Kura Poutama

The Generative Source of Taonga, Held by Manawa Kōkopu

Where mātauranga deepens, practice ascends, and the arc of transformation unfolds.

Kura Poutama is the generative source of kaupapa Māori pedagogies that uphold and give rise to the Poutama IQ Ascent Series — serving as a living repository of taonga where cultural wisdom, strategic insight, and embodied intelligence converge to shape transformative leadership practice. It holds the full arc of the Poutama IQ Ascent Series and Ngā Herenga Whaihua — a purposeful collective of frameworks, practices, and guided pathways designed to elevate kaupapa-aligned leadership, catalyse systemic impact, and sustain whānau wellbeing into the future.

These taonga are original Manawa Kōkopu offerings, developed by Megan Tahere through lived kaupapa leadership, applied practice, and evolving doctoral research. Conceived with care and intention, they are shared as taonga and preserved within the intellectual property kōrero of this kaupapa.

Nau mai, haere mai — piki mai, kake mai.

Te Ara Ako o te Wānanga: A Strengths-Based Orientation to Ascent

Kura Poutama rises from a Te Ao Māori foundation, affirming a strengths-based learning orientation that nurtures the ascent of leadership and practice. This is not a deficit model — it is a deliberate practice of growing from strength to ascent — cultivating the conditions in which insight emerges with clarity and integrity, and is embodied through alignment and action.

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This approach reflects mātauranga Māori — where transformation emerges not from fixing what is broken, but from activating identity, connection, and inherited potential. As Durie (2003) describes, Māori wellbeing is supported by foundational platforms such as land, language, whānau, marae, and hapū — all of which reflect the enduring importance of whakapapa, mana motuhake, and collective identity as essential sources of strength and self-determination. This is not merely pedagogical (concerning the method and practice of teaching) — it is also cosmological (concerned with the origins and interconnection of the universe) and ontological (concerned with the nature of being and becoming).

This orientation also aligns with research demonstrating that high-performing leaders thrive when they develop their strengths, rather than focusing solely on remediating gaps (Buckingham & Clifton, 2001; Linley, 2008). Strengths-based learning builds from existing capability — cultivating kotahitanga, deepening motivation, and supporting growth that is both sustainable and grounded in identity and purpose. As affirmed by McCashen (2005), it emphasises personal agency and ownership of change by creating conditions that allow people to recognise their capabilities, affirm their values, and activate their strengths and resources. It is underpinned by a commitment to shared power, cultivating transformation through values-based action, collaboration, respect, and relational equity.

Learning is an energetic, relational, and spiritual process — moving through wairua, hinengaro, and ngākau. It draws on atua, elemental energies, core values, and ancestral memory — not simply to transmit knowledge, but to generate alignment. Insight is not passive content; it is a living current — a catalyst for purposeful leadership grounded in rhythm, resonance, and kaupapa-aligned action.

Kura Poutama is anchored in a layered Māori epistemology (the ways knowledge is generated and valued) that honours the unfolding of mātauranga through:

  • Developmental cosmology – Te Kore, Te Pō, Te Ao Mārama: the origin, becoming, and illumination of being
  • Epistemic realms – Mōhiotanga, Mātauranga, Māramatanga: the emergence, expansion, and transformation of knowledge
  • Energetic states of being – Mauri Moe, Mauri Oho, Mauri Ora: the presence, activation, and vitality of mauri

These interwoven knowledge systems bridge cultural integrity with contemporary practice. As Royal (2005) emphasises, mātauranga Māori rests on the idea that knowledge and experience are inseparable — insight arises through relational engagement, embodied rhythm, and ongoing practice. Hikuroa (2017) affirms this view, describing mātauranga as a rich, empirical system of knowledge underpinned by long-standing whakapapa to place, narrative, and observation. The Poutama IQ Ascent Series reflects these foundations: knowledge is not merely learned; it is activated through whakapapa, wānanga, and intentional alignment.

 

References

Buckingham, M., & Clifton, D. O. (2001). Now, discover your strengths. Free Press.

Durie, M. (2003). Ngā Kāhui Pou: Launching Māori futures. Huia Publishers.

Hikuroa, D. (2017). Mātauranga Māori—the ūkaipō of knowledge in New Zealand. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 47(1), 5–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/03036758.2016.1252407

Linley, P. A. (2008). Average to A+: Realising strengths in yourself and others. CAPP Press.

McCashen, W. (2005). The strengths approach: A strengths-based resource for sharing power and creating change. St. Luke’s Innovative Resources.

Royal, C. (2005). Exploring Indigenous knowledge.                https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5369700de4b045a4e0c24bbc/t/53fe8e69e4b0516a0c4ffd85/1409191555871/Exploring+Indigenous+Knowledge

Tikanga and Kawa in Leadership Ascent

Poutama IQ and Poutama EQ are distinct yet converging ontological conduits within the ascent of kaupapa-aligned leadership. Together, they strengthen both the clarity of thinking and the integrity of action.

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  • Poutama IQ reflects tikanga — revealing the direction of leadership through insight, discernment, and strategic foresight.
  • Poutama EQ reflects kawa — shaping the rhythm, presence, and relational integrity with which that direction is enacted.

Held in relational balance, they cultivate the alignment required to lead with authenticity in complex and dynamic spaces.
This is not about performance — it is about presence. Not simply about elevation, but about coherence.

When insight and embodiment move with resonance, leadership becomes more than strategic — it becomes attuned, culturally intelligent, and powerfully felt.

Poutama IQ: Insight Quotient Defined

Insight Quotient (IQ) reflects the capacity to perceive deeply, synthesise complexity, and lead with clarity and strategic foresight. Unlike conventional models of intelligence, Insight Quotient is not fixed — it is relational, dynamic, and responsive to context.

Rooted in kaupapa Māori philosophy and informed by threshold concept theory, Insight Quotient affirms that transformational leadership demands more than knowledge accumulation — it requires insight that is culturally situated, ethically grounded, and attuned to both collective and contextual realities. This insight emerges through sustained engagement with challenge, discernment, and responsibility, enabling the identification of patterns that inform intentional thought and action.

Insight Quotient anchors the Poutama IQ Ascent Series by cultivating discernment that is rigorous, intuitive, and aligned with kaupapa. It offers a generative alternative to deficit-based or standardised models of capability — instead privileging strategic clarity, collective wisdom, and the capacity to respond with integrity, not only across complexity but also within unfamiliar territory and the everyday spaces where complacency may arise.

This approach embraces opportunity and strength-based strategies — where competence, motivation, and intentional effort are amplified to support ongoing transformation. Insight becomes an active driver of leadership practice: attuned to internal clarity and relational dynamics, responsive to shifting conditions, and committed to purposeful change.

In doing so, Insight Quotient enables deeper engagement with threshold concepts — those pivotal, often disruptive ideas that transform how the world is understood and how leadership is enacted. Through such engagement, insight activates new modes of perception, coherence, and cultural intelligence — reframing leadership as a responsive and kaupapa-aligned practice of wisdom in action.

Poutama EQ: Embodiment Quotient Defined

Embodiment Quotient (EQ) is the internal calibration that shapes how insight is enacted — how it is breathed, carried, and held in motion. While Insight Quotient develops strategic perception and cognitive clarity, Embodiment Quotient strengthens the alignment between knowing and being.

Poutama EQ reflects presence, rhythm, and relational integrity — the lived expression of leadership through gesture, energy, and cultural resonance. It moves beyond intellectual comprehension to encompass how understanding is transmitted through stance, pace, tone, and relational engagement.

Grounded in kaupapa Māori principles and refined through the evolving movement of He Anga Whakatere: A Reflective Framework for Transformational Ascent, Poutama EQ introduces two intentional practice expressions:

  • Ngā Āhua Aranga: Practices of Ascent — seven enduring disciplines that guide embodiment through consistent habits, relational responsiveness, and values-led action. These are long-form disciplines of ascent — practiced over time to cultivate rhythm, presence, and kaupapa integrity.
  • Te Ara Whakatau: Strategies of Recalibration — five supportive strategies that restore energetic clarity and cognitive reset. These practices help release distraction, reduce noise, and create space for deeper insight, strategic discernment, and kaupapa-aligned decision-making. These are real-time strategies of return — tools to re-centre presence and rhythm in the moment.

Together, these practice expressions form a rhythm of enactment — balancing clarity with presence, and insight with embodiment — to activate leadership that is attuned, grounded, and transformative in motion.

Unlike cognitive models of leadership alone, these practices are not modes of thought — they are disciplines of becoming. Attuned to breath, tempo, and the energetic imprint of presence, they reflect a leadership style that is culturally grounded, ethically attuned, and relationally alive. Embodiment Quotient activates the coherence and flow required to translate insight into sustained, meaningful impact — aligning the felt quality of leadership with its kaupapa.

Poutama IQ Ascent Series: Professional Development Pathways

The three Poutama IQ Ascent Series pathways offer culturally grounded, high-trust spaces where Insight Quotient (IQ) and Embodiment Quotient (EQ) are developed as lived, intentional practice.

The three core professional development pathways are:

  • Manu Hōmiromiro: Poutama Insights — Strategic thinking and kaupapa-aligned leadership development
  • Te Puna Kōrero: Poutama Signature — Elevating professional presence and leadership positioning
  • Hā Tārewa: Poutama Flow — Reconnecting rhythm, restoring clarity, and recalibrating practice

Begin where the resonance is strongest — or ascend the full arc.

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Whether deepening strategic discernment, refining professional presence, or restoring rhythm in leadership expression, each Poutama IQ Ascent Series pathway has been designed to meet current realities — and elevate from within.

In many professional domains, cultural competency remains a threshold concern — often reduced to compliance rather than lived integrity. The Poutama IQ Ascent Series restores cultural intelligence as a relational, embodied, and generative practice — not merely a metric, but a method. It activates cultural competency as an ontological bridge between systems, reaffirming that Te Ao Māori knowledge and leadership hold transformative power for present and future generations.

Situated within the ascending logic of Te Poutama, the series draws on mātauranga Māori, kaupapa design, and lived leadership to guide development that is relational, rigorous, and culturally coherent.

The three core pathways are:

  • Manu Hōmiromiro: Poutama Insights — Strategic thinking and kaupapa-aligned leadership development
  • Te Puna Kōrero: Poutama Signature — Elevating professional presence and leadership positioning
  • Hā Tārewa: Poutama Flow — Reconnecting rhythm, restoring clarity, and recalibrating practice

Each pathway is distinct — yet all are interconnected through the shared kaupapa of transformative leadership.

Kura Poutama Tohu Aranga: Digital Badge Recognition

All of the Kura Poutama – Poutama IQ Ascent Series pathways offer the opportunity to receive a Tohu Aranga — a digital recognition badge that acknowledges meaningful engagement in kaupapa Māori leadership development.

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Ngā Herenga Whaihua: Digital Portal

Exclusive Access for Whaihua Wānanga, Whaihua Wātoro, and Whaihua Tohu

Protected within the generative flow of Kura Poutama is Ngā Herenga Whaihua — three uplifting dimensions for whaihua actively engaged in the Poutama IQ Ascent Series pathways.

This realm forms part of the living repository of this kaupapa, offering a place to return to — to pause, replenish, and reconnect with intention as your practice evolves.

Each dimension holds evolving tools, curated kōrero, and new developments aligned with the Poutama IQ Ascent Series pathways: Manu Hōmiromiro: Poutama Insights, Hā Tārewa: Poutama Flow, and Te Puna Kōrero: Poutama Signature.

These are protected taonga — access is dedicated to whaihua only, upheld through tikanga and care.

Return here as the need arises — to realign, refocus, and reinvigorate your ongoing ascent.

Kura Poutama Ātea Oro: Curated Soundscape 

A soundscape for rhythm, reflection, and recalibration.

This curated collection honours the artists and composers whose traditional and contemporary sounds carry the wairua of our voices, our whakapapa, and our connection — to te taiao, to each other, and to the deeper currents within.

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Flowing in resonance with the Poutama IQ Ascent Series and the wider wairua of Kura Poutama, these selections support the journey of ascent — aligning rhythm with reflection, and insight with purposeful action.

Whether preparing for wānanga, holding space for strategy, or simply returning to your breath, may these sounds uplift your haerenga and reconnect you to your own inner rhythm.

Scan or select the QR code to enter the curated soundscape on Spotify.

A free Spotify account is required to listen — sign up at spotify.com/nz/signup

 

He kura poutama, he ara arataki — ka tau te māramatanga ki Te Kauae Runga, ki Te Kauae Raro.

A sacred ascent, a guided path — where wisdom is held in both the celestial and the terrestrial realms.

Protecting Our Taonga – Intellectual Property Notice: 

All artwork, visual designs, and written content on this website — including frameworks, tools, workshop materials, written concepts, and whakatauākī — are protected by copyright and remain the intellectual property of Manawa Kōkopu and its collaborators. These taonga are shared with intention and reflect distinct ways of thinking, designing, and engaging that are deeply aligned with purpose and practice. Unauthorised use, reproduction, distribution, or adaptation of any part of this content — including for commercial or training purposes — is strictly prohibited and may constitute a breach of the New Zealand Copyright Act 1994 and applicable intellectual property protections. If you are interested in using or adapting any part of the material, please contact us to discuss appropriate permissions and attribution.