KA EKE POUTAMA
Rangatahi into Governance and Leadership
If you are enrolled in Ka Eke Poutama 2025,
click here to access Te Pātaka
Ka Eke Poutama is a movement to support emerging Māori leaders to step into governance and leadership positions
within their communities.
Ka Eke Poutama is a four month programme for rangatahi aged 22-38. It prepares our next generation of Māori leaders for governance roles.
The programme combines learning and applying knowledge with forging real relationships and creating real pathways into board roles.
Over 15 weeks, our expert facilitators, coaches and guest speakers help build your skills, confidence and networks, sharing practical concepts that will help you lead and make a meaningful impact in your community.
It provides more than $14,000 worth of training for just a fraction of the price thanks to our co-funding partners.
With more than 200 alumni nationally, Ka Eke Poutama is a movement already in motion!
Ka Eke Poutama 2025
is now underway!
The programme runs from August to November 2025.
If you are interested in Ke Eke Poutama 2026 please fill in the expressions of interest below.
What you will learn in the Ka Eke Poutama programme:
Ka Eke Poutama focuses on the fundamentals of great governance. We explore powerful insights and tools to help you grow as a Māori leader and serve your people with confidence.
The content is informed by our work with more than 400 Māori organisation boards and how to balance best practice governance with kaupapa Māori.
We make the content fun and interactive, and it is useful whether you are completely new to the concept of governance, or already sit on a board.
It is also helpful if you are taking on management roles, running your own social enterprise or business, or holding other decision making roles in your community.
We explore the following concepts:
Indigenous models for governance and enterprise, grounded in tikanga.
What it means to be a trustee and ‘on a board’ - and how to lead with purpose and clarity.
How to identify and manage the most common risks facing Māori Trusts.
Future trends shaping our world - and how to prepare your organisation and community.
How to build bold, values-based strategy for your Trust or enterprise.
Entrepreneurial principles that drive growth, innovation and real world impact.
10 proven ways to innovate and keep your organisation ahead of the curve.
How to measure success and monitor progress towards your strategic goals.
Tools and systems to ensure things get done.
How to run effective board meetings that focus on the right things.
Communication tools to keep everyone engaged.
Check out our previous Ka Eke Poutama cohorts
Ka Eke Poutama 2016 journey
Ka Eke Poutama 2017 journey
Ka Eke Poutama 2018 journey
Why consider Ka Eke Poutama?
Governance’ of organisations is where important strategic decisions are made that shape the way an organisation carries out its impact and responds to community needs. Governance is integral to all sectors - in school boards, local Councils, iwi, NGOs, community organisations and businesses.
Emerging Māori leaders can bring refreshing perspectives, new energy, and a range of modern skills to help our organisations flourish. This represents an overlooked way to contribute to our communities while growing our skill bases and connections.
Who is it for?
We encourage applications from rangatahi and young leaders who are committed to making a difference to their community, iwi and whānau through effective governance and leadership.
The programme suits:
Young, passionate Māori between 20-38 years
Who live anywhere in Aotearoa
Who are interested in strengthening their understanding of good governance
Who can commit to engaging in a part-time, practical programme over 4 months
Who want to go on and take on roles in governance, organisational leadership or their own social enterprise.
The advantages of participating?
Ground into cultural leadership exploring how to weave Māori cultural practices with modern governance principles
Build your confidence and mindset to realise that you can make a massive contribution to your community and to governance and advisory boards too.
Build your network with dozens of other young Māori leaders, as well as mentors and experts. Participate in community initiatives to contribute and connect with community.
Strengthen your strategic thinking skills to have a critical lens and a series of tools to analyse social, business and organisational issues and critically evaluate how to address them.
Practice applying leadership concepts by learning about actual case studies and real life scenarios, hearing others perspectives and experiences, and applying tools and principles to see how they work in action.
Career progression governance provides unique skills and experience to add to your CV. It involves strategy, measurement, operational systems, risk management and communications.
RECOGNISED BY
What is expected of participants?
There are six strands of activity that make up the Ka Eke Poutama programme over 15 weeks:
Weekend workshops (wānanga)
These immersive workshops where participants come together to discuss the learning and practice implementing the knowledge in a group environment.
Wānanga are held on marae and include a range of fun, engaging activities.
Quest exercises
Learning activities that participants undertake in their own time, individually or as small groups (poari). There are a series of Quests throughout the programme.
Often these relate to governance case studies or reflective questions, and help apply learning toward a real life context.
Ako speaker sessions
Multiple 60-90 minute sessions with governance and community leaders or experts via Zoom. Speakers share their practical experience and insights of leading an organisation, board or community kaupapa.
The programme team also hold a series of informal check-in sessions during the journey.
Online tools and resources
Working through weekly lessons (Taumata) and reflection exercises inside our Te Pātaka Mātauranga (online learning portal) – to learn the key governance concepts prior to coming to the wānanga.
Many best practice tools, frameworks and resources are provided.
Community initiatives
Participants contribute towards a project in their community to test, apply and share their new knowledge in practical ways.
This also helps strengthen local relationships and make a difference for Māori communities.
Real board engagement and observations
Participants connect with community governance boards to observe different approaches to decision-making, strengthen their relationships with community organisations and offer perspectives.
Two formal board observations are required.
What is required to graduate?
Participants are required to complete 80% of all programme touchpoints to graduate from the programme.
This usually requires attending all three programme wananga.
To complete the programme will require roughly 5-8 hours per week. These hours are flexible to fit in with your busy life, except for the three weekend wānanga and the online Ako sessions.
Most other touchpoints can be completed online and from anywhere.
Frequently asked pātai
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How leading Māori organisations and businesses achieve success and impact.
Essentials of good governance for Māori and community organisations.
Ways to innovative and create impact in an organisation.
Entrepreneurial principles and tools to create effective strategy, grow a Māori Trust or start your own enterprise.
Weaving kaupapa Māori values and tikange with mainstream business concepts.
Stories and journeys of influential Māori governance leaders.
How to apply the learning to real-life projects and case studies.
What tools, templates, and resources to use in different governance contexts.
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We expect you to commit about 5-8 hours per week towards learning, sessions and projects.
The programme runs over 4 months, and is manageable alongside full-time mahi, whānau duties and other responsibilities.
There are three weekend wānanga that you must attend (one per month).
You can complete most of the other work in your own time.
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Stronger confidence and mindset - around your ability to contribute to community and governance boards.
Stronger strategic thinking skills - around social, business and organisational issues.
Deeper understanding of governance concepts - including how these apply in a real life environment.
Stronger networks - including with dozens of other like-minded rangatahi, Māori leaders and organisations.
Career progression - adding useful skills to your CV (such as risk management, strategy and communications)
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We are planning to run programmes in Northland, Auckland and Bay of Plenty. Programme wānanga will be held in Tāmaki Makaurau. Some travel within the region will be required.
Most of the programme can be completed in your own time, from wherever you are.
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Yes, participants often come from all over Aotearoa.
As long as you can travel for the wānanga, it doesn’t matter where you live.
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We are raising funding to support most of the costs.
Each participant needs to contribute 10-25% of the programme cost ($1,400-$3,500).
Participants often find a Māori Trust, employer or other funder to sponsor this cost.
You will have to organise your own travel costs to get to wānanga.
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Yes you can.
We do not expect you to have any background in governance, but if you do then this is a bonus.
You do need to have a desire and commitment to learn though.
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Āe mārika! Absolutely.
You will still get heaps out of it - including new tools and concepts that you haven’t come across before. We have trained hundreds of Māori organisation boards.
Also, you’ll inherit an incredible network of other like-minded rangatahi leaders.
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To Māori, age is just a number.
We are happy to accommodate those who are older (if you are ‘young at heart’).
Age will be one factor considered when selecting our cohorts.
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Ideally not since this creates additional responsibilities on our team and can be distracting for your learning.
In every cohort there are some who bring kids along though, especially babies.
Between the others in your cohort, you may be able to organise a group childcare option.
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Generally we have 100+ applications per cohort, so we have to make tough decisions about who to select.
We unsure a balance of ages, skill levels, and any programme funder criteria (e.g. a certain number of participants within a certain region).
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We have now formally opened applications for 2025.
Applications close 14 July 2025.
Visit the ‘Apply’ button for the application form.
