OCS New Zealand is a proudly progressive Aotearoa New Zealand business, employing over 4,200 Kiwis with over 60 nationalities. With such a diverse workforce, we know that strengthening the cultural capability of our colleagues and the wider organisation is incredibly important.
In July 2021, we engaged Māori development consultancy Mather Solutions Limited (MSL) to help us redefine the culture of OCS NZ to reflect our unique identity.
Through a series of individual discussions and wānanga (workshops), MSL posed three questions to the OCS leadership team, the response to which formed the backbone of our cultural strategic roadmap. The questions were:
- Why do you want to strengthen the cultural capability of OCS New Zealand?
- What benefits do you want your organisation to receive or acquire from strengthened cultural capability?
- How committed is the organisation to changing?
Gareth Marriott, OCS ANZ Managing Director, says that throughout these initial conversations, it was instantly clear that the leadership team were all on the same page.
“We all agreed there was an opportunity for improvement in our cultural capability, and working with MSL would provide us with the tools we needed to move forward to create an organisation where our colleagues were empowered to integrate Māori culture and te ao Māori [the Māori worldview] into all we do,” said Gareth.
Over many months, the two teams worked together and, in early 2023, we launched our cultural competency strategy – ‘Whiria Te Tangata | Weaving The People Together’.
Dr Jim Mather, MSL Managing Director, says it’s been a privilege for him and his colleagues to work with the OCS team.
“When we first met, Gareth, in his very open and honest manner, explained that OCS had very little Māori cultural capability and understanding. However, he instinctively knew it was important to integrate our nation’s indigenous culture into how the organisation operated and identified itself.
“We are proud of the progress that the OCS whānau (family) have made and remain committed to the three strategic pillars based on further strengthening cultural capability, providing learning opportunities and strengthening relationships with Māori,” said Dr Mather.
Through the assistance of Operations Manager Rawinia Wright, a pākē (traditional cloak) was weaved from harakeke (flax) from across the country – a physical representation of Whiria Te Tangata. The pākē was presented to Gareth at the OCS Conference in 2023.
Since Whiria Te Tangata was launched, OCS has continued to work closely with MSL, including strategy implementation and providing a range of learning opportunities for OCS colleagues.
Gareth says it’s been rewarding to see the uptake in these learning opportunities from the teams and colleagues across the business.
“The engagement and participation solidify the importance of this kaupapa, the sessions have been instrumental in cultivating a safe space for participants to explore their living connection with te ao Māori practices,” said Gareth.
As part of the strategy, MSL provides ongoing tikanga and te reo Māori learning opportunities for all OCS colleagues through Te Kākano, an introductory cultural competency and development programme to create a safe space for participants to engage in te ao Māori.
More than 40 OCS colleagues have now completed Te Kākano across the country – both in person and through online sessions.
In August and September 2023, we held two Te Tiriti o Waitangi wānanga at Mataatua Marae in Auckland. These wānanga provided immersive learning experiences and the opportunity to see tikanga Māori in action.
The marae-based learning has been instrumental in cultivating a safe space for participants to explore their living connection with te ao Māori practices, such as pōwhiri and tikanga and further deepen their understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
We look forward to progressing our cultural journey with Dr Mather and his team in 2024.
Read Te Whiria Te Tangata, our Cultural Competency Strategy, here