Why Cultural Capability Matters to Us at HPCE Aotearoa
At HPCE Aotearoa, we believe that meaningful events start with meaningful relationships. Whether we're working behind the scenes or front-of-house, our role as event professionals is to create safe, inclusive, and respectful spaces for all people, especially when we're privileged to support kaupapa Māori and work alongside iwi, hapū, and community leaders across Aotearoa.
As our mahi grows in scale and significance, so too does our responsibility. That’s why we’ve committed to a long-term journey to build cultural capability within our team, a journey we are proud to be undertaking with the support of Mather Solutions Limited (MSL) and the guidance of Dr. Jim Mather and his team.
It's More Than a Tick Box; It’s About Integrity
Cultural capability isn’t just about learning protocols or using the right words. It’s about how we show up for our clients, our communities, and each other. In our work, we regularly engage with Taumata groups, kaumatua, and pae who guide us through tikanga appropriate to the region and kaupapa. Whether it’s the way we open and close an event, or how we support speakers and dignitaries onsite, we want every team member — Māori and non-Māori — to feel confident and comfortable in these environments.
That confidence starts with understanding. We’re learning that tikanga is not one-size-fits-all. It can vary across rohe, and our experience in Rotorua might look different in Tāmaki or Ōtautahi. For us, cultural capability means being aware, adaptable, and grounded in values of respect, humility, and manaakitanga, no matter where we’re working.
A Safer, Stronger, More Connected Team
Internally at HPCE Aotearoa, we’re also focused on creating a team culture that reflects the principles we want to embody externally. That includes establishing a shared tikanga, a way of being with one another that uplifts, supports, and honours the diverse journeys we’re all on.
We’re asking questions like:
How do we support each other’s growth, professionally, culturally, personally?
How do we understand each other’s values and working styles?
How can we work better together by acknowledging the different energies we each bring: creative, strategic, operational, emotional?
These aren’t just HR goals. They’re about wairua, the spirit of our team. And we believe that nurturing this is essential to delivering powerful, purpose-driven events that feel safe and respectful for everyone involved.
Living Our Values
This journey is just beginning. With MSL’s support, we’re exploring foundational learning like Te Tiriti o Waitangi, building on it with real-world applications, and committing to making cultural capability a visible part of how we operate from strategy and planning to communication and delivery.
We’re not here to perform culture. We’re here to live it genuinely, humbly, and with a deep desire to be trusted and culturally capable partners in every space we work in.
We know that by strengthening our understanding of Te Ao Māori, we become better kaitiaki of relationships, of spaces, and of the people who trust us to deliver events that matter.