Reflection written by Kathleen Masoe, Ministry of Justice
Retreat 3, Va Moana, introduced me to the Pacific Advanced Secondary School (PASS). What an amazing environment to grow young minds in a way that is lovingly Pacific, and immersed in cultural values. The PASS Kaupapa is very different to what I experienced growing up: PASS is positive, mana enhancing and culturally enriching. No matter how our wayfinding journey is supported, students will be challenged by racism as they strive to succeed as Pasefika in Aotearoa.
Wayfinding to me is about navigating. It is about using what we see, smell, hear, know, and touch to move between spaces, whether on the ocean in a va’a or in our concrete buildings between people. People have been the impact for me at this retreat and the two before this. Getting to know others like me, hearing similar stories about struggles and triumph despite statistics. Seeing choices, opportunities, worldviews, attitudes, insight, growth, cultural values that are the same and different to mine. Wayfinding is more the journey and not the destination.
The leadership journey through a Pasefika lens resonates well with me. Witnessing our migration story through Sa’uila Dr Sonny Natanielu’s views, and the connections made between island groups, really landed with me. My worldview is evolving in a really cool way, a way that feels natural and relative. This evolution is teaching me there are many ways to learn, not just in books, but in the forest, the oceans, the stars, our Pacific stories, tatau, the weather, migrating birds and more. It was an absolute conscious association that named what I had been feeling in my environment all these years. A moment of awareness. The environment is an open book of learning, of wayfinding, of connection, no beginning or end like the vast Pacific Ocean.
I learnt from Fa’anānā Efeso Collins’s presentation that, despite what we want to believe about human beings, racism and hate are rife in Aotearoa. We must do something different if we want to influence positive change. I can speak up against racism every time I hear it, see it, feel it and encourage others to do the same. Racism is not OK, ever, and it has not changed much in thousands of years. However, there is hope. The tides are changing. Knowledge is power and these retreats are empowering.
I have gained so much from each retreat, insight that has lightened my soul and strengthened my resolve as a leader. I am not alone. I am proud of the massive number of really smart, intelligent, funny, relevant and authentic Pasefika leaders I have come across, and I am humbled to be among our cohort.
Each retreat is broadening my knowledge and understanding on how the past influences the world, but we are the chiefs of our own wayfaring journeys. Our interactions and self-expression raises awareness of Pasefika values and strengths. The pride of knowing that we come from the largest ocean mass on the planet, larger than the landmass of all the continents combined, Pacific highways to our island atolls. As Aristotle said, ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts’.
We are being given stories from our own history that talk about the potential in all of us, to thrive despite the challenges we face. We have permission to get to know ourselves in our most honest form. To take the new knowledge and weave it into our current lives, skill set, and experience, to lead authentically. Wayfinding informs the way we lead on our journey, continually navigating the world, building on our leadership potential.
Kathleen wrote this following Vā Moana, the third 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 Tū Mau Mana Moana here.