Written by Daniel Brunt, New Zealand Customs Service.
Reflections on the first day……wow! While our first Tu Mau Mana Moana retreat, Vā Tupu, was constrained by not being able to meet in person with the full cohort (thanks COVID), it was definitely an experience. I have attended a number of leadership development courses within the public sector over the years, all with their merits, but I have never felt as comfortable as I did in the first five minutes of meeting with the Auckland cohort. A couple of things stood out to me on day one. One was the amount of support that was shown from a bunch of strangers to other strangers really typified the Pasifika way for me. Within twenty minutes we were all laughing and underway with new relationships. I really feel that this course is going to be different to others because you can really be yourself amongst contemporaries.
My measure of the course’s impact on me will be how much I put into practice in my every day leadership, and I’ve already had a bit of a reckoning. I recently had to address a gathering at work of about 80 people. Reflecting on co-facilitator Ala’imalo Falefatu Enari’s sessions on our identity and self definition, I ended up introducing myself as a father, a husband and a son….who also works for a government agency rather than “I am the manager of blah blah blah”. That simple change in introduction, while seemingly small, had an impact on the group I was speaking to and was inspired by what I learned in Vā Tupu. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the programme brings.
Daniel wrote this about Va Tupu, the first retreat of seven in Tū Mau Mana Moana.
Tū means to stand, arise, be, to be upright in 48 of our languages – it is Austronesian in origin and one of our most ancient source languages. At its zenith, Tū or Kū is the archetype of humanity - of the god of war, of the realm of humankind.
Mau is in 47 of our languages and is linguistically categorised as Polynesian in origin. It refers to seeking, finding, persisting, holding on to, firmly and tightly. Mau is a well-known movement of liberation and a calling cry to reclaim power.
Together, these words create Tū Mau – to stand and hold, to be firm and seek. The approach and orientation of this programme is designed specifically for Pacific peoples seeking to lead in the public sector.
Find out more about Mana Moana here.