Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway is a major roading project in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The highway is being built by an alliance of Waka Kotahi – NZ Transport Agency, five Iwi partners and four construction and design companies.

For the first time on a major Aotearoa roading project, iwi are genuine partners with the Alliance building the road, which means there is iwi representation across all levels, including on the governance board, leadership team, and on the ground.

In this presentation, Project Kaiārahi Tania Riwai will demonstrate the power and effectiveness of collective iwi incorporating ancestral knowledge in the construction sector, while also honoring the tenants of Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Aotearoa’s founding document.

The approach taken on Te Ahu a Turanga utilises Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) to operationalise the concept of partnership, therefore ensuring the well-being of the whenua (land), communities, and Tangata Whenua.

As can be evidenced on Te Ahu a Turanga, the confluence of Matauranga Māori and western science on an infrastructure project can result in good outcomes for all parties across a range of areas, including health, well-being and safety, workplace culture, environmental mitigation, construction, design, planning and more.

After 183 years, we now have a glimmer of insight into the power and potential of true genuine partnership - summarised in one small word Aroha (connection).

For genuine partnerships to exist, all parties must come to terms with the grieving and healing process of past experiences to arrive at a space to engage from a position of aroha.

The champions of this collaboration continue to wrestle with what it means to be in a true partnership. However, these efforts are developing personal mastery that will support genuine engagements in the construction industry and in people’s lives and careers well into the future.