Our first guest I’ll be talking with is Mr David Jones of Rongowhakaata and Ngati Kahungunu,

David has a legal background, he was a lawyer with Kensington Swan, one of New Zealand’s top law firms. He was a General Manager for a tribal organisation and now runs a communication consultancy. We know David as he is one of our haka performers in Manaia and a facilitator for Haka Works and we’ve worked together in the UK, the US and Japan. Here is what we talk about:

• Adapting technology to continue our customs, especially in the time of lockdown and Covid 19.
• How our traditional knowledge has helps us navigate our way through the demands of the modern world.
• NHS nurses haka that happened last week and people using our cultural knowledge without context or knowing what they’re doing.
• Teaching Maori knowledge overseas and how we can regulate what we do through whakapapa framework.
• Finally we talk about the environment and climate change which ties in nicely with David talking about growing kumara and preparing the seed bed properly so the kumara can grow strong and healthy.

Thanks so much to David for taking time to share his thoughts and korero.