KA EKE POUTAMA
Rangatahi into Governance and Leadership
Ka Eke Poutama is a movement to support emerging Māori leaders
to step into leadership positions within their communities.
We bring together emerging Māori leaders from across Aotearoa and assemble an incredible group of facilitators, coaches and experts who help build their skills, confidence and networks so they can then have what it takes to drive meaningful impact in their communities.
The Ka Eke Poutama programme is a four month programme journey for rangatahi aged 20-38, and is proven to inspire and prepare our next generation of Māori innovators and leaders.
Over 15 weeks, the programme shares practical concepts around how to govern and manage an organisation, create social impact and financial sustainability, and learn about innovating in the face of new challenges.
It takes a strengths-based approach, bridging the gap of learning and applying knowledge.
It empowers young leaders to be confident, capable, connected, and contribute meaningfully to their communities.
It responds to local issues and draws on international and traditional cultural wisdom.
With more than 200 alumni nationally, Ka Eke Poutama is a movement already in motion!
What do we cover in the programme?
We have run governance training programmes for than 400 Māori organisations across Aotearoa.
Our alumni often comment that our training is a fun and practical experience, full of learning.
We integrate activities and stories, and there is no need for previous governance experience for you to participate. If you’re interested in the following concepts, then this is the programme for you:
Indigenous approaches to governance and enterprise growth.
The roles and responsibilities of trustees when holding a governance position.
The most common risks that Maori trusts experience and how to manage them.
Navigating future trends that will change the world and our communities.
How to develop great strategy for a Maori trust or new enterprise.
Entrepreneurial principles to accelerate enterprise growth.
10 ways to innovate in a company to keep it ahead of the game.
Ways to measure and monitor progress towards your strategy.
Operational tools and systems that ensure things get done.
How to have effective trustee meetings that focus on the right things.
Tricks to improve communication between all people you engage with.
Check out our previous Ka Eke Poutama cohorts
Ka Eke Poutama 2016 journey
Ka Eke Poutama 2017 journey
Ka Eke Poutama 2018 journey
We are currently preparing for Ka Eke Poutama 2025!
If you are interested, leave your details at the link below.
Our team will be in contact around dates and application details…
Why consider Ka Eke Poutama?
Governance’ of organisations is where important strategic decisions are made that shape the way an organisation carries out its impact and responds to community needs. Governance is integral to all sectors - in school boards, local Councils, iwi, NGOs, community organisations and businesses.
Emerging Māori leaders can bring refreshing perspectives, new energy, and a range of modern skills to help our organisations flourish. This represents an overlooked way to contribute to our communities while growing our skill bases and connections.
Who is it for?
We encourage applications from rangatahi and young leaders who are committed to making a difference to their community, iwi and whānau through effective governance and leadership.
The programme suits:
Young, passionate Māori between 20-38 years
Who live anywhere in Aotearoa
Who are interested in strengthening their understanding of good governance
Who can commit to engaging in a part-time, practical programme over 4 months
Who want to go on and take on roles in governance, organisational leadership or their own social enterprise.
The advantages of participating?
Ground into cultural leadership exploring how to weave Māori cultural practices with modern governance principles
Build your confidence and mindset to realise that you can make a massive contribution to your community and to governance and advisory boards too.
Build your network with dozens of other young Māori leaders, as well as mentors and experts. Participate in community initiatives to contribute and connect with community.
Strengthen your strategic thinking skills to have a critical lens and a series of tools to analyse social, business and organisational issues and critically evaluate how to address them.
Practice applying leadership concepts by learning about actual case studies and real life scenarios, hearing others perspectives and experiences, and applying tools and principles to see how they work in action.
Career progression governance provides unique skills and experience to add to your CV. It involves strategy, measurement, operational systems, risk management and communications.
RECOGNISED BY
Ako speaker sessions
Multiple 60 minute sessions with governance, business or innovation leaders and experts as guest speakers (via video-conference). The key focus of these sessions is sharing lived experiences of leading organisations, governance boards and enabling community change.
Online tools and resources
Drawing on a range of best practice tools, frameworks and resources that assist with implementing good governance, running community projects and entrepreneurial initiatives.
Quest exercises
These are assignments and activities that participants undertake in their own time, either individually or in groups. Often these relate to community projects and are a way to apply the learning to a real life context. There are six Quests in total.
Community initiatives
Participants contributing towards a project in their community to test, apply and share their new knowledge in a practical way, strengthen local relationships, and demonstrate their commitment to making a difference for Māori communities.
What is expected of participants?
There are six strands of activity that make up the Ka Eke Poutama programme over 15 weeks:
Weekend workshops (wānanga)
These immersive workshops are where all participants come together to engage together and share the core principles around leading community organisations, especially around governance, strategy, measurement, risk management and social enterprise concepts.
Real board engagement
Participants connect with community governance boards to observe different approaches to decision-making, strengthen their relationships with community organisations and offer their own support and perspectives.
What is required to graduate?
Participants are required to complete 80% of all programme touchpoints to graduate from the programme.
This usually requires attending all three programme wananga.
Completing the course touchpoints requires roughly 5-8 hours per week. These hours are flexible to fit in with your busy life, except for the online Ako sessions, which are held fortnightly (usually every second Wednesday at 6pm).
Most other touchpoints can be completed online and from anywhere.
Frequently asked pātai
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How leading Māori organisations and businesses achieve success and impact.
Essentials of good governance for Māori and community organisations.
Ways to innovative and create impact in an organisation.
Entrepreneurial principles and tools to create effective strategy, grow a Māori Trust or start your own enterprise.
Weaving kaupapa Māori values and tikange with mainstream business concepts.
Stories and journeys of influential Māori governance leaders.
How to apply the learning to real-life projects and case studies.
What tools, templates, and resources to use in different governance contexts.
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We expect you to commit about 2-8 hours per week towards learning, sessions and projects.
The programme runs over 4 months, and is manageable alongside full-time mahi, whānau duties and other responsibilities.
There are three weekend wānanga that you must attend (one per month).
You can complete most of the other work in your own time.
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Stronger confidence and mindset - around your ability to contribute to community and governance boards.
Stronger strategic thinking skills - around social, business and organisational issues.
Deeper understanding of governance concepts - including how these apply in a real life environment.
Stronger networks - including with dozens of other like-minded rangatahi, Māori leaders and organisations.
Career progression - adding useful skills to your CV (such as risk management, strategy and communications)
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Most of the programme can be completed in your own time, from wherever you are.
The three weekend wānanga will be held in Auckland or Northland and require you to travel to them.
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Yes, participants often come from all over Aotearoa.
As long as you can travel for the wānanga, it doesn’t matter where you live.
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We are raising funding to support most of the costs.
Each participant needs to contribute $1,200 (30% of the total cost).
Participants often find a Māori Trust, employer or other funder to sponsor them.
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Āe mārika!
We do not expect you to have any background in governance. If you do it is just a bonus.
You do need to have a desire and commitment to learn though.
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Āe mārika! Absolutely.
You will still get heaps out of it - including new tools and concepts that you haven’t come across before. We have trained hundreds of Māori organisation boards.
Also, you’ll inherit an incredible network of other like-minded rangatahi leaders.
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To Māori, age is just a number.
We are happy to accommodate those older than 37 (if you are ‘young at heart’).
It will be a factor in selecting our cohort though.
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Ideally not since this creates additional responsibilities on our team.
In every cohort there are some who bring kids along though, especially babies.
Between the others in your cohort, you can probably organise a group childcare option.
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We have 50 places per programme.
Generally we have 100+ applications, so we have to select our cohort.
We do this by ensuring a balance of ages, skill levels, and any particular criteria of the programme funders (e.g. a certain number of participants within a certain age group).
We intend to hold several programmes in 2025, so if you are keen, definitely apply!
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At this stage, leave your details, and our team will be in touch when we open applications (likely early 2025).
