Written by Kathleen McGhie, Auckland Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira
My leadership journey has taken me many places. Am I a leader? Am I pacific enough? Am I a fake without the fluency of my language or seamless knowledge of my traditions, my customs? I didn’t grow up on the island.
Connection was the first word that arrived when I asked myself, what do I want from the Mana Moana journey? Actually... what do I want? It took a moment.
I want connection, I hoped for belonging. I want to fit in my own shade of pacific skin. To be all pacific, just as I am and let it be enough. To haul myself away from sitting on the periphery, frozen, feeling like an imposter without my language, without my connection and belong … but I didn’t grow up on the island.
Cue the warm slap of a jandal. I don’t know about yours, but my ancestors go for the quick route when delivering messages and this one came swift. SLAP! ‘Remember where you come from!’. Actually, it felt more like ‘you’re gonna get a clip around the ear girl …how many times we have to tell you’. But undoubtedly, I was being told to remember who I was. I am them and they are most certainly all pacific.
Retreat 4 (Va Hala, Ala, Ara: The Path) of The Mana Moana Experience was a light bulb moment. Every retreat asks us for time we don’t feel we have. Work is relentless. Staff, community, family, deadlines, pressures, demands and, at times, we don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Even resilience has its limits. Never before have I prioritised myself above work. This is the first time I have been a leader of my own being. And while it’s a new path, it feels good. I block out the noise and it’s island time. For me it’s being in the moment and soaking in the time you have with those around you whilst honouring the gift of their time, with yours.
Talanoa. What do we do with that time? We allow ourselves the gift of really seeing the leaders we walk with and those who join us on retreats. And we learn from each other. Every leader is amazing! The empowerment of knowing who I am, comes from hearing their stories, their pathways and seeing glimpses of my own. It is their strength that has given me mine. Meitaki ma’ata.
My doubt and questions have been squashed. I am exactly as I am and that is all Pacific, all Māori, all Papa’a - and I am Aotearoa born. The calm I have owning that is empowering. I have felt the warmth of my tupuna walk with me since I was born. They have held me up when I needed support, they have given me reassurance when I’ve asked for help and they continue to guide me in my dreams and when I’m awake. Our ancestors have had us in their hands since the beginning.
Our paths, our journeys, our stories are important reminders of how we got here. Once we’ve faced our past, we can draw strength from it and take it with us on our next steps. Our Hala, Ala, Ara. Our next steps as Pacific Leaders.
So today, I am so grateful to have met twenty-one beautiful all pacific leaders on this hala. Each one tooled with their own high precision, aerodynamic, sustainably made, warm slapping jandals. Two strapped to their back, one spring-loaded up each sleeve, one strapped to each leg and one on each foot .... ready to use as needed. Their time is precious and they offer it freely to the needs of their communities, families and work. I am in awe of what you do.
But the jandal has been slapped and I’m awake. Thank you Mana Moana, for the talanoa, the honesty, the healing, the trust, the leadership, the lessons, the tools, the friendship and so much more. Standing proud on my maunga I see twenty-one strong Pacific Leaders who 6 months ago were strangers for a day and have been family ever since.
Where to next whānau?