Who we are

Tūtira Mai NZ began in the classrooms of a New Zealand secondary school. Each year students were taught Te Reo (Māori language) and tikanga (customary practices). Their responses were always inspirational. They soaked up everything including haka, waiata, karakia and Te Reo. A strong belief grew that their attitude could be an example of openness and acceptance of cultural difference.

Te Ao Māori was helping to shape young people (rangatahi) into leaders, brimming with confidence and ready to face challenges. Three years later Tūtira Mai NZ was launched utilising the same practices developed in the classroom to bring the same confidence, leadership and excitement to the businesses world.

Tūtira Mai NZ will lead cultural change in Aotearoa, assisting organisations and groups to connect with te ao Māori,

We will show you how to use Te Reo, tikanga  and Māori values to confidently, skillfully and effectively forge authentic, real and deep relationships built on mana, respect and trust. We will do this by:

• Boosting confidence through team building founded on cultural knowledge and understanding.

• Energising and growing company culture through embedding Māori values into the everyday work environment.

• Building culturally appropriate leadership skills based on knowing and understanding the Māori worldview.

Our Values

1. Manaakitanga - Put others first

2. Whanaungatanga - Relationships that last

3. Kotahitanga - Working together.

Our Mission

To provide indigenous, tangata whenua solutions to workplace practices.

Our Vision

To lead cultural change in Aotearoa

As the words in the waiata 'Tutira Mai' expresses, we will do this through:

1. ' Whaia te maramatanga' - teaching that te ao Māori (Māori world) counts

2. 'me te aroha' - inclusion of Māori when making all decisions.

OUR TEAM

Wairangi Jones

Pou Matua - Principal

Te Arawa I Ngāti Tuwharetoa I Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga I Ngāti Maniapoto.

Cherie Ladkin

Kaiwhakahaere Matua - Executive Assistant

Ngāti Pākehā

After 40-years of business administration and management support experience, Cherie completed a Certificate of Small Business Management course in 2015 and undertook virtual assistant training and has continued her professional development to improve her knowledge and understanding of te ao Māori, te reo, and to gain cultural confidence.

Based in her hometown of Tauranga, Cherie has worked with many small businesses and entrepreneurs helping to streamline their operations, improve productivity and profitability, and grow their business. Cherie has strong organisational skills and enjoys collaborating in a team on projects, utilising office automation to achieve successful outcomes.

To maintain a healthy lifestyle balance, Cherie enjoys many outdoor activities including walking, gardening, being out on the ocean and travelling.

Cheri (Panda) Waititi

Manu Tāiko - Cultural Advisor

Ngāti Porou I Te Whānau-a-Apanui

Cheri has been in Education for over 40 years; spending 20 years in primary, intermediate, secondary, and Private Sector teaching. She also has over 20 years in Tertiary Education training teachers. Cheri is presently a part-time teaching fellow at Te Kura Toi Tangata School of Education in the Division of Education at the University of Waikato, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato. She holds a PGDipEd, BEd, DipStats, TTC, and is currently completing her Masters in Education. Cheri has held many leadership roles within the various educational sectors she has worked in from local, regional, and national positions.

She thoroughly enjoys teaching and facilitating educational and cultural learning and experiences for all learners, no matter what demographic. Cheri takes every opportunity to contribute to other sectors, including; health to improving Māori statistics; interrupting the embedding of systemic institutional racism; and inequity towards a collective drive for change for everyone.

Cheri loves gardening, photography, music, whitiwhiti kōrero, being with nature, the sea, and bush. She also values whānau, whakapapa and history.

Cyrus Hingston

Manu Tāiko - Cultural Advisor

Te Arawa I Ngāti Raukawa I Ngāti Tamatera I Ngāti Ranginui

Cyrus started from a commercial background and has over 30 years experience in education at either early childhood, primary, secondary or tertiary level. He enjoys facilitating cultural learning and experiences for people interested in gaining an understanding of te ao Māori. Cyrus is also the Lead Facilitator for Ako Tika Ltd that provides professional development through SELO to Early Childhood teachers, management, and owners to increase their knowledge and understanding of Te Ao Maori. Cyrus integrates te reo me ōna tikanga into ECE curriculum and teaching practice. He also provides governance, strategic planning and management expertise for ECE services.

Cyrus has established and run his own multimedia publishing business where he developed and managed programmes for tertiary educational institutions. He has also authored a number of books on subjects such as pakiwaitara, purakau and whakatauki, as well as books on marae of Te Arawa. He also manages and co-owns an ECE centre and provides professional development for ECE services. He also dedicates his time and responsibilities to his iwi trust, Te Pumautanga o Te Arawa. Cyrus is also the current chairman of Ngāti Tarawhai Iwi Trust, Tapuariki and Te Papa 1 & 2 Trust.

Cyrus is a keen follower of sport including rugby, rugby league and tennis. He also enjoys following the sports that his youngest child participates in. Cyrus enjoys finding links between people- whether it be whanau, work – related or common interests and shared history. His goal is to ensure that whakapapa, whanau history and ensuring korero of whanau and iwi is retained.

Moana Whatarau

Manu Tāiko - Cultural Advisor

Ngāti Kahungunu

Moana has been in the education field since gaining his BA and teaching qualifications from the University of Waikato and Hamilton Teachers College. He taught Māori in secondary schools in Auckland and Tokoroa for 12 years before leaving Aotearoa to teach for the next 23 years in various International schools in China, Malawi, Switzerland and Hong Kong. While residing in Hong Kong, Moana also ran Tikanga Māori seminars for the NZ embassy and consulates in Mainland China and Hong Kong. Moana has also been involved with kapa haka since childhood and has performed in, and helped tutor, groups both here in Aotearoa and overseas. 

In the time Moana has been away from Aotearoa, there has been a positive shift by the general population in their attitude towards incorporating and accepting elements of te reo and tikanga. It is his belief that this impetus needs to be further maintained and vigorously  encouraged. Moana sees the utilisation of his strengths in teaching and presentation skills, which he brings to the team, as being his way to contribute to the further normalisation and application of Māori values and thinking into everyday life in Aotearoa’s future.    

Moana has participated and coached in a wide range of sporting and physical activities ranging from team sports of rugby, touch and volleyball to the more individual pursuits of athletics, tennis, skiing and scuba diving. He likes to maintain a healthy lifestyle through cycling, swimming and going to the gym when possible. Other interests include reading, singing and upskilling himself in Te Ao Māori.

Taku-Anne Jones

Marketing and Branding

Te Arawa I Ngāti Tuwharetoa I Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga I Ngāti Maniapoto

After receiving her Bachelor of Communications from the University of Waikato, Taku-Anne entered into the private sector. She has since spent several years in Australia working in sales, marketing and leadership roles for multi-nationals and SMEs. Taku-Anne's experience systemising business processes, planning and executing marketing strategies, and developing brands within corporate and Māori contexts provides valuable capability to our experienced team. Taku-Anne is able to facilitate brand development and implement marketing strategies that engage and captivate audiences. She provides consulting advice to weave Te Ao Māori and tikanga into branding and campaigns.

Following a recent move back to Aotearoa, Taku-Anne has focused her attention to help build the Māori economy by developing tikanga-based marketing strategies and business continuity plans for industries impacted by COVID-19. She is passionate about business growth for SME and developing systemised sales and marketing strategies for measurable and sustained results.

Outside of work, you will find Taku-Anne getting active both outdoors and in the gym, completing her Masters Degree, and spending time with family and friends.

Rangitihi Pene

Manu Tāiko - Cultural Advisor

Te Arawa I Mātaatua I Whanganui I Ngāti Tūwharetoa

Our Teaching Framework 

We use Ko Te Whare Tapu as the educational foundation for all of our services. This is founded on Whakarite, a key form of communication in Te Ao Māori, enabling the listener to visualise, to see in the minds eye, what is being expressed by the speaker.

Whakarite is based on comparisons made between two things that have similar qualities or features, yet are completely different to each other.

The Pou of the Whare (the central beam and weight bearing support pillars of a whare) is an example of Whakarite. We link each pillar that holds up the wharenui (house) to the wānanga we teach.

Tuanui - The roof

• This shelters the inhabitants. We compare this to Te Reo which defines who we are.

Te Pou Toko Manawa - The central supporting ridgepole

• This connects the floor (papa) to the roof (rangi). We compare this pillar to traditional learning styles and the three kete (kit) of knowledge that came from the heavens. Matauranga (knowledge) was shared with the people living upon the earth.  

Te Tāhuhu - The main support beam

• The roof is split by this beam dividing it into two sides. We compare this to Te Titiri o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi). There were two signatories of the Treaty, the founding document of Aotearoa.

Te Poutāuhu Rongomaiwhiti - The right support beam

• This also supports the Te Tāhuhu. We compare this to the principles of the Treaty that are important in our development as a nation.

Te Poutāuhu a Tane te Waiora - The left support beam

• This supports Te Tāhuhu. We compare this to Tatau Pounamu and the importance of wellness in mind and spirit.