The legacy of the University’s Māori development programme

Generations of tauira and alumni from Te Taitokerau attended a gathering at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands to acknowledge and celebrate alumni of the University of Auckland Business School’s Māori development programme, also known as Māori Dev.

The programme comprises the certificate, diploma and postgraduate diploma in business with a specialisation in Māori development and has been offered since 1991, one of New Zealand’s longest running Māori business programmes.

The programme has been recognised as an esteemed qualification, propelling former tauira into prosperous careers and equipped with tools to not only navigate entrepreneurship, but spearhead it too.

Associate Dean Māori for the Faculty of Business and Economics, Professor Jason Paul Mika, says it’s provided people with pathways to leadership, greater impact and new ways of thinking about the possibilities for whānau, hapū, iwi and community.

Reflecting on the legacy of the programme’s founders, Associate Professor Dr Mānuka Hēnare and Emeritus Professor Ella Henry, Mika says “He Manga Tauhokohoko, the University of Auckland Business School is committed to supporting the next generation of Māori business leaders, with a mix of traditional and contemporary mātauranga.”

“That means remembering who has gone before, where we come from, and who we are, while continuing to evolve. The future of Māori development will be shaped by and for the people it serves.”

The new programme elevates Māori development as a specialisation of the Master of Business Management. Both Māori and non-Māori tauira are welcomed into masters-level study, creating space for new scholarship, new relationships and new approaches to Māori economic development.

“The challenge is not simply to carry mātauranga forward, but to continue adapting and applying it for a changing world and a new Māori economy.”

Alumni

Harata Brown
Māori development alumna and master of ceremony, Harata Brown led the proceedings by recalling her own learning journey and being inspired by her father, also a graduate, and the knowledge and connection that came from being raised in te reo Māori through kōhanga and kura.

Harata has carried those gifts into a broadcasting career, entrepreneurial pursuits as mainstream media producer, editor and presenter of te reo Māori news and programmes. Harata has also embraced the challenge of next-generation governance, taking up board appointments and standing for election onto iwi development organisations she cares deeply about.

Strengthening Māori organisations grounded in whakapapa that offer essential services for people of Te Taitokerau is a driving imperative for Harata.

Kris MacDonald and Hinurewa te Hau
Former tauira Kris MacDonald and Hinurewa te Hau, from the first ever cohort who graduated in 1995, shared parallel journeys. Hinurewa’s interest in Māori and Indigenous trade evolved into a career focusing on cultural economic development, extending locally and internationally.

Kris moved from government into private enterprise and property development before returning to his marae community – bringing with him the commercial experience, relationships and entrepreneurial thinking.

For Kris, it is about bringing everything he learned in business and government home. His vision for a self-sustaining marae community, including accommodation for visitors and future hau kāinga demonstrates how knowledge of Māori development can benefit communities.

Sisters Anne and Heidi Tau
A pair of sisters spoke with passion about another dimension of the legacy of Māori development: intergenerational impact. Their reflections reminded us that it is possible to be a mother, grandmother, community-minded leader and entrepreneur – and to do great things within communities. Intergenerational thinking was a common thread within recollections about studying Māori development, reflected in the realisation that that whānau can study together, work together and create together. One generation’s achievement becomes the foundation for the next generation’s possibilities.

Lynette Stewart CNZM
Affectionally known as Whaea Lynette, she reminded the crowd of the meaning behind the Māori metaphor ‘ahikā’ in her commitment to keeping the home fires burning while other whānau members go out into the world to light new fires elsewhere. Māori development enabled Whaea Lynette to bring together the skills, knowledge and understanding she gained at home and apply them through community leadership and enterprise for the benefit of local and regional communities. Whaea Lynette has modelled authentic Māori leadership grounded in service. Her determination to complete a PhD carries that same intergenerational purpose. She wants her mokopuna to see what is expected and what they, too, are capable of.

Karleen Everitt
Appointed in an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori and business in 2026 and a recipient of the University’s 2024 Dame Mira Szászy Alumni Award, Karleen Everitt is leading the ANZ’s Māori Strategy team. Everitt reflected on the warmth generated by people like Whaea Lynette who she described as humble leaders who dedicate their lives to service and generosity. Her words captured the way alumni continue to inspire generations, sectors and communities.

The stories shared at the gathering showcased the enduring legacy of Māori development, how it is alive in whānau who study and achieve together; in alumni who move between government, business, media, and community; in leaders who take what they have learned out into the world and bring it home; and in mokopuna who are growing up with an expectation that they, too, can contribute, lead and create.