Candidates keen to hear voices of Ngāti Maniapoto whānau

Young candidates keen to hear the voices of Ngāti Maniapoto whānau

Providing a platform for Ngāti Maniapoto voices worldwide is the primary motivation behind www.teammaniapoto.net launched today by a group of candidates contesting this year’s Maniapoto Māori Trust Board elections.

All four candidates Riria (Missy) Te Kanawa, Glenda Taituha, Piki Knapp and Haylee Putaranui are in their 30s and believe "there is a safety and collective passion to contribute to iwi.”

“We were all fortunate to have been raised in homes and on marae by pakeke who were proud, hardworking and honest people at heart. We are keen to bring these foundations, along with our professional experience and fresh perspectives including feedback from www.teammaniapoto.net (users are able to submit anonymous feedback) and social media to the Board” says Haylee.

“It is also about time our generation stepped up and put some work in" adds Haylee.

While the election process and more specifically candidate campaigns for most iwi leadership groups are usually low key, the four budding candidates are proactively using their knowledge and experience of online and social media to appeal to Maniapoto voters.

Adopting the hashtag #teammaniapoto the group also launched their Facebook page last week with one photo attracting over 1500 views.

With almost half of those of voting age being aged 39 and under, the group believe it’s important to connect and engage with Maniapoto people on their terms.

“We want to work alongside our pakeke to bring some balance and diversity to the decision making table, to pair their wisdom, with our energy. We have four key priorities which all stem from putting whānau first: prosperity, wellbeing, culture and whānau connections. There are so many exciting initiatives already happening out there in the world and within other iwi – we don’t even have to be original; simply work to connect our people to these opportunities. I don’t believe we need to do everything ourselves – by working with others, we can achieve so much more” says Missy.

As well as the online and social media push, #teammaniapoto are hoping to appeal to Ngāti Maniapoto across all media forums.

“Following the launch of our facebook page, we have had some awesome feedback and support especially from our people keen to see a change which better represents our younger generations with new ideas and perspectives on a quickly changing modern world. We are keen to see www.teammaniapoto.net used to generate discussions and really inform our views as to what our people want as individuals, for their whānau and our iwi” says Piki who was a successful candidate in the last election.

“From my experience, a three year term is short so we are hoping to make an impact which will at least set up a solid platform for the next generation whereby they can readily engage across all platforms and ultimately set up a healthy and vibrant iwi going forward”

For Glenda, it is imperative the Board moves forward and is inclusive at all levels of whanau, marae and hapu. “The future is about ensuring whānau are culturally vibrant. We want our tamariki to grow up with a strong sense of identity, fashioned by the examples left by our kaumātua and kuia and all of the amazing technologies of this modern world. I am a Pa raised kid through and through, but I also ashamedly enjoy learning about technology and watching our young kids soak up and use all the modern cons and learning opportunities. We can do it all and still be good and proud Maniapoto people.”

To be eligible to vote, Ngāti Maniapoto must be registered with the Maniapoto Māori Trust Board by Friday 17 April 2015. Voting papers will be sent on 18 May 2015.

ENDS

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