Johannah Kātene-Burge,Wakatū intern

Hoea hoea ki te tahatūi

Paddling together to the distant horizon

JOHANNAH KĀTENE-BURGE NGĀTI TAMA, NGĀTI RARUA

Hoea hoea ki te tahatūi Kia kotahi ai te hāpai ō te hoe Hoea hoea ki te pae tawhiti Hei oranga tonutanga mō ngā uri Te tuakiri me te pono Te hihiritanga ko ngā pou O tō mātou nei waka, ko Te Tauihu e hoea rā. Hō!

Imagining herself 500 years into the future was the inspiration for a newwaiata composed by Johannah Kātene-Burge, a Wakatū scholarship recipient, TeHunga Panuku memberand 2019 Wakatū intern.

Johannah is currently doing a Bachelor of Management Studies Honours, majoring in human resource management and strategic management, at Waikato University.

Johannah says, ‘The Wakatū internship gave me the opportunity to spend time in different departments, including Kono marketing, Manaaki whānau engagement, the Owners’ Liaison office and Human Resources.’ She feels that the wide variety of tasks she undertook helped her to articulate what she would like to specialise in with her degree and what her future career will look like. She particularly appreciated the hands-on time spent with the HR team, conducting reference checks, contract reviews and inductions.

A highlight was the annual kaimahi wānanga, where she facilitated the cultural development sessions. Johannah took the group through the pōwhiri process. ‘For some kaimahi it was their first time on a marae, so I’m glad that I was able to be a part of their journey,’ she says. ‘Over the wānanga, I saw each individual grow in confidence in their own understanding of tikanga and find their connection with the Wakatū story.’

Wakatū CEO Kerensa Johnston asked Johannah to write a letter as if she were writing from 500 years in the future. ‘It was a real challenge thinking about what life might be like, and the status of the earth in 500 years’ time,’ Johanna explains. For inspiration, Johannah reflected upon Te Pae Tawhiti, the 500-year intergenerational plan. ‘My waiata tries to capture the essence of that plan – to travel steadfastly towards the distant horizon. To achieve wellbeing for our descendants, we must paddle together, drawing courage and strength from the core values of Te Pae Tawhiti: identity, integrity and innovation.

‘I was invited to attend the Manaaki board hui on the last day of my internship, and it felt right to share my waiata then. I’m a confident singer, but I did have a few nerves. It’s definitely harder to perform in front of your own!’ But she says the reaction was positive, and she’s begun to teach the waiata to Te Hunga Panuku so it can become part of the Wakatū waiata tautoko repertoire.

It was a busy year in 2019 for Johannah. She was appointed as an associate trustee on the Ngāti Tama board, an initiative to grow and develop skills in governance and iwi leadership. Johannah was also selected for an 11-day business trip to Vietnam with SEA-CAPE Te Hononga-a-Kiwa, a scheme aimed at improving Māori business capability and engagement in different regions, including Southeast Asia.

Johannah is a member of the invitation-only ‘Golden Keys Honorable Society’ – an international academic society for the top 15 per cent of tertiary students – and she now co-chairs the Waikato chapter. Johannah was also recognised as the 2019 top Māori academic of the Business Management faculty at the University of Waikato.

‘I’ve always been driven to excellence at whatever I set out to achieve – not for my own sake but in light of being a positive role model for others, and especially for my whānau. In my life I have often known what I didn’t want to be. There are people who I have looked up to, who have inspired me and made me determined, and if I can inspire even one other person to achieve more than they think they can, I’ll be pretty stoked.’

The internship programme has further strengthened Johannah’s connection to Wakatū and galvanised her intention to give back to the Wakatū whānau who have supported her study. ‘I’m certain that I will work for Wakatū, but when and in what capacity isn’t so clear yet. I’m concentrating on finishing my degree, and then going out into the world to write my own story. In time, I will bring back what I have found to benefit the whānau of Wakatū.’

You can read Johannah’s letter from the future on the Wakatū website at www.wakatu.org/ tupunaletter