The final episode of the Māori in Engineering podcast series, reflecting on He Kura Nā Rātā, He Kura Pūkaha is now live!
Episode 5: Amani Tilialo, Lupesina Koro, Ariana George and I have a kōrero on their reflections of the wānanga, serving as kaitūao, and their vision of what the future of engineering industry could look like as they walk with it. Tēnā rawa atu ki a rātou.
Ariana, Amani, and Lupesina are all connected with SPIES at Taumata Waipapa Rau. The mahi SPIES does unmatched - read about it here
He waka kōtuia kāhore e tukutukua ngā mimira. A canoe that is interlaced, will never become loosened. In unity there is strength.
Episode 4: Craig Watson, Sarah Witts and I have a kōrero on their reflections of attending the wānanga as tangata tiriti, and what ‘getting serious about being tangata tiriti’ actually looks like. Ngā mihi ki a rāua.
Hei āpōpō for the final episode of this series sharing reflections, Episode 5!
Te Moana Nui a Kiwa Whakapukahatanga Ihi South Pacific Professional Engineering Excellence (Te Mana Kiwi SPPEEx) held the Dinner and Awards evening on the second night.
The hoe, carved from kauri rākau, were gifted to acknowledge;
Episode 3: Dr Emily Afoa and I have a kōrero following the awards. Tēnā koe Em.
We weren’t able to speak with Pōua Gerry Coates, engari, at the end of this episode I read out his award description that highlights his profound impact on the industry and his iwi of Ngāi Tahu, whānau hoki. I have no doubt the engineering industry we experience today is different because of these impacts. E rere kau ana ngā mihi ki a Pōua Gerry Coates.
More details of Te Mana Kiwi SPPEEx Awards and to read the blurb of Pōua Gerry Te Kapa Coates here.
He Kura Nā Rātā, He Kura Pūkaha is a wānanga celebrating Māori in Engineering. In 2025, it was held over three days in Tāmaki Makaurau, hosted at Waipapa Taumata Rau. This five episode mini-series shares the reflections from the wānanga.
Rā tuatahi was all about exploring the past and present of Māori in Engineering. Hear from Mia Goodsell - Matthews, L'Rey Renata, and Mason Popata as they share their reflections following the first day.
More details of the Te Mana Kiwi SPPEEx and Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau held wānanga here.
He Kura Nā Rātā, He Kura Pūkaha is a wānanga celebrating Māori in Engineering. In 2025, it was held over three days in Tāmaki Makaurau, hosted at Waipapa Taumata Rau. This five episode mini-series shares the reflections from the wānanga.
Hear from members of the organising rōpū - Wharehuia Dixon, Harota Lose, Deena Tapara, and Byron Konia - as they share whakaaro behind the intentional threads that weaved the wānanga together, their reflections, and where to from here.
Ko tēnei te mihi atu ki a rātou, and to the many others who helped bring this wānanga to life.
More details of the Te Mana Kiwi SPPEEx and Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau held wānanga here.
Grace Walker (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngaruahine) and Jake Campbell (Te Rarawa) are the Founders of Tautoko Tech - a novel insulin pump with wrap around software support. Their mission is to empower people with diabetes to live with confidence and ease from the moment of diagnosis.
They share their journey from academia to entrepreneurship, meeting at a Māori and Indigenous Doctoral Conference and creating a product that combines engineering with an understanding of the communities they serve. A grounded conversation about the intersection of academia, engineering, and community. Enjoy e te whānau!
Byron Konia (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou, Dutch) shares his journey to now holding a dual role as a Senior Mechanical Engineer and Māori Advisor.
He shares his whakaaro through the lense of his mahi on the challenges the industry of the extreme weather patterns and the current political environment. We also take this episode as an opportunity to imagine what kotahitanga could look like for Māori in the industry. It was awesome to share space with Byron. Enjoy, e te whānau.
This episode was made possible by funding support from Te Ao Rangahau | Engineering New Zealand Grant Foundation 2023 Programme. The audio was edited by the awesome Jordan Greville from NZ Audio Editors. E mihi atu ana au ki a rātou.
To stay connected, follow on Instagram @maori_in_engineering.pod
Maria Ngawati (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Porou) is a Māmā, CEO of Indigishare, Te Taumata Wāhine in Tech 2024 trade delegate, and PhD candidate researching ways for indigenous support and advancement - and, so much more.
In this episode, she talks on the variety of mahi she’s involved in, brings the perspective of a Māmā to an engineering student going through university with his reo rangatira, and her experiences navigating and influencing systems for Māori to realise their magic. Enjoy e te whānau.
This episode was made possible by funding support from Te Ao Rangahau | Engineering New Zealand Grant Foundation 2023 Programme. The audio was edited by the awesome Jordan Greville from NZ Audio Editors. E mihi atu ana au ki a rātou.
To stay connected, follow on Instagram @maori_in_engineering.pod
Kerin Brockbank (Te Rarawa) shares her story of working as a Reservoir Engineer in the geothermal space, the Wairākei geothermal power development’s impact, and her experience of being Māori in the engineering industry. Reservoir engineering is all about dealing with the stuff that’s harnessing the energy that is deep underground - getting up to 3 kilometres deep. I hope you enjoy Kerin’s really honest and informative kōrero. It opened my eyes to the world of reservoir engineering.
L'Rey Renata (Ngāpuhi, Tainui, Ngai Te Rangi) is a Māma, Water Engineer, PhD candidate, and Board Member in the engineering industry.
One year into her PhD at Waipapa Taumata Rau, she talks about her thinking of re-defining engineering best practice through an indigenous Te Ao Māori lense, the intention of her findings to be pillar for engineering professionals.
An absolute privilege to record another episode with L'Rey as she discusses her inherent approach of approaching problems holistically for the betterment of te taiao, hauora, and connection to the whenua and bringing everyone along in the journey.
For reference from the episode:
5 ways to access Māoritanga
Whakapapa
Tikanga
Arts, waiata
Te reo Māori
Wairutanga
Grant Kauri (Ngāti Raukawa, Rangitāne) works as the Owner Interface Manager for Waka Kotahi for Te Ahu a Turanga - Manawatū Tararua Highway project.
It is the first construction project where iwi are partners at the governance level. In this episode, he speaks about his journey of engineering through the cadet pathway and some of the many intricacies of the massive project that is Te Ahu a Turanga.
This episode was made possible through the funding support from Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau 2023 Grant Programme.
Episode 27 we hear from Kate Walker (Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Te Arawa, Ngāi Tuhoe) who is tuning in from Ruatōria. Kate is an Environmental Consultant with Poipoia Ltd - Poipoia, founded by Tina Porou, creates spaces and opportunities for kaitiakitanga to lead the way in caring for our natural environment in Aotearoa.
She speaks on exactly what creating space and opportunities for kaitiakitanga looks like in her mahi of engaging with and building confidence in hapū, iwi and whānau to take the lead to champion moving forward.
Kate also speaks to the environmental planning world in the current political landscape - with repeals of the Natural and Built Environment and Spatial Planning Act and what that means for whānau Māori. Enjoy e te iwi.
This episode was made possible through the funding support from Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau 2023 Grant Programme.
In this episode, Dr Emily Afoa (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāpuhi) shares her values driven journey that’s seen her deep in the academia, consultancy and governance spaces within the engineering industry. Emily is a Chartered Environmental Engineer, Pou Whakarae | Director at Tektus Consultants Limited, Board Member of Association of Consulting and Engineering (ACE) New Zealand and so much more. Her heart work is clear and the mahi that she has done and is doing is intergenerational stuff. I learnt a lot in this episode, and I hope you do too. Enjoy e te whānau.
This episode was made possible through the funding support from Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau 2023 Grant Programme.
Raharuhi Koia (Ngāti Porou) is a Pāpā based in Ō Tautahi with his whānau. Raharuhi holds a frank and open kōrero about his life as a Structural Engineer, one of that as a Māori Engineer and what it means to be a good mentor in this changing space.
This episode is supported by Te Ao Rangahau Engineering NZ Grant Programme 2023. Enjoy e te iwi!
Paraone Luiten-Apirana (Ngāti Hikairo, Te Arawa, Ngāi Tūhoe) was a kaikōrero in Episode 12. A year and a half later, we recorded this episode ā-tinana and talked about where his life is at now.
When we last spoke, Paraone was studying towards his hefty conjoint degree in Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) specialising in mechanical at Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland. During this time, he was also under the mentorship of Dr Maureen Lander, with a group of other students, contributing to the new engineering building. He also contributed to the new engineering building and supported the formation of a compulsory paper grounded in te ao Māori for first year engineering tauira.
Now, Paraone is a PhD candidate and his thesis is all about bringing the worlds of toi Māori and engineering together in this day and age. The engineering building is now open for use and he is fully involved in the development of that first-year paper! A beaut chance to reconnect with Paraone and I hope you enjoy hearing where he is at e te whānau. A bunch of links that build from our kōrero below:
One of the explanations out there of ihi, wehi and wana:
Paraone’s story was first in the Auckland University news and reshaped via this article.
Info about the university’s new haka, created with staff and Tāpeta Wehi.
This episode is supported by Te Ao Rangahau Engineering NZ Grant Programme 2023 and a total of $300 was donated to Paraone for his valued contribution.
Bub Konia and Richard Templer are both amazing people in their own right. Their common place of mahi - Te Ao Rangahau | Engineering New Zealand - is one of the things that ties them together and the reason for this paired episode.
Bub and Richard speak to the past and present journey the organisation has and is on in embedding te ao Māori in to the engineering industry. The kōrero is centred around 'kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua' ~ looking backward to go forwards.
When we look back, they speak to how and why the organisation was gifted the ingoa Māori ‘Te Ao Rangahau’ by Tā Tamati Reedy and how the standard has been set so that engineering is no longer just thought of as 'the people who drive the trains’.
When we go forward, they speak to the recently launched rautaki | strategy of 'Kimihia Rangahau'.
The kōrero delves into so much more than what can be written in this box! I hope you enjoy e te iwi.
If you'd like to get in touch, please do so via https://www.maori-in-engineering.com/
Soltice Morrison (Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Maniapoto) is an amazing wahine Māori and a wonderful friend of mine since moving to Te Whanganui a Tara. Her mahi has been as a Geoenvironmental Consultant at Aurecon and she has shaped her career to now support the company’s He Rautaki Māori | Māori Strategy.
Soltice is also learning te reo Māori on top of full-time mahi and has been involved in awesome kaupapa of Y25 YWCA and BlakeNZ
It was so much fun to record with Soltice. If you're looking to hear a story that is genuine and will leave you feeling inspire - then look no further e hoa mā. Enjoy!
To keep up to date follow the Māori_in_engineering.pod Instagram
Kia ora tātou! Episode 20 hears from Taane Taiepa (Tūhoe, Ngāti Whare). Taane's mahi is developing the digital space, he also gives to the kaupapa of Te Matarau, Māori Tech Association (more about Te Matarau here: https://www.tematarau.tech). In this kōrero he shares: what he does at mahi and Te Matarau, his life as a graduate and theme throughout is backing yourself to go for opportunities. Enjoy e te whānau