A passion for protecting whenua Māori

Ko Aotea te waka
Ko Waitotara te awa
Ko Potiki a Rehua te maunga
Ko Ngati Hou Tipua te hapū
Ko Ngā Rauru te iwi
Ko Hannah McKinlay tōku ingoa

Working at Te Tumu Paeroa has allowed me to pursue my passion in Māori Resource Management as well as helping me on my own Te Ao Māori journey.

My role is Mātanga Taipakeke Rawa Taiao Resource and Environmental Specialist. I work with teams across the organisation to respond, analyse and write submissions on key central and regional policies, plans, documents and legislation that impact whenua Māori and Māori landowners.

I’ve been with the Ratonga Whakamaru Rawa Asset Management team since its creation in 2018, although I joined Te Tumu Paeroa in a casual role whilst finishing my degree back in 2016. Once I finished my degree, I was invited to be part of the organisation’s graduate programme.

I moved around many of the teams, learning about different aspects of whenua Māori administration. It was a great opportunity to finish my degree and transition my learnings into my new career.

My role, duties and responsibilities have developed and expanded over the past few years. I have moved from a project coordinator in the Asset Management team, to an Asset Advisor and now a Resource and Environmental Specialist. I have progressed from gathering data and providing administrative support for asset management plans, to writing their strategies and leading our organisation’s response to key local and central policy.

Each position has assisted in building my understanding of the whenua Māori we administer – from the soil up – and has meant that I can create short to medium strategies and respond to new resource and environmental policy that is in the best interest of whenua Māori and Māori landowners.

The nature of my work and the complexities of Māori land administration requires cross-team analysis of key issues that impact the whenua we administer individually and collectively. It’s great to see how we can all work together to get the best outcomes for the whenua.

The work is often complex but it is always interesting. Considerable hours are spent reading and understanding different perspectives on environmental issues. It’s a key part of my role to ensure that a Te Ao Māori and Māori landowner perspective is adequately represented in proposed plans, policies and legislation.

As a result Ratonga Whakamaru Rawa liaise with many different groups, organisations and government agencies to help them develop a greater understanding about the complex nature of whenua Māori.

I love working at Te Tumu Paeroa and I love the job I do. I want to be able to help Māori in general, but particularly in this role, Māori landowners and whenua Māori. Anything I can do, and our team can do to really highlight the issues that whenua Māori and Māori landowners have faced since Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed – is something I want to do.

If you're interested to learn more about a career with Te Tumu Paeroa, check out our current opportunities.