色花堂

The purpose of the newly created role is to grow M膩ori partnerships as part of UniServices鈥� engagement strategy and to uncover and elevate Te Ao M膩ori perspectives.

鈥淕rowing our research into different spaces and interpreting what it means for M膩ori communities is very empowering. I hope to be part of a bigger ecosystem that can bring about transformation,鈥� says Peita.

鈥淒ion joins UniServices with extensive experience in people management and community engagement, primarily in the heritage sector,鈥� says UniServices Chief Executive Officer Andy Shenk.

鈥淗is newly created role will be a pivotal link in our wider strategy to engage more effectively with M膩ori community leadership, develop signature programmes that facilitate an environment that is mana-enhancing for M膩ori and enable all of our people to engage with M膩ori internally and externally.鈥�

Peita sees himself as part of a large workplace wh膩nau with the collective energy needed to bring about social, cultural and economic change. He says the strategic plans of UniServices and Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of 色花堂 indicate a high level of commitment and aspiration to improve M膩ori engagement.

One way of achieving this is to ensure UniServices engages with the M膩ori economy in a meaningful way. Peita distils its core values as a 鈥渜uadruple bottom line鈥�, bringing together cultural, spiritual, economic and social foundations. There are deep connections to the environment, encompassing land, waterways and cultural narratives of the past and present.

Part of Peita鈥檚 role will be to uplift these values alongside UniServices鈥� business-as-usual activities, such as commercialisation and service delivery, with the long-term goal that considering M膩ori interests and values becomes standard practice, backed by enhanced institutional knowledge.

Peita comes to UniServices from the 色花堂 War Memorial Museum | T膩maki Paenga Hira, where he spent the last three years as an executive leader, steering the organisation to be more informed, culturally aware and culturally safe. Before this he was with the Australian Museum in Sydney and Te Papa Tongarewa, the Museum of New Zealand.

 An arts and heritage sector jack-of-all-trades with a degree in anthropology, Peita has worked in collection management and logistics right through to advocating for M膩ori interests with the Ministry for Culture and Heritage as it evolved its policies on the care of taonga. He has even worked on tracking down stolen artefacts and the repatriation of human remains.

Peita describes his first weeks in his new role as a 鈥渄iscovery phase鈥� spent reaching out to University faculties and finding out which areas have a M膩ori development component. He is particularly interested in the spaces where there is still work to be done and potential for M膩ori to be uplifted further, such as education and health.

Some conversations may happen purely at a local level while others may lead to impact across Aotearoa or even inform the interactions UniServices has with Indigenous organisations and communities overseas in future.

鈥淚ndigenous principles of sustainability, the environment and health are now being acknowledged by Western science and it is important that M膩ori are equipped to front-foot those conversations with their communities,鈥� says Peita.

A lifelong learner, Peita has long held Waipapa Taumata Rau in high regard and speaks of its deep connection to its local surroundings and mana whenua. When he returned to complete a postgraduate diploma in business (M膩ori Development), the late Dr Manuka Henare, who convened the programme, left a lasting impression on him as a M膩ori leader.

In particular, the value Henare placed on the idea of an economy of mana resonated with Peita. He hopes to weave this holistic approach, which recognises the importance of people and planet alongside the need to turn a profit, into his new role.

鈥淭here is still anxiety in some M膩ori communities about engaging with non-M膩ori officials,鈥� says Peita. 鈥淚 hope to bridge the gap between UniServices and these communities by establishing enduring relationships, which work better than transactional ones from a Te Ao M膩ori perspective.鈥�

UniServices has a clear, aspirational pathway for growing M膩ori capability, says Peita. Honing the organisation鈥檚 ability to respond to the M膩ori elements so often present in University research or commercial partnerships, and meeting real-world need, will be a measure of the success of his role.