Waikato Businesswomen Partner with Te Waipounamu Whānau-Centred Business to Support Māori and Pacific Island Men

Rise2025, the global coaching and leadership programme for Indigenous women will now support Indigenous men.

Three years on, Rise2025 Founder Rachel Petero (Waikato-Tainui) is partnering with Lee (Ngāti Rarua, Ngāti Toarangatira, Ngāti Maniapoto) and Cazna Luke (Ngāi Tahu, Te Rarawa) Directors of Mokowhiti Ltd – a Te Waipounamu based whānau owned and operated business.

“The launch of our globally recognised coach training programme for Indigenous men readdresses the gender balance we have been working towards since 2015” Petero states.

“We take a proactive capability and strengths building approach to address the disproportionate statistics of Tāne Māori across all determinants; health, education, employment, homelessness and imprisonment.

“We have an opportunity to empower both Māori men that are suffering under disproportionate statistics, as well as current and up and coming, successful leaders and we need different approaches to those currently being offered.

The statistics represent decades of inherited and imposed behaviours. We need to unlearn and relearn one coaching conversation at a time”.

Recent ‘Graduates’

Mokowhiti Director Cazna Luke recently graduated from the Rise2025 Mana Wāhine programme. Role modelling for her whānau the importance of professional and personal growth, she added “my journey to becoming an internationally accredited coach has been rewarding and confronting all at once.

“It’s a courageous journey and one that Rise2025 and the global network support you through to the finish line. We are immensely excited to be able to increase the reach and host a cohort here in Otautahi to create a space for Tāne to undertake this opportunity. Knowing Lee will go on his journey in 2019 with Māori and Pacific Tāne I believe will make a difference towards achieving whānau aspirations.

“Lee Luke works extensively with and advocates for men’s health and leadership programmes. As a whanau-centred business Mokowhiti embody the Rise2025 values.

“The leadership and coaching skills we gain from day one are life skills we can use to deal with conflict, crisis and better communicate how we are coping or not. With tikanga and Māori values at the heart of the Rise2025 kaupapa as well as internationally trained facilitators it will be a transformative journey for us all,” says Lee.

International Interest

The inaugural programme has garnered interest following the announcement at the WIBF – World Indigenous Business Forum in October 2018.

As deputy chair, Te Ohu Whai Ao Trust and hosts of WIBF in Rotorua, Petero also adds that “we’ve had a steady stream of interest from Tāne since we launched in 2015, from both Māori and the Pacific Islands.

“Now is the perfect time to respond to the demand. Our global vision is to transform the lives of 100,000 Indigenous women, men and their whānau by 2025.”

The inaugural Rise2025 Mana Tāne programme will be hosted at Rehua Marae in the heart of Otautahi, Christchurch city.

Applications are now open to a limited number of Māori and Pacific Island men for the inaugural programme. Mandatory dates of attendance are 12 – 14 March and 27 – 29 April 2019.

Iwi or organisation sponsorship to the programme is encouraged.

Applications to info@rise2025.com for the full programme brochure and investment required.

For interviews contact: Lee Luke – 027 6641878 / 027 662 5806
Rachel Petero – 021 0563 189

The Mana Tāne programme can be downloaded here.

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