Te Puia General Manager Visitor Experience and Rotorua Chamber of Commerce Board Member Denise Emery (Ngāti Wahiao, Tūhourangi), shares her thoughts about women in business.
Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, he toa takitini: my strength is not that of an individual, but that of the collective.
As women in business, we take on the legacy of our great, great-grandmothers. They were the original entrepreneurs at a time when women in business were largely unheard of – my great, great-grandmother, Timu, was a guide, leading manuhiri though the Valley in 1910. Back then, women would receive 15 shillings (which is significantly greater in today’s currency) from each tour party.
To our tribe, the legacy of the guiding name that those long ago entrepreneurs began is what sets us apart. This is more than just a job, this is a responsibility to uphold the values of manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga (hospitality and guardianship) handed down through the generations – this is known as taonga tuku iho. It encapsulates why Te Puia and its people are iconic symbols of tourism.
Everyone featured in the photo to the right is connected through whakapapa to Haira Himiona Hakaraia, who was born in 1853. My daughter, Jessie (Ngāti Wahiao, Tūhourangi), is Te Puia’s meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) sales manager – a crucial area due to its business impact and ability to drive growth across multiple sectors especially in winter.
My niece, Morgan Hurihanganui (Ngāti Wahiao, Tūhourangi), is host coordinator, leading the operational on-the-ground guiding team delivering personalised experiences to approximately 250,000 visitors each year. Another of my nieces, Merenia Morgan (Ngāti Wahiao, Tūhourangi), is a Kaiārahi Tuakana (senior guide) who assists Morgan and other managers in training younger guides.
As for me, I try to instill the importance to everyone of their place in our legacy here and, more widely, the reputation of Aotearoa as the home of manaakitanga. Day to day, I lead strategy and manage a staff of 50 Kaiārahi (guides) as well as the admissions and reservations team.
We’re all in the same waka of the larger organisation. Currently at the executive level, Te Puia has three women (including myself) and four men bringing a diverse range of skills, perspective, experience and background to the table.
We are an iwi-owned business operating under the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute 2020 Vesting Act. As an organisation our ‘why’ is toitū te ahurea Māori – leaders in uplifting Māori culture.
