Dunedin City Council is looking for the next Māori young person to become a leader in their community.
Nominations for the council’s 2023 TUIA leadership programme close tomorrow.,
Each year the council recruits one or two participants from Dunedin to participate in mentoring opportunities.
Council Māori, partnerships and policy manahautū (general manager) Jeanette Wikaira said the programme, which began in 2011, involved mentoring, community contribution and wānanga (discussions).
In 12 years, 17 rangatahi (youth) Māori have completed TUIA.
One of the key differences of the course was participants would have regular meetings with the mayor and Māori mentors throughout the year.
‘‘The mentoring is based on opportunities to learn more about how local government works and gain deeper insights into inter-generational issues and challenges facing communities, cultural values and experiences,’’ Ms Wikaira said
TUIA participants were expected to develop a project which contributed to their respective community.
‘‘Recent examples included a project working alongside community and marae on plant based eating and food resilience; and a Māori youth entrepreneurship project to inspire change in the business world.’’
Successful TUIA candidates would attend five wānanga (discussions) hosted at different marae around the country.
‘‘These wānanga were an opportunity for rangatahi to build connections with other rangatahi, explore ancestral stories and learn and reflect on their own whakapapa.’’
The TUIA programme is open to all rangatahi Māori aged 18-25.
