LEADERSHIP

One of our most powerful proverbs is “Ko te kai a te rangatira - he korero” and basically translates to “The food of chiefs - is the spoken word” and helps illustrate the importance of our oral traditions. Traditional leadership was essentially hierarchical and largely based on whakapapa... but that did not mean leaders would not emerge from the wider whanau. These people often lead byexample and rather than set out to become leader... they tended to find themselves with dedicated followers.

A chief has many qualities from understanding the tribal histories... appreciating the tribal environment... standing up for the tribal mana... and endorsing the loyalty of their people. To do this a leader needed to communicate on many levels... and his word was literally his bond. A real leader needs to consider all aspects of his responsibility... he needs to be aware of all points of the emotional compass... be aware of the impact and outcomes of any decisions they make.

A chief must consider the importance of our yesterdays... he must look at the relevance of today’s issues... as well as have a full consideration for tomorrow and how his words will shape the future. That is why our chiefs developed a platform to verbalize their whakaaro... that’s why they consider each and every word they use... that’s why they choose wisely the kupu korero they deliver. Chiefs use their words to paint pictures in the minds of their listeners... they use their reo as a chisel to shape the thoughts of their audience... they use their korero to inspire and motivate their people. They use language to bind the iwi together.

“Ko te kai a te rangatira - he korero” ...KOINA...
what they say is who they are... MAURIORA