: Using concepts of Matauranga Maori interpret and translate the productivity drivers in a meaningful and practical way for Maori workers

Ruaimokoroa, Tikanga, Kawa: Networking and collaborating

Exclusion of Wananga: If Maori are not included in decision making or consultation then this will cause disharmony among Maori .Whakama: Some Maori may not choose to buy into such a process, education is imperative in order to make informed decisions.

Lack of leadership: We need to encourage Maori to partake in leadership roles ensuring that they are nurtured and supported

Horizontal violence/takahe: institutional Faces of racism: this takes forms in different aspects of prejudices and racism in the work place and there needs to be a process implemented to address this raruraru.

Whanau, moko, tamariki: paramount to Maori is there whanau and as a worker we tend to spend more time at work in order to provide financial support to whanau commitments. We need to find work life balance in order to ensure stability of our wellbeing.

Lack of ownership autonomy: Maori flourish when given the opportunities to lead and be led. Having autonomy over what we do in our roles and responsibilities gives us opportunities to advance.

Kumara concept: Maori feel whakama when having to justify how well we do our mahi. We are practical people and strive to do well without having gained formal qualifications. This is not to say that education is not important but a means of explaining that life skills are just important regardless if it can’t be measured by tauiwi systems.

Rongomatane, Tikanga, Kawa: Measuring what matters

Our roopu discussed that the following aspects are important to us as Maori and these aspects underpin our uniqueness of a very strong and united indigenous people. Our Marae provides us with a safe haven to gain cultural grounding and connects us to our Tipuna, Whanau, Hapu and Iwi we do not stand alone our korowai blankets us and supports us in this ever so changing society.

Maramatanga
Poupoutama
Tika
Aroha
Kaupapa Maori resolution
Pono
Manakitanga
Whakawhanaungatanga
Kotahitanga
Skills to participate

Tawhirimatea:

Put life in organisation that reflects our vision, strategies and what our responsibilities are.

Tangaroa;

Rakau- journey through the work place

Manakitanga –conflict resolution. If there is conflict and it is not resolved then things don’t work. Conflict is ok as well but what is underlying of our Maori members concerns. Covers all aspects of the industry, environment, wellbeing of employers/employees.

Te Wairua

Te Hinengaro

Te Tinana

Te Whanau

When all is in harmony with each other, for Total well being

Further suggestions for productivity drivers:

Building on the weaving of harakeke we can identify an encouraging leader who teaches and supports the development of skills, an environment that increases production and rewards. The harakeke productivity drivers provide space for innovation and a distinctly Maori product.

References: Hui Taumata 2005 background paper

Hui Taumata 2004 Steering group paper

Notes from Hui Taumata 2005 Steering group meeting with CTU February 2005

For further information on Hui Taumata 2005 please visit the website www.huitaumata.Maori .nz.

CTU political strategy