Promoting Effective Māori Leadership and Decision Making for Prosperous Economies of Wellbeing – Te Whakatairanga i te Ārahitanga Whai Hua me te Māori te Whakatau Kaupapa

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What are the distinctive dimensions and drivers of innovative Māori leadership and integrated decision making, and how do these characteristics deliver pluralistic outcomes that advance transformative and prosperous Māori economies of wellbeing?

A diverse range of Māori leadership practices have contributed to the development of a Māori economy with a current estimated asset base of $42.6 billion, yet the role of mātauranga and tikanga Māori within leadership practices is poorly understood.

While economic success may in part be attributed to Māori leadership philosophies and practices that have had to adapt and adjust to changing contexts, it remains poorly understood.  Thus the significance of this research project lies in developing a comprehensive understanding of if and how Māori leaders generate, embody and enact leadership to make decisions to advance prosperous and sustainable Māori economies of wellbeing.

This project is considered crucial, as leadership and decision-making for Māori and Indigenous peoples occurs within a diverse range of organisational and governance contexts. In the Māori economy, this includes iwi, hapū, marae, not-for-profits, public sector, political, religious and educational organisations, amongst many others.

The core aim is to advance the research knowledge of Māori leadership and decision-making whilst promoting transformative strategies that will assist Māori organisations and their leaders to build further prosperous Māori economies of wellbeing.

Objectives of the Research:

  1. Develop a better understanding of tikanga Māori for business to help explain and inform new ways of strategising “being and doing” Māori leadership.
  2. Better understand the dynamics of Māori leadership and decision-making.
  3. Identify the critical requirements for effective leadership of Māori organisations that will lead to enhancing the economic performance of Māori communities while maintaining consistency with mātauranga and tikanga Māori.
Whai Rawa - Māori Economies
Economic Development
Project commenced:
Full project

Research Lead(s) and Team

Dr Rachel Wolfgramm

Te Aupouri Ngāi Takoto Whakatōhea Ngāti Patumoana Tonga
Senior Lecturer

Rachel's training has been multi-disciplinary, incorporating the fields of organisation, consumption, leadership and economic theory and practice. She has taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Management, Organisation Behaviour, Māori Enterprise, Sustainability, Business, Culture and Society, Business Ethics and Sustainability.

Professor Chellie Spiller

Professor of Management and Leadership Associate Dean Māori

Dr Chellie Spiller, of Matawhaiti Iwitea, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa, is Professor of Management and Leadership, and Associate Dean Māori at the University of Waikato. She was previously a senior lecturer and Associate Dean Māori and Pacific at the University of Auckland Business School. She has over 30 years of corporate experience in tourism, finance and marketing, holding senior executive positions in New Zealand and abroad, and brings this experience to her academic work and leadership and management development programmes.

Professor Paul Tapsell

Ngāti Whakaue Ngāti Raukawa

Professor Tapsell is a graduate of the University of Auckland (MA - Social Anthropology) and University of Oxford (DPhil - Museum Ethnography) and has had a distinguished career working within both the Museum community and also academia. He was Tumuaki/Director Māori of Tamaki Paenga Hira/Auckland Museum from 2000-2008, and was appointed as a Professor of Māori Studies in 2009 when he joined the University of Otago in Dunedin.