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Take your own chair: Hinehou Timutimu on leadership and possibility | Ep. 128

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Earlier this year, Hinehou Timutimu was named the 2026 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year and became the first Māori woman to receive the award. But this episode is about more than an award. It is about the whānau, whenua, values and experiences that shaped her, the doors that were opened for her, and the doors she now wants to open for others. With Brooke Sinclair and Jac McGowan, she reflects on leadership, belonging, courage and what becomes possible when you stay true to who you are.

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Introduction

Speaker 2

Kia ora and welcome to Talking Dairy. I'm Jac McGowan from DairyNZ. This episode has been shaped by our Māori engagement team, and I'm honoured to be hosting alongside them today. In this episode, we are sharing a story about leadership, purpose, and what can grow when people stay connected to who they are, where they come from, and their community. Earlier this year, Hinehou Timutimu was named the 2026 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year. It was a moment of recognition, but like most moments like that, it only tells part of the story. Behind it is a long journey shaped by whanau, whenua, hard work, learning, self-belief, and a strong sense of responsibility to others. Today we're going beyond the award to hear more about the person, the people, the places and values that shaped Hinehou and what her story might offer other wahine in dairying, finding their way, starting again, or wondering what might still be possible. Now I'll hand to Brooke Sinclair from our Maori Engagement and Partnership team who will bring our guest into this corridor.

Speaker

Thanks, Jac. Ko Brooke Sinclair aho, it is a privilege to hold this korero today. But as someone deeply passionate about seeing our wahine maori thrive in our rural and dairy spaces, today we are sitting with this wahine, whose journey speaks about resilience, leadership, and the strength of knowing who you are and where you come from. Hinehou is a proud Maori Wahine, grounded in her whakapapa shaped whenua and communities she serves. Her journey through the dairy industry hasn't just been about farming, it's about creating space, breaking barriers, and uplifting others along the way. Through her leadership, dedication and commitment to growth, not only for herself but those around her, she has been recognized for Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year 2026. But more than that, she represents the possibility where Wahine Maori step into the power, continue to learn and carry others with them. Welcome, Hine. Thank you for being here with us today.

Speaker 1

Kiaura Koito ko Hinehou Timutimu aho. I'm the general manager of Te Tawa Kiti Lands Trusts in Ruatoki, and my work spans Maori agribusiness, governance, environmental restoration, and building partnerships across our sector. A big part of what I do is bringing people together, farmers, whanau, stakeholders, and industry to create shared outcomes for our whenua and for our people. So my role often sits at the intersection between people, land, and purpose, and helping to connect those spaces in a way that makes sense for our communities and for the future. So at the heart, though, I'm someone who's growing up connected to land, to people and to the community. And that's what keeps me grounded in my work. I'm passionate about connecting more broadly, though, through the global partnerships and Indigenous networks, because when you step outside your own space, you realize a lot of what we're already working through is shared, and there's real strength in learning from others. So everything that I do and my connection to whanau and whenua, that's what grounds me. And like a lot of people in the sector, my journey hasn't followed a straight line. It's been shaped by people around me, the places I've come from, and a strong sense of responsibility to give back and to leave things better for the next generations.

Speaker 2

Brooke, we haven't had you on the podcast before. Could you tell us a little about yourself and your role at DairyN Z?

Speaker

Tenakoe Jac. I am Brooke Sinclair, and I am the Kaiarahi Ahuwhenua for DairyN Z. I've been in the primary sector for about 15 years across a range of different roles, including on-farm operations, rural retail, rural support. But one of my main priorities has always been Māori land management and development through advisory. I've nearly completed my Bachelor of Agribusiness, majoring in international agribusiness, and that was built on finishing my diploma and my certificate. I also just want to touch that I am a mum of two beautiful tamariki, uh Jake, who is six, and Sophie, who is eight. And they're a big part of how I see the world. A lot of my thinking comes from them and the kind of future I want to build for them and help build. That's really where my passion sits, supporting our whenua, ensuring sustainability of farming, so our tamariki and our mokapuna can continue to prosper.

Speaker 2

Thank you, Brooke. Now, did you two know each other already prior to the awards?

Speaker

Yes. So I found Henihou. She had a beautiful workshop happening on her Fenua. So I reached out directly to Henihou to be a part of what she was trying to achieve, which is looking at responsibleness of her whenua. Because of course, merging the two Te Reo Maori and farming together is a passion of both Hinehou's and mine. So I was like, this is a woman I want to connect with.

Becoming 2026 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year

Speaker 2

Now, Hine, we'd love to hear more about your award. Congratulations on being the 2026 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year. When your name was called out, what went through your mind?

Speaker 1

Leading up to the award, so I'd met the other ladies, the other finalists, and we'd all decided that the decision had already been made. And so we'd decided that it was only going to be one of us, and we were okay with that. And I was okay with if it wasn't me. And so when my name was read out, I didn't think that that was my name that had been read out. I was numb. I was looking at everybody else around the table, and they were all, you know, you know, excited and crying, and there were tears of joy. And then I thought, oh my God, it is me. I was really shocked, but equally very, very humbled as well. So that was my immediate reaction was that it can't be me. That's not my name, that was really out, but I could see my face on the screen there. So then that had my profile photo on the screen, so it had to be. And then I had to, you know, pull myself together because I had a job to do, and that was to go up and accept the award. And I'd taken the wrong pair of shoes with me. I'd pack my bags, I don't know how many times. And I've got my I have my shoes in these little bags. So I grabbed the bag, put it in my suitcase. Each time I was repacking my bag, I never checked what shoes are. Because I thought of my head, these are the sensible shoes, the ones with the they cover your forefoot. They have a big wide heel, no tripping. And I get to the hotel and I'm getting dressed and I pull out the bag and I open up the bag, and here are these stilettos that lace up around the ankle. And I had no choice because it was either my stilettos or my boots with my, you know, sparkly dress. You did look very glamorous though. And that was the thought I had in my head was get up, get the job done, and don't trip up on the way there.

Speaker 2

Those were the thoughts that were going through my mind. You delivered a beautiful acceptance speech, Hana. I think most of us were in tears listening to you. Oh wow.

Speaker 1

I spoke about what shaped me, the people that influenced me the most in my life, and who I am today, and who I show up as. And, you know, what underpins what I do and what I strive to do. Big shoes to fill, I must say. Still working on it's work in progress. Now, my mum was my biggest mentor. Very big shoes to fill. My God. Yeah, still getting there.

Speaker

Still getting near that.

The values that shaped her leadership

Speaker

That leads us nicely into our next question, Henny. So let's go back to where your story begins. What influenced, shaped the way you see the world and the leader that you are today?

Speaker 1

Yeah, definitely my mother. My mum was, she's a member of the Order of Merit, and that was awarded to her for her services to Māori and to nursing. So my mum was a midwife for 70 years or so. She was on the midwifery council. She was on many different groups and councils and things. But as a child, I grew up at the annex with mum. And me and my sister, the little ones, and the two big ones would be at home. But we always went with mum when she was at the annex. And we grew up with her watching her caring for the babies or the newborn babies. And back then the babies were in the nursery, and you had a big viewing window where you looked at them from the outside in. And so the midwife had a lot of hands-on, they did everything for the mums. And so I grew up watching my mum with the little babies, and she would bathe them, she'd change them, she'd make their beds, she'd feed them, and she spoke really softly and kindly. And then sometimes I was allowed to hold the baby, and she let me hold them and pass it to the mum. And she taught me how to do that, how to nurture. So I learned about nurturing and caring and being kind. And so my mum was that person. My mother never drank, she didn't swear, and she didn't smoke. She did everything with her hands. So she brought life into the world. She nurtured, she cared. My mum was an avid gardener, so she was always growing food and cooking, and she'd give it away. But she was always baking. So um my mum was that person and she just did it, everything, the hands, yes, and with the heart. Hands and heart, that was her, because everything she did, it always came with that loving feeling. So she everything and she was involved with Marie Homer's wealth for many, many years. And I'd go to all the meetings with her, and she was just so loving, yeah. And so I was shaped by my mum in that sense of uh caring, nurturing, and always giving back and never expecting a return. She's been a great influence, her and my grandfather, so her father, he married oh well of course he married my nan, but uh she was raised to marry white and wealthy. And she was very well educated. And through my grandmother, we're direct descendants of Titata. So if you know the history of the Tatanaki land wars, I'm a direct descendant of his. And so she was raised, you know, through assimilation and things to marry white and wealthy, but she didn't. And she married a Maori who was illiterate and was fully lettered up and rocked up on his BSA bike. And she hopped on and they rode away and he loped. Wow. He'd tell us the story when we were little kids, and he'd often share the story and he'd say, I was never good enough for your grandmother's father. He never spoke to me. He lived with them, never spoke to my grandfather, but he loved their children, he loved his daughter's children, and so they grew up loving their grandfather, but he never accepted our grandfather, and he'd tell us the story. But he said because he was so good to his children, but he never disrespected him. So we grew up knowing that, and we grew up with him knowing that he was a hard worker. He he told us that he couldn't read or write, you know, he had a hard life, and so for him, his values were hard work. He was an avid gardener as well. He took pride in his gardening and grounds and everything. So we'd we'd often spend our weekends at the Urupa with our grandfather, and he was the caretaker, and we'd be allowed to play, and he'd be mowing the lawns at the Urupa and things. So we grew up seeing that side of the value of being true to who you are and hard work and values, and then with mum, you know, being kind and always giving back to very influential people in my life.

Finding her place in farming

Speaker 2

How did you come to be where you are now and in farming?

Speaker 1

Okay, so my dad is not from Taranaki, my dad is from Tuhoi. My dad is the eldest of the family, lots of families, but he's the eldest of the first marriage. So when his father passed away, he moved us back to Fakatane because he felt that it was his responsibility as the eldest that he needed to come home. I was 10. I was horrified. It was just different for me. I wasn't used to seeing kids going to school with no shoes and things like that. That's not the life that I'd seen. I didn't know there was a difference between Mori and non-Māri. I grew up, I was led to believe we were all the same in ethnicities, is what I'm talking about. Because when we grew up in Waitara, we weren't immersed in anything around the Marae or Māori. We weren't raised that way. My grandfather protected us. There's still strong views even today around the sale of the Pekka Pika Block in Taranaki through Tatada. And so he protected us from all of that. And so we weren't in those spaces growing up as children. We've only learned as we've gotten older. And then so when we came to Fakatani, I was not aware that there was a difference. So I learned, I started to learn about the Marai, about Bana, about who we were and our wider connections. But I lived in Fakatani. So I still felt that I was disconnected to our people in Radbuki. And so we went to school together, but I never classed myself. I was always a Tawni, and they were from Rotoki. Then I moved away, you know, and followed my career pathway. And later, when I'd had the boys, I moved back, and my dad was living in Radbuki. And I had I didn't have a choice. So that's how I got here. Moved back. I moved back with the boys, landed in the farming environment. My involvement with the Lands Trust, with Titawak Haiti. So I started going to the meetings of my father-in-law. He was uh one of the original trustees when the Lands Trust was formed in 1989. And I started taking him to the meetings because as he got older, they were all very much in their 80s around the table. So I started going with Kuro and I would have sat on the couch at least 10 years, and I was listening the whole time. And I would listen to how they were interacting. I learnt a lot about the families that were from the land before the land became part of the trust. So I was hearing those discussions all the time. So over time I learned about the trust, about the people, about what was important for the trustees, for the trust. Before I became an active part of the trust, I'd already been immersed in the history and the faka papa and the connections.

Speaker 2

Brooke, when you're listening to Hine's story, what stands out to you about how she's been shaped and what she's achieved?

Speaker

When I look at Hine's storying, it's quite similar to my story and the way I was brought up. So my parents also were in that time of navigating the space of Māori and non-Māori and what pathway we take for our Tamariki in order to make them thrive. And it was it was a scary time when we were growing up. And I also come from a line of very strong influential women like Henry does. Um so my mother and my grandmother all come from quite large corporation jobs that are traditionally type of that male-dominated space. And so I can really recognise and appreciate what it takes to show up in those environments, to lead with confidence, but also stay grounded in who you are. Yeah, I was brought up in Bukuru, so away from my fenua, Ruatuki. So I'm down the road a little bit further from Heneho. I'm from Waikidikeri. That's where we fuck up back to. And again, I was scared going into Rwatuki because I I too didn't know the difference. Tokuru is a very multicultural place. We've got the second largest amount of Cook Islanders in Tukoroa other than South Auckland. So we were all brought up as Vano. That's all we knew. You know, I've got Samoan cousins and Cook Island cousins and Mari obviously cousins, but there was no difference. We were all just people.

Speaker 1

Just one. Yeah.

Speaker

Yeah. And it's taken a lot. I'm still on my Tiril journey. I'm still learning my real and reconnecting with my Fenua. And that's another reason how me and Heni Ho have also been able to reconnect as we are Farno and we've been able to sort of merge and go through that space together. So yes, listening to Henny Ho has sort of unlocked that emotional side for me as well.

Stepping up in tough spaces

Speaker 2

Hene Brooke just talked about entering into male-dominated spaces. You you didn't explicitly talk about it, but I imagine that there was a a moment where you got off the couch and it sounded like it was mostly men previously.

Speaker 1

Oh, definitely. There were only men there around the table, and they were all my dad's uncles. So they were my quaws. But equally, they were very, very good. They were very, very kind and very, very patient. They welcomed me up to the table to, you know, start taking notes and things like that. So moving in and around the male-dominated spaces, I've learned through been taught by my dad. And I'm just leaking around our spaces here in our multi spaces. They're definite places where you sit and where you don't sit. And that's fine too. I think that what's influenced me with my upbringing, with my mum, uh, my mum's mum and my mum's sisters and her cousins, they're all yeah, very strong, very well educated and very firm and grounded in who they are. And I think that that's helped me shift into some of the non-Mahdi spaces where some find it hard to navigate through. I don't, you know, like in my head, I'm thinking, are you really the right person to be here? Sometimes I question why other people in those spaces, but in non-Mādi spaces where it's male-dominated, I feel that my upbringing and ground has grounded me in those spaces. I feel that my upbringing and the influences that I've had have also helped me become accepting and humble in Māori spaces. Because you know, you've you need to be humble. You know, you're going into different ewy spaces, you know, and just hold yourself, but don't they um fuck a barana about it, you know, that we show a yoffi about it. Just humble yourself.

Speaker

I think Henyaho is being a little bit humble here because another part that um inspires or sort of admi I admire about her is her journey is never sort of like a personal journey. You know, she's always forever thinking of her fano or the rangatahi that she wants to bring up. She doesn't just think of personal gain, it's always a collective gain. So is there anything in that space that you'd want to sort of touch on too, anyhow, around even with your your manager on farm, you know, you've encouraged him to unlock a few potential things.

Speaker 1

Yeah, always wanting to create that space or improve that space so that our people can prosper in the future, definitely. Yeah, I'm always wanting to bring forth opportunities like the regen pasture trial, which we're doing now, around our climate, reducing our emissions. We've got Holta, you know, we're integrating different technology on farm. So what we're doing is growing them to grow us, to grow the future. Nothing's ever straightforward. And he'll say the same thing too, you know, she's very persistent, because if you aren't, then nothing's going to change. And you've got to change, you know, change is about growth. That's how I see it. Interestingly, because on Calogs, you do at the beginning in phase one. Prior to phase one, you do these um behavioural personality tests and you do quite a few. And then when you go to phase one, you start picking them and then do little exercise with your group. And that was really quite challenging because you got to see what things annoy others, and then you got to say it, but people also got to say it to you. You know, you really frustrate me when you do this. And I was like, really? So um, yeah, kind of, yeah, when I do it. So but oh no God, you know, I really have to change how I speak or how I am, you know, when I come across people, because that's not my intention, but I come across as being really pushy and rude. Well, yeah, okay. Do want to get my own way, but you know, it's not for me, it's for everybody. So I just have to take a step back and think, hmm, how can I do this differently, but still achieve the same results. So I, yeah, I'm always, if I'm gonna be improving on the ground, I need to make sure that, you know, what I'm doing is right too. And I had that's what I learned from Kalogue, is about yes, you've got all these wonderful things in your head, but also always be mindful about how people perceive you. And I learned that how they were perceiving me wasn't my intention. Yet it was a big wake-up call.

Why women’s voices need to be heard

Speaker 2

You mentioned Calogs, and I know that you're you're doing a research project as part of that, is that right? That's right.

Speaker 1

Yeah. Tell us about your research. What are you exploring? In November last year, I was New Zealand's speaker at APEC in Thailand. The topic was around women's empowerment. While we were there, the other economies were speaking about the Ultero Action Plan. So when I came back and thought about the research project, I wanted to unpick that a little bit more, but it was far too big. Because our research projects are only six months, and so I've narrowed it down to the networks, women's networks in the agri sector. That's what my research is about about how beneficial are the women's networks in the agri sector? Are they accessing them? What are the barriers? What are the enablers? So that's what my research project is about, and it's about voice. I was inspired by the movie Fina. What she said on the movie was not one more acre of Maori land that she consistently said that. I was inspired by her because here was a lady that was totally committed. She was resilient because what had happened to her through her life and how her own people had turned against her, but that never changed her. She was still committed to the cope above retaining their land. And so that's why she would always say, not one more acre of Maryland. So that's why I titled my research project, Not One More Acre of Maryland. Then I added to it, not one more voice whilst, because I felt that our Mori women that they don't have a voice at the table. So what my research is saying is that inclusion doesn't always mean that you're heard. So you could be at the table, you could be speaking, but you're not being recognized and heard. And that's what I find with in these spaces and for our Wahini and Māori to be courageous and to give them confidence that it's never an easy, it's never a straight road forward, but you just keep going because you know change will happen. And then how does this happen? It's about being grounded, it's about knowing who you are when you show up in the spaces, because each space is different. But you're never going to change. Your beliefs aren't going to change, your values and your purpose will never change. You just have to change to suit the situation. That's why you change you know who know who you are when you show up in these spaces.

Backing yourself and taking opportunities

Speaker

It's a really interesting part that you said that. Just in the sense of like a little woman would recognize the feeling of wondering whether they belong in certain rooms or whether they're ready for the next step.

Speaker 1

That's right. Yeah.

Speaker

Were there any moments where you questioned yourself and what helped you keep going and staying true to who you are?

Speaker 1

To be honest, no. I've never questioned myself if I belong in that space. No. No, I always believe that I'm in that space because that's either where I need to be or someone put me there. I was put there for a reason. I totally believe in that because some places I I went to APEC, who would have thought I was going to be in Thailand, right? I'm not even working in these spaces with women's empowerment and things like that. I knew nothing about the indices. I knew nothing about the El Terror Action Plan or what APEC had created with the United Nations back in 2000. I'd not seen the vision or anything. And then I ended up being asked, would you like to do this, henny? And I said, Okay, what is it? So I thought, right, yes, I will do this. I don't know anything about it, but this person's offered me this opportunity. So why would I turn it down? Never be afraid. And people bring forward opportunities, take it, because there's a reason why you're there. And so, no, I don't question if I'm the right person. I probably question, can I do it? And can I do it well? So there, and then I say to myself, yes, you can, and you better not stuff up. Like my me with the shoes, for instance. Oh, do not trip. So, no, I don't question myself, my own capability. And that's probably come from just my own upbringing, really. Just to get up and do it and never question yourself. You know, you're doing the right thing. My mum never said that. She was never that blunt though. She would also say, Where you go, keep going. And very softly, with her soft voice. And whereas I'm I'm the total opposite, the way I speak and everything. My cousins will tell you, I've got a sister that's exactly like my mum. And everybody loves her because she's they she reminds them of my mum. But that's just me, that's my personality that I have, that I don't know, I don't question myself at all. But, you know, like there again, we're just that Kellogg's behavior thing. It's not my intention to put people off by what I'm saying.

Speaker

I hope I haven't. No, it's inspiring, you know, like you can have that confidence. You have come across of, you know, have more in yourself. You can do it.

Speaker 1

Yeah. So Jess Smith, she came and presented at our phase two catalogue in Wellington. And one of the key take-homes I I got from Jess was don't wait to be asked to the table. Take your own chair to the table. For yes, that's so cool. Yeah, I can do that. I can take my chair to that table and sit there and be part of the conversation. Yeah. So, like just little wee take homes like that. So, oh, that's me. Oh, yeah, I get that.

Speaker 2

I really like your framing that you use, Henne, that of course you're supposed to be there. And maybe the nerves or uncertainty is about whether you can deliver what's kind of expected or wanted. I think that's nice.

Speaker 1

Yep. I used to do a lot of performing, kapahaka performing at regional and at uh Matatini. One of the things that gets drilled into you when you're practicing is that you've got this 30-minute bracket on stage. You practice for I'd say four months and it was full on. There was short, sharp brackets, and the time frame was very short. You had to be at 100% the whole time. So you think that way too, that when you're practicing, you're actually on stage. And so you do everything. And so you become used to working in those spaces that when you turn up, you're not turning up there just to perform, you're turning up to win. Uh it's that competitiveness. So I really take my hat off to our tutors for instilling that in us, that self-belief. Because you're learning the bracket is all new, some of the materials written just for that bracket, and then you're learning about the material, you're learning about the concept of it, you're learning about the history, because they've written about an event that could have happened back in the 1800s, and you're bringing it forward, and then you've got to bring it forward through your performance, and you can only do that if you understand it, and you've got a very short window to learn all of it. So I take those learnings into these different spaces as well. When I'm moving in and around spaces or and showing up as who I am, because that experience of kappa haka has taught me that. Yeah, when you're on stage, you know, you get to that stage where you're performing, there's no turning back. And ma'am, mistakes happen. That's just part of being human. But oh my God, if you you make a mistake, my God, you think, oh no, I've spent all this time. You just don't want to make a mistake, don't want to make a mistake. Because there's ways that you manage it, but hey, you say, oh no, no, no, no. So even in that, you're always thinking, you're always ahead of your game, you're always thinking ahead. I've got that too. I'll take those learnings as well when I'm going into different spaces. You're thinking about, okay, where am I going? Who's in there? Who's the audience? What am I trying to do? Who's going to get in my way? How am I going to manage that? And still, um, you know, and still show up as the best person. Yes. So you you're always thinking, uh, strategizing, strategy. Hakka performing is strategy. So that's what I I've learned from being a performer.

Speaker 2

Brooke, you interact with a lot of Wahenian farming.

Confidence and belonging

Speaker 2

What from Heni Ho's story kind of resonates or what examples have you seen about how Wahini have overcome that? Well, Henny it sounds like doesn't struggle with um imposter syndrome, but many of us do.

Speaker

I've seen some of those tendencies in the dairy sector. Sort of around that confidence and belonging and that feeling of needing to be ready before stepping forward. That's probably where they're sort of sitting. And I think it might also come from the younger generation as well. And maybe some of our fano that aren't so confident, like our Wahine Māori in Diao Maori, because you know, when you are brought up in that Kurako Papa Kuhanga sort of generation, that generation's gonna take over. They are super confident, they know what they want, and they know the journey that they're gonna go through. For me, I'm a little bit different than Hene. It's been a personal journey for me. As you can probably see, I am a fair red-headed Māori. So that's brought its own challenges in identity and sort of imposter syndrome. Uh takurio in Maori, Ingare Kite akko tonuo. So I am learning Dereo Māori. I speak little Dereo Māori, but I'm trying to fully immerse in that space. And so that's carried me a bit of a disconnect at sometimes. And now that I'm well into my journey, I'm reconnecting with my fenua, with my fakapapa, and sort of understanding the meaning to stand in my authentic manawahine sort of space. That the journey has really shaped me in this industry. It's helped me realise that I don't need a fit of mold to make me feel belonged. I can be strong in who I am and I can achieve anything I sort of put my mind to. So it's woman like Hene that opened those doors to showcase what I can achieve within myself, watching her push that door open for me, and I can sort of come through and behind.

Speaker 1

This neat I like to hear that because I'm a bit like my mum. She um opened a lot of doorways for our Mari Wahine mums, young mums, and taught them. But the reason why she grew the community garden was so that she could teach the young mums how to grow food, how to cook it, so that they could feed their children. Yeah, like so opening those pathways for young mums, giving them, yeah, a lot of them didn't know how to, well, even nowadays, I mean, even myself, I was so lazy because my mum did everything. She did preserving and that, and I'd kind of play around and stir things around and then go and hop, skip and jump a knuckle bones or something, come back and it was all done, and I'd be skipping around. But I grew up with mum doing all of that, whereas some of our Māori mums don't have that, and she saw that as a need. She never talked about people that didn't have this or didn't have that or they should have been taught this. She just did it. She so she taught by showing. She knew there was a gap there. She knew there was a need there. She knew there was a need for these children to be to offer them nutritious food. So she just went out and greened the garden and taught them herself. We're talking about opening doorways, though. So that's how my mum did it.

Speaker 2

I'm sure there's, well, heni listening, who are on farm, raising kids, managing staff, who might not see themselves as leaders yet. What would you say to them?

Speaker 1

Well, so my daughter-in-law, she's on farm. She's the calf rearer, she's the admin. It's to just got those roles by default. She also works for Fonterra. And I said to her, You're next. And she said, Oh no, not me. I said, Yes, you it's gonna be you. No, no, no, no, no. And I said, No, I'm serious. And so she said, you know, even for her girls, they've got two teenage girls, and she said, This is so good for them because it's like positive role modelling, that it is possible, anything's possible. And I said to her, That's why I'm saying that to you. You're next. I've think I've said it to quite a few of my friends actually, too. Hey, hey, come on, you because you know, like you don't know what you don't know, and I want to try and encourage as many of our Wahineers. So what would I say? Well, I'm actually quite blunt about it. I just say it's you. Um Hey hey, come come. You know, enough of that, enough enough sitting over there joking around. I don't really know how to approach it without being like, come on, you know, like then getting the whip out kind of thing. But you know, to be encouraging, I just would want to instill that belief in themselves. Anything is possible, anyone can do it. It doesn't take titles or little letters after your name, things like that. Everyone is the same. Just believe in yourself that anything is possible, have the courage and the curiosity to even have a look. What does it look like? And then try and shape yourself to reaching that goal. And you know, not put yourself in a position where you think that you're not good enough, your voice, your opinion doesn't matter because it does.

Speaker

Henya, an interesting part of your story is that growth hasn't followed one straight

Learning, changing and keeping going

Speaker

line. What are you still learning?

Speaker 1

Oh, okay. So one is that I never stopped learning about myself. Like I reflected on catalogs. I've got a bachelor in education. I decided that I would follow my passion as people. And I worked for a subsidiary of Counties Manichal, DHB. So I used to be with the DHB. I worked in the Galbraith ward, that's part of their maternity annex. And then I went to work for a subsidiary. So their role was payroll, HR, and ER. And I loved it. I actually wanted to go into HR. That's where I really wanted to be. So I left Health Alliance and I came back to Fakatana because I thought, right, I'm going to do a diploma in HR management, and then I'm going to step back into a role at Health Alliance go back to Auckland as an HR advisor. Well, that didn't happen, but I did do the diploma in HR management. Then my parents, both of them got really unwell. So I decided, well, okay, if I can't go back to Auckland, then I will do something else. How else can I use this diploma? Okay, I'll do a degree in education. So I did a degree in education, and I love the little E ones, the five-year-olds, because they're really cute. And you can really start, you know, like teaching them the basics because once they know the basics, the lens starts for me, like how to hold a pen, pencil, you know, how to write numbers and things like that. I loved doing all of that. So I liked working with the little ones and I like working with older people, like adults. Everything in between, it's such a lot of work. And so that was where my passion lies. So I thought, right, I'll do this degree in education and then I'm going to sidestep back into HR because there's not a lot of jobs in Pakitani and HR, but I might be able to get a wider reach if I have this degree. Well, that didn't happen because I had to have a hip replacement after I'd finished my degree. And so while I was going through all of that, I was still doing the stuff with the Lamb's Trust. And that's how I kind of gravitated towards this is where I started off taking core, and now the role's developed into what it is now. So always learning more about myself and how to improve. Yes, that's it. And I'm always reflecting. I reflect on, you know, when I rub people up the wrong way and stuff. And then I thought, oh geez, what if and then I'll reflect on it. Hmm. Because at the time I'm thinking, I don't know, you just things aren't right, no, no, this and right. Then afterwards, oh, that wasn't very nice, was it? So I'm always in self-reflection all the time. So I'm still learning. I love learning. If I had a choice, I would be a student my whole life. I decided that years ago. I just love it. So I'm just at the tail end of Kalog, we've got phase three in two weeks at the end of the month, and that'll be the leadership program will be completed. So I'll graduate from that and postgrad in commerce. So we did two. We did the Kalogue, and our whole cohort also did a postgrad in commerce, so I'll come out with that. I've got one more piece to complete to be a chartered member for the Institute of Directors. And then once I pass that, then I will become a chartered member of IOD. There were a group of us last year in August that were selected to do the IOD course, the chartered members course. It was funded by MPI and it was aimed at MODI agribusiness. So there were different whole hosts of us from different parts of the agri sector at different layers of the agri sector that did a week course in Wellington. It was amazing. So from there we get to do the final piece. As I'm still working on that. I have got a few things in my calendar. So I'm going back to Thailand in September. The facilitator for the APEC conference, she's a lecturer at a university in Thailand, and each year they have an annual workshop which is aimed at food sovereignty and best practices, and they open it up to the world, to all the countries across the globe. And some of them are funded and some aren't. It's 15 days at this beach resort in Thailand. That sounds like the best kind of learning. I feel that. So she asked me in January when I was at Lincoln if I would be interested in going to be a presenter to present some of the lectures at this conference. And I said to her, okay, what am I talking about? What am I going to say? And she just said, just present what you presented at APEC. Okay, that's easy. Yeah, I can do that. So I think it's for over three days. Yeah. So that's in September. So I know that's coming up. I'm really interested in engagement at a global perspective, like really growing that relationship and engagement, not only with what we're doing with Thailand, but also with Argentina. We've just finished hosting a group in Agritour last week. We had them here for 10 days. And I am attending an event. I was invited to an event by The ambassador of Angitina, who's based in Wellington, the Embassy in Wellington. They have an international commemoration day. And she's invited me to attend that. And I'm really keen to ignite some of those conversations.

Speaker 2

So always learning. Hene, I read that your leadership is guided by a fukatoki.

When the land thrives, the people thrive

Speaker 2

Kaota aitefenua, ka ora aite tangata, meaning the land thrives and the people thrive. Tell us a bit more about what that means to you.

Speaker 1

That's a fakatoki that quite often our pakiki use in our meetings, in our trust meetings. I've heard the uncle Jackie say that a few times. And what he's spoken about is the mahi that we're doing on the Funua. Like we had this project that we were rolling out, and it was about lifting the performance and production of the dairy unit. And that's what he spoke about. You know, like it's like personification where you can see the mahi that these ones are doing here and now, and he can visualize what it looks like for the future. So that's what that means. It's around what we're doing now and the long-term impacts that will bring prosperity for our people and the land. So that's why I've used that fakatoki, because I know that our pakiki use it. They've used it in different situations, but the meaning has always been the same. So last year in January, we did a couple of changes that we had in our trust. One of them was the birth of this baby that none of us knew about. And so I'd gone to the meeting and said, Oh my God, do you know we've got a new baby? And they said, No. And the other things had happened in our meeting. And so I asked Uncle, can you give us a name for this baby? And so he sat there and thought about it. And then he stood up and he started speaking. And he started talking about the name and what it meant. And so, yeah, that's another thing that I've learned being around our pakikare is the way that they make decisions and how they speak to it. And they'll always stand and they'll they'll speak to the why and the purpose. And so they named this baby. He gave a name for the baby, and her name is Tearuha. And he said, because she had been bought Iruna Itiaruha from our Kakeki, from our Tipuna to us because we didn't know about her, but she came. And at the time there were challenges that were happening on the fenua. And through this time, we didn't know that her mother was carrying her. We had no idea. So this child had survived all of what was happening because the mum is surrounded by what all these challenges, and yet she was still able to carry this child. And honestly, this baby, she's beautiful. Because you know, sometimes when mums are going through things and the baby can sense it, and they might come out and they might be quite clingy or they might cry, you know, but this baby's not. And that's why I thought, oh, this name is so fitting that she's been called the because she's all been bought. You do need the to us from our tepuna. So there again, that's when I reflect on the fakatoki kawra ai, the villa kaura aye the dangata, that pagatoki also applies to that situation.

Speaker 2

When people look back on your journey, what would you most want them to remember? And if you could leave listeners with one message about leadership, what would it be?

Speaker 1

Probably the impression that I'd like to leave for our listeners is to be kind, to be humble, and to trust yourself. You know who you want and know what your purpose is. That's the impression I would like to leave for our listeners.

Speaker 2

Brooke, did you want to say anything before we wrap?

Speaker

I hope people remember that I stay true to who I am as a Wahina Maori. Same as Heneho, leading it with purpose and integrity. And my Fano and my Fenoa are always at the center. And if I could have one message, especially for that next generation, is that there is space for you here. In fact, we need you here. Your Fakaro, your values, your connection to the Fenua is the future of dairying. Mamuhi.

Episode summary

Speaker 2

Hune, thank you for sharing your story with us. What comes through so strongly is the depth of your leadership and it being grounded in Fano and Fenua, Maturanga Mauri, and such a commitment to people in place. And Brooke, thank you for bringing this corridor to us and the vision behind it. It's been such a privilege to be a part of this conversation. And Brooke, your perspective has helped show why stories like Hine's matter for the wider sector, not just individual success stories, but examples of the different strengths and pathways and forms of leadership. For anyone listening, I hope this conversation leaves you with a stronger sense of what leadership can look like when it starts from who you are and what you value and the communities that you are connected to and serving. So you might just be starting out, or you might be starting again. You might be balancing farm work, Farno work in community and wondering what your next step could be. Hine's story and Brooks Reflections are a reminder that there is more than one way to lead and that your experience, values, and voice can all have a place in this sector. Thanks for listening, and we'll catch you next time. Matewa. If you'd like to get connected with DariNZ's latest advice, research, tools, and resources, whether it's reading, scrolling, listening, or in person, you can visit dairynz.co.nz forward slash get-connected. And don't forget to hit follow to keep up to date with our latest episodes. As always, if you have any feedback on this podcast or have some ideas for future topics or guests, please email us at talkingdairy at dairynz.co.nz. Thanks for listening, and we'll catch you next time on Talking Dairy.