'Captains of our future': Iwi invests in rangatahi and tech

Ngāti Whātua is investing in its future with a new leadership and technology scholarship aimed at ensuring the success of the next generation of leaders.

Nineteen-year-old Manaia Te Paa and 18-year-old LaDanian Faimanifo are inaugural recipients of the Whātua Whitawhita (Powering Up) scholarship awarded to young emerging talent who are venturing into a career in technology.

The iwi has partnered with Revved – a national leadership business network – to establish the scholarship that will support recipients through funding, mentoring, industry connections and leadership development.

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua chief executive Renata Blair said he’s making technology a future focus among the iwi and the scholarship is to help develop leaders and expertise.

“We always talk about assets such as buildings, property, land, but this currency of digital and tech is actually a new currency that if we don't get and hit it quickly we'll just be following, and I want us to be the designers of technology. I don't want us to [just] be the users, you know?”

He said there’s a disparity between Māori and non-Māori around accessibility because of the cost of technology so the aim is to close the gap and “run hard at it”.

He said Te Paa and Faimanifo had the enthusiasm and push to pave the way for others into the industry.

“Also, they have whānau support which is important. As a young person these days you need people around you to urge you and to keep you going. So, they have good whānau support, they have good hapū (subtribe) support, and of course, with the iwi of Ngāti Whātua they've got pushing behind them.”

Te Paa has been working behind the scenes at Hine Rei, his mother’s rongoā business, in charge of its digital and social media platforms. He sought out the role seeing a career pathway ahead and a way to contribute to the whānau business.

“Kei te ako tonu, engari ko ētahi o ngā pukenga i ako e au ko te whai wāhi i muri i te kāmera, anō hoki, te whakaputa i ngā pae pāoho pāpori. He tino pūkenga ērā.”

(“I’m still learning but some of the skills I’ve picked up are behind-the-camera production, as well as content creation. They’re valuable skills.”)

He said AI plays a significant role in his work, and he’s seen its prominence rise across industries.

When asked if he had any concerns around AI, he recalled a proverb that referred to wayward children being led to the source of understanding, life and peace. He also said his ‘Pāpā’ Hemi Tai Tin, a well-respected Māori leader and teacher, always said that for te reo to be truly Māori, your thoughts must first be Māori.

“Ki au nei he tino kōrero ērā i te mea me tika ai ngā whakaaro kia tika ai ngā mahi (I believe those two sayings hold great value in that the thinking and intention behind something must be right in order for it to be right).

“Nō reira he āhua wero tēnei ki ngāi rangatahi, waihoki, a ngāi Māori: Me tika ngā whakaaro kia tika ai te AI (So this is a challenge to rangatahi, to Māori too: Your thoughts and intentions must be right when using AI).”

Faimanifo is studying a Bachelor of Software Engineering, specialising in Game Programming at the Media Design School in Auckland. He said he’s always been surrounded by art and games.

“I've always wanted to make games,” he said. “Just the creative industry because I was brought up in it. And I like games. I like making sure things work in coding, so I decided to get into that.”

Like Te Paa, his parents play a supportive role, and he’s particularly inspired by his father, Kennedy Kioa Toi Faimanifo, a veteran animator and visual effects artist whose resume and credits includes working for the likes of Wētā FX, and on productions such as A Minecraft Movie, two Avatar films and Game of Thrones series.

Faimanifo said he wanted to make an “iconic” game that has its own community.

“I wouldn't say I have a fully fleshed idea of what that would be but I know that's a kind of game that I want to make because it would be like sharing what I've made with the world.”

Revved founder Rochelle Moffitt was part of the submissions panel that selected Te Paa and Faimanifo. She said they stood out for their passion, drive and willingness to learn.

She said the opportunity to partner with the iwi to create the scholarship was an honour and is looking forward to a long-term collaboration.

“We're not really into one-hit wonders,” said Moffitt. “We're here for longevity and partnerships and also for the scholarship winners. While they might be scholarship winners for 12 months, that doesn't mean that we won't continue to support them and open any doors that we can to help them.”

As part of the scholarship, the two rangatahi attended the Revved Summit, an event that brings together critical thinkers, influential leaders and the ambitious, said Moffitt, with a purpose to “engineer change for good in New Zealand”.

Faimanifo described the experience as being “very different”.

“Lots of big people, like CEOs and stuff, founders of companies, and they're really cool, doing all really cool things. And they inspire me to try harder in school and to maybe help get other people into the industry.”

Te Paa hopes to come out with a business network of experts in his pocket, and open to the opportunities that come his way.

“Me te nui o taku waimarie ki te whai pānga ki a rātou (And I would be very grateful for the connections),” he said.

Blair said they want to welcome rangatahi to engage and give input into the future direction of the iwi, to “ensure that we are making preparations for their future and opportunities”.

“We see this digital and tech as an important part of our future and right now. So all our rangatahi of Ngāti Whātua, we want you to be in this world.”

He said they have previously made the call out for lawyers, accountants, teachers and nurses, but this is “cutting-edge” high-paid jobs.

“We need to be the captains of our future and not the ones that are left in the wake of the boat.”