The Institute of Directors has launched a Māori cultural intelligence mobile app to support its members and staff on their journey with te ao Māori.
A statement from the institute says the app has been named Hautū, which means to lead or to guide. It is also the term used for the leaders in a waka that call the time to the paddlers to travel in the same direction.
IoD says the app provides a range of resources to support its members and staff to develop literacy and confidence in te reo Māori. This includes interactive tools to help with pronunciation, greetings, learning their pepeha, formally opening and closing meetings, understanding tikanga and other foundation level skills.
The tool also provides a range of useful resources such as karakia (prayers or blessings), waiata (songs) and a kupu (glossary) of key terminology.
IoD chief executive Kirsten (KP) Patterson says the institute hopes that wherever directors are in their own cultural journey, the app will provide a simple reference to help build their knowledge and confidence when using te reo and in applying key aspects of te ao Māori in a business or community setting.
“This app will be an important taonga for IoD staff, including our branch and facilitator networks. Increasing te reo literacy and building our internal understanding of te ao Māori is a fundamental layer of the IoD’s Te Kākano strategy,” she says.
“This strategy recognises the importance of diversity around the board table, and our commitment as an organisation to building cultural competence.”
The Hautū app was co-developed by the IoD and Kiwa Digital. This project is based on a tried-and-tested model designed by Kiwa, which has created more than 75 tailored apps for a range of public and private clients.
The app can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store for Android devices and the App Store for Apple devices. It can be found by searching for Hautū.
