Kaupapa Māori career ideas, Ngā whakaaro aramahi kaupapa Māori

Kaupapa Māori career ideas are developed specifically to reflect jobs that are unique and important to Aotearoa New Zealand.

Currently there are 10 kaupapa Māori career ideas featured on Tahatū:

• Kairangahau kaupapa Māori – Kaupapa Māori researcher
• Kairaranga – Weaver
• Kairongoā – Rongoā practitioner
• Kaitiaki taiao māori – Kaitiaki ranger
• Kaiwhakairo Māori – Māori carver
• Kaiwhakamāori ā-tuhi – Te reo Māori translator
• Pou ārahi – Māori cultural adviser
• Pouako – Māori medium teacher
• Pūkenga ao haka – Te ao haka specialist
• Ringatoi tāmoko – Tāmoko artist

Kaupapa Māori career ideas are jobs where you can use your te ao Māori language, skills and knowledge.

A kaupapa Māori career idea may be traditional, contemporary or bicultural. The work could be in iwi, community, public or private sectors. In some roles you may lead or train others using te ao Māori.

In kaupapa Māori career ideas you may do these activities:

• follow tikanga Māori
• use mātauranga Māori
• engage with whānau, hapū, iwi and Māori institutions
• speak, read and write te reo Māori
• honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi
• strengthen the Māori-Crown relationship.

For some kaupapa Māori career ideas you’ll need formal qualifications and for others you’ll need lived experience to do the mahi.

Te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori are at the centre of every kaupapa Māori career idea.

Kaupapa Māori career idea profiles follow the same structure as other Tahatū profiles but have an additional kaupapa section. This important kōrero explains te ao Māori concepts and background information about the mahi.

The kaupapa Māori career idea profiles are written in te reo Māori. You can click a toggle to read the same information in English.

Every kaupapa Māori career idea profile includes a short video featuring someone who does the mahi. They talk about what is involved in the job and how they got into the role.

Criteria

Kaupapa Māori career ideas are chosen using these criteria:

• access to subject matter expertise and practitioners
• an existing pathway into the job, like NCEA levels and tertiary qualifications
• evidence of demand where there is a skill shortage
• a range of different sectors like language, arts, environment, strategic leadership and research
• a range of traditional and contemporary roles
• a range of roles across iwi, community, public and private sectors.

Process

Each kaupapa Māori career idea is developed using 3 or more sector, industry and other experts who are experienced in the mahi, understand the kaupapa and know the different paths taken to get into the career.

The process starts with a wānanga (individual or group interviews) with the experts. They are asked questions about each part of the kaupapa Māori career idea profile:

• the most common name of the career idea
• other names it might have
• a short job description
• the range of pay rates
• kaupapa information
• what you would do in the job, like usual hours and place of work, challenges like emotional or physical demands, and helpful personality strengths
• the tasks involved
• ways to get into the job, like experience and qualifications
• what school NCEA levels you may need for study or training.

This information and other research is used to draft the career idea profile. Then it’s reviewed by the experts and other relevant industry organisations. Any feedback is used to update the career idea information, with the experts having final approval.

Finally, the career idea profile is translated into te reo Māori or English and peer reviewed by licensed translators.

TEC will continue to develop more kaupapa Māori career ideas over time. We welcome future suggestions and feedback about existing jobs. Use the Contact us link in the footer of this page to call or email us.