Whanake Māori

The Māori workforce holds significant untapped potential, particularly with demographic trends showing a growing and younger Māori population. However, there are challenges that need to be addressed, including awareness gaps, lack of workplace diversity, and skill shortages.

Addressing these challenges will mean concerted efforts to support Māori youth in education and foster a strong work ethic within communities. While government initiatives focus on foundational skills, industries must also understand and cater to the needs of the evolving Māori workforce.

Mahere Whanake Māori Plan 

Hanga-Aro-Rau led the development of the Mahere Whanake Māori / Māori Workforce Development Plan to support increased productivity and prosperity across our sectors. 

We were guided by: 

Our goal:
He pūkenga tāngata, he pikinga taumata hei oranga mahi — More Māori with higher skills, in higher-paid jobs, and improved employment opportunities. 

Our approach:
Collaborate to create the conditions for impactful change. 

Our whakataukī:
Mā tāu rourou, mā tāku rourou, ka ora ai te iwi — From your food basket and from my food basket, the people will be sustained.
This encapsulated our approach, highlighting the collective effort required for community wellbeing. 

You can read our Mahere Whanake Māori Plan here!

Through a genuine partnership between Hanga-Aro-Rau and The Cause Collective, Māori and Pacific rangatahi have moved from tours and exposure to real employment in high-demand sectors.

This collaboration opens clear pathways – supported, culturally grounded, and ready to deliver where industry needs them most.

Click here to learn more about our partnership and outcomes.

Hanga-Aro-Rau was proud to present a white paper focused on the Māori workforce and Māori economy. Our guiding purpose remained:
He pūkenga tāngata, he pikinga taumata hei oranga mahi — more Māori with higher skills in higher-paid jobs and improved employment opportunities. 

The white paper reinforced this vision, offering actionable guidance for those responsible for redesigning the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system, including the transition to Industry Skills Bodies (ISBs). 

This important and complex mahi was supported by robust, evidence-based insights to ensure a responsive and evolving system — one that was anchored in what worked well and shaped for the future of all New Zealanders. 

Explore the kaupapa that drove real change for Māori across the manufacturing, engineering, and logistics industries.

From industry events to collaborative projects, these initiatives reflected our commitment to ‘More Māori with higher skills, in higher paid jobs and improved employment opportunities.‘

Our Māori industry profiles shared the journeys of Māori across manufacturing, engineering, and logistics. By highlighting their experiences, we aimed to inspire others, promote visibility, and encourage more Māori to see themselves in these careers. 

These stories showcased the skills, challenges, and contributions of Māori in our sectors — helping to build understanding, strengthen workforce diversity, and support career development. The profiles also contributed to workforce planning by providing insights to support industry growth and opportunity. 

This is a collection of updates from the Whanake Māori team, including stories, Māori industry profiles, and the kaupapa we worked on across the manufacturing, engineering, and logistics industries.

Read Whanake Māori news here