Nau mai, haere mai ki Te Whare Mānuka, Diane Strong

Ko Tuao Wharepapa te maunga te rū nei e tōku ngākau
Ko Motueka te awa e māhea nei oku māharahara
Ko Ngāti Tama tōku Iwi
heoi anō, e hono anā hoki au ki ngā iwi ō Rārua, Toa Rangātira, Rangitāne, Te Ātiawā me Kai Tahū
He tino harikoa ahau ki te whiwhi i tenei turanga hei Pou Whakaohotata
Ko Diane Strong tōku ingoa
Nō reira ra, tēnā tatou katoa

Employed by Te Kotahi o Te Tauihu charitable trust, Diane will be based at Te Whare Manuka for the next three months. As part of a joined up approach to emergency management, she will also work from other iwi offices later in the year.

Diane started her career in the military, where she says you were “trained to go as fast as the slowest thing”. This grew into a passion for community wellbeing, she said, “making sure our people are valued, safe and supported when it matters the most.”

Her role as Pou Whakaohotata is mostly about building capability, she says.

“I understand the technical emergency management framework , but I’m also grounded in Te Ao Māori. For me it’s about ensuring Māori voices, values and leadership sit at the centre of how we prepare and respond.

“It’s also about building our own capability in our own communities, so that we are not just recipients of support, but we are leaders of our own resilience.”

This mahi is already underway, with Diane actively supporting marae to review and strengthen their preparedness and response plans. Supporting climate change initiatives to provide water tanks and solar panels for all Te Tauihu marae is already underway.

Training and awareness, including building succession pathways for rangatahi and uplifting emergency management understanding and skills for whanau, marae and iwi is also on Diane’s impressive list of tasks.

“This is how we grow our capability to manage small to medium events effectively,” she says. “We need to explore how we can operate independently, Māori for Māori,  if a catastrophic event isolates large areas for several days. That future focussed thinking is really important to us.”

Tikanga Māori guides Diane’s approach.

“It isn’t an add on. I may not kōrero as well as the next person but it is my foundation. Values like manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and kaitiakitanga guide how I engage and how decision are made.

Relationships come first. Trust is built before the crisis hits. Decisions are made collectively where possible and local mātauranga is respected alongside technical expertise.

“That true partnership is critical - it means that iwi leadership is recognised not just consulted. This is about co-designing a shared responsibility and shared decision-making when we operate this way we are stronger, culturally grounded and operationally effective.”

“My hope is iwi-led emergency management becomes the norm, not the exception. That every marae and whānau feels confident, connected and resourced. That rangatahi see this a pathway for leadership, and that our systems truly reflect partnership not just in words but in action. 

"If we can build resilience grounded in tikanga supported by strong relationships and backed by real capability, then our communities won’t just survive emergencies we will lead through them.”

You might see Diane in the office or out and about at one of our marae – so make sure you give her a smile and a wave!

About the trust

Te Kotahi o Te Tauihu Charitable Trust was established by ngā Iwi Te Tauihu o Te Waka a Maui in 2021.

Mahi is focused around supporting our communities by establishing meaningful collaborative partnerships, where needed, to advance health and wellbeing, alleviate poverty, ensure adequate food is available and promote education and skills within the communities of Te Tauihu,and in particular our Māori communities.