Ruku Pō - diving into the unknown

Community leaders Teina and Ngapaki Moetara have pioneered the Ruku Pō initiative.

Ruku Pō is a leadership initiative that dives (ruku) into the potential of ‘subjective’ engagement, as an effective response to the chaotic, complex and as yet unknown (pō) ‘objective’ challenges of our time.

The Ruku Pō programme, divided into six wānanga, is based at Manutuke Marae and draws on the specific indigenous frames of the tangata whenua, Rongowhakaata, to explore marae approaches of ‘meeting’ including; formal orientation, reading the core of context of place, and aligning action while maintaining the deeply indigenous perspective of ‘wholeness’.

When HMS Endeavour appeared in Gisborne in October 1769, the course of New Zealand history changed forever. Here the Ruku Pō group meets at the site of the ship's landing, with leaders from Wellington. Have we ever learned to 'meet' well across difference?

Ruku Pō is about enabling difference to be met and revealing the potential of group. Participants are guided to lead and translate these approaches through testing in their own work contexts.

Ruku Pō and Wellington-based programme Ruku Ao meet while observing a practical translation of these frames into the arts-based educational model used by Toi Whakaari.

In 2017 the programme has expanded to include Kaikohe in Northland.