Nāku te rourou nāu te rourou ka ora ai te iwi - With my basket and your basket the people will thrive. Our stories are an important part of who we are. Learn more about what we stand for, the story of Hei Mauri Tū and our Pou.
Our Aspirations
Our 'why' is deeply rooted in reducing disparities and championing a vibrant and equitable future for Aotearoa. We believe that embracing Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Ngā mahi ā te rēhia is not just integral to the identity of Aotearoa, but it also enables transformative change. They guide us to empower individuals with the capabilities to thrive and impact the world around them.
Our Purpose
To enliven our Te Tiriti identity through Ngā Mahi ā Te Rēhia
Our Role
We provide leadership, training, advice, and connection in Aotearoa-New Zealand’s cultural context.
Our Values
Tika - We do what is right.
Pono - We are true to ourselves and others.
Aroha - We demonstrate care and respect.
Hei Mauri Tū
Hei Mauri Tū symbolises everything we are: its boundless freedom transcends beyond the organisation and through to the workplace and its people, allowing them to ignite their potential and soar to new heights.
Our logo, or tohu, was conceived and brought to life by carver and designer Tamatea Kopua, with support from Cato Partners Wellington.
In our branding, Hei Mauri Tū is represented by the figure of a human ascending above a sphere, to a world of heavenly kōrero - information. This represents Tāne-nui-ā-rangi or Tāwhaki, as he ascended to the heavens to acquire the three baskets of knowledge: ngā kete o te wānanga me ngā whatu e rua.
The hole within the chest of the design represents the kaperua, the seed. From the seed, we have growth, shown by koru extending on both sides of the human form. From these, future generations are nurtured.
On the right hand side, through the Maui design, the external koru represents Tā-whiri-mātea. Takarangi represents the clouds, of unrest and opportunity in the atmosphere. Maui is credited with flight, through perseverance and acquisition of knowledge.
On the left hand side, the external koru represents Tā-ngā-roa. This Puhoro design is representative of how Tā-ngā-roa receives the wake of the waka, upon which achievement is progressed.
Mauri Oho, Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora
Step up. Strengthen. Flourish.
Hei Mauri Tū takes the workplace and its people and lets them reach for the stars, instead of safely staying earthbound. It supports others when they need a hand to get ahead. We change things and make them better, and all it takes is a bit of hard work and ignoring the no-can-do voices.
Learn more about the story of Hei Mauri Tū
Te karanga o te Ngahere | Call of the forest
This is the name given to the Skills Active Pou, taken from Te Maringi Helen Te Karanga o te Ngahere Bartlett-Waara.
Te Karanga o te Ngahere acknowledges the peoples of Taranaki Whānui, Te Atiawa and Ngati Toa Rangatira as mana whenua.
Special acknowledgements go to kaumātua Joe McClutchie and Jack Brooking, to Amster and Shirley Reedy for presenting the Pou to Skills Active in a profoundly traditional way,
to the carvers (kaiwhakairo), Kereopa Wharehinga, Hori Haenga, Hama Campbell and Tamatea Kopua, who brought to life the stories from their ancestors,
and to Te Maringi Helen Te Karanga o te Ngahere Bartlett-Waara, after whom the Pou is named.
Te Ara Tipuna | Path of our elders
The Pou traces the trek that crosses the Raukumara mountain range which connects the tribal boundaries of te Whānau ā Apanui and Ngāti Porou.
Nau mai e Tama kia areare o taringa ki te whakarongo ki ngā taringa o Rongo-mai-taha-nui, o Rongo-mai-taha-rangi, o Tu-pai whakarongo wahanga i te wānanga o Timu-whakairihia.
In earlier times, Māori passed on traditions, stories and messages orally. The passage above emphasises the art of listening, where orators were gifted with exceptional delivery and retention skills.
Over the years, oral traditions have given way to the increased use of paper and technology as tools to retain knowledge.
Therefore, the Skills Active Pou, having once allowed us to navigate Te Ara Tipuna, now stands as a metaphoric post to support us in retaining our organisation’s whakapapa and conveying consistent messages of who we are and what we do.
Mauri ora!