“Why being a mokopuna of Maui is a super power”

In May this year I completed a Gallup/ Clifton Strengths assessment – this is an assessment that you complete online over 30 mins, that measures your talents and gives a report on where your leadership strengths lie. My top 5 were heavy in the strategic thinking space, with execution being the next area I align with in my top 10. This assessment sent my reflective thoughts to areas/spaces where I naturally hikoi (walk). I have a tendency to oma (run) before I can hikoi, running easily into the vision. I will see the data and reconfigure it to reveal the trend, raise issues/kaupapa that need to be resolved, can identify opportunities or provide benefits and solutions. When i sit in this strategic space I am forever applying a Te Ao Māori lens, without even knowing it.
In June this year I attended a Whenua and Rongoa Māori Wananga delivered by a uri o Hauraki – Jamie Watson, and in this space, I connected to the purakau he shared of the moana that surrounds Hauraki and the whenua we walked. I engaged in the korero he shared regarding the Rongoa we have available and the benefits that can be received if we are aware and understand. Sitting, walking, breathing and connecting in this wananga gave me insight, connection and comprehension into what taonga I have within me and what I do, what I give and share and what I can extend on in these spaces in order to share with others.
I am very aware that I walk with a foot in Te Ao Pakeha and Te Ao Māori, seeing how both a western point of view can impact a Te Ao Māori worldview and understanding, and I am largely aware that who I am as a person, through my upbringing and life experiences has determined how I use these lenses.
Entrepreneurism has forever been a scary kupu in my mind, till now. Scary as I thought you had to be a Steve Jobs and create Apple-like ideas or be like Taaniko Nordstrom and have a business as successful in both Te Ao Pakeha and Te Ao Maori like Soldier Rd Portraits. However, as part of this reflection process, understanding the resources, spaces, teachings, learnings etc that I have been privileged to engage in, clarifies in my mind who I am. I acknowledge that the mainstream resources like “Gallup/ Clifton Strentghts assessment” and my Te Ao Māori resources “Whenua and Rongoa Maori Wananga” have provided me with opportunities to reflect on what a mokopuna of Maui really is. I am a mokopuna of Maui and this is my super power.