EmbracingTeAoMāori:Ourjourneytobebetterallies
We’ve embarked on a journey of allyship and education in Te Ao Māori. Through initiatives like supporting Indigitech's Whānau Day and hosting our first pōwhiri, Dynamo6 is working to create a more inclusive and equitable workplace and contribute to the empowerment of tāngata whenua.
Unity in diversity
For a long time, we’ve stayed out of a public position in this area. As a predominantly pākehā company in a less-than-diverse industry, It didn’t feel right or that we had anything meaningful to add. But behind the scenes, improving our diversity has been a key initiative. It’s taken some time, but we’ve made strides in hiring a more diverse workforce that better reflects the melting pot of modern Aotearoa, New Zealand. This week marks a key milestone for Dynamo6: We held our first pōwhiri to welcome our new joiner. (More on this another time).
Embracing Te Ao Māori
To deepen our understanding of Te Ao Māori, we've embarked on a journey of allyship and education. We’re early into this journey, but we’re working with various stakeholders to learn and acknowledge our history and recognise and challenge our own biases. Overall, the endgame is to help us build respectful and mutually beneficial partnerships with more Māori organisations.
Addressing the diversity gap
We've also considered and been proactive about the initiatives we support as an organisation to help rangatahi and wahine discover the world of tech and consider it a career. There is a massive digital skills and diversity gap within the technology industry. Despite representing 19.6% of the population, technology professionals only see 4% of Māori. Similarly, for Pasifika, nearly 9% of the population identify as Pasifika, but less than 3% of technology professionals are from this group.1,2,3
This year, we supported the annual nationwide Indigitech campaign4, Whānau Day. This event seeks to engage with students and their families, showcase a career in tech, and show them the kind of things they could do if they worked in a tech company.
Cultural training & preparation
We’re collectively excited as a company to host our first pōwhiri. We began with cultural training to educate ourselves on what this means and the significance of the ceremony. For many of us, not born in New Zealand, and others with some awareness and experience, it was great to share and increase our knowledge, from the importance of the ceremony, the waiata we’ll sing, to the hariru and the importance of kai for reestablishing noa.
A long-term commitment
As we continue to learn and grow, we acknowledge that this is a long-term commitment. It requires ongoing effort, reflection, and a willingness to challenge our own perspectives. Ultimately, we believe that digital solutions can and should empower and uplift tāngata whenua. By embracing our Te Ao Māori journey, we can work with better understanding and as true allies.
References
1 Code Avengers, ‘Indigitech: Bridging the Digital Divide in New Zealand's Education Sector’, accessed Sep. 2024.
2 Stats NZ, ‘2023 Census population counts (by ethnic group, age, and Māori descent) and dwelling counts’, May 2024.
3 New Zealand Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatū Aorere, ‘Pasifika New Zealand’, accessed Sep. 2024.
4 Reseller New, ‘Tech firms partner to deliver digital skills to low decile Kiwi schools’, Jun. 2023.