Takiwā Waihangā – Our Māori identity
blog | Words Keren Caple | 15 Jun 2018
As New Zealand’s Innovate Change merges with Innovation Unit, we create a new Māori identity that connects us to our place in Aotearoa.
Social Innovation in Aotearoa New Zealand requires a genuine and active commitment to reducing inequality for the people of this land – the Māori people. This identity connects us to our place in Aotearoa, it acknowledges our commitment to work in partnership with Māori, and the work we do to enable the people of Aotearoa to thrive and participate fully and meaningfully.
Our new name in Māori is Takiwā Waihanga.
Takiwā – Space, place, time, period, season
Waihanga – To create, to make, build, construct, erect, create, develop, generate.
Tuia te here tangata, hei oranga ngā tangata katoa – thread together many strands of people, to create thriving societies.
Takiwā Waihanga refers to our space; the space we create to allow for all to participate fully and meaningfully. We achieve this through creating well thought out process, structures and spaces that hold nurture and value all voices. It acknowledges the participatory and creative approaches we use to generate new solutions to complex issues. Innovation Unit achieves this through threading together many strands of people, actively prioritising the needs of every person, that acknowledges cultural contexts, learning styles and accessibility needs. The result is something designed with meaning and intent to serve the people we are designing for, alongside us, and always in heart and mind.
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