Māori Battalion scholarship opens way for leaders
university-of-waikato
Thu Apr 08 2010 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Māori Battalion scholarship opens way for leaders
Thursday, 8 April 2010, 10:35 am
Press Release: University of Waikato
Māori Battalion scholarship opens way for leadership research by Waikato MBA student
Robyn Rauna’s grandfather served with C Company of the 28 (Māori) Battalion, and although he died before she was born, she grew up hearing all the stories of the soldiers’ bravery and achievements. Today she’s drawing on that inspiration to achieve in her chosen field: identifying and analysing what makes a good Māori leader.
Rauna, who is of Rongowhakaata, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Te Aitanga-ā-Māhaki, Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa, Te Whakatohea and Ngāi Tahu descent, is part-way through an MBA at the University of Waikato Management School and is one of eight recipients of this year’s Ngarimu VC and 28 (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarship Awards.
“It’s an honour to receive this scholarship,” says Rauna, who juggles consultancy work and managing the Tairawhiti Community Law Centre in Gisborne with her MBA studies in Hamilton and caring for her 12-year-old son. She’s also involved in a number of projects and events within her iwi.
Rauna plans to use the $5,000 award to complete her MBA thesis analysing the behaviours, attributes and practices of emerging Māori leaders charged with managing collectively owned tribal assets. She’ll be focusing on governance members of her three iwi, Turanga - Rongowhakaata, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri and Te Aitanga-ā-Māhaki, and says iwi interest in her research has been high.
“In fact, it’s been a little overwhelming,” she says. “I’ll be conducting at least three focus groups, one for each iwi, and at least 10 key person interviews.
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“I’m really interested in understanding leadership best practice as we move into the settlement of our Treaty of Waitangi claim. It’s a practical way of contributing to dialogue around how we can grow and develop as a people.”
The claim is likely to be worth at least $110 million, but Rauna says that doesn’t include assets already under iwi ownership, such as trusts and incorporation lands. “We also need to see our human resources as an asset. I’ve completed one pilot leadership interview and it’s been quite interesting to encounter different perceptions of what our assets are. I can see I’ve got to think a bit more laterally and consider what we already have, not just what we’re going to get.”
Rauna initially completed her LLB at Waikato, and chose to return there for her MBA studies. That’s involved fortnightly journeys from Gisborne to Hamilton for intensive weekend classes. She says the MBA has enabled her to develop her entrepreneurial skills and interest in strategy and leadership, and to mix with people from a range of business backgrounds.
“It’s widened my perspective. Māori need to be able to foot it in a global international community, not just within Aotearoa New Zealand. It’s about calling on those skills that we take for granted, be it on a marae or in the boardroom, and refining them to give us a competitive and sustainable advantage wherever we go.”
Rauna plans to deliver reports and presentations on her MBA research to all three iwi by the end of June.
ENDS
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