You might think that’s ironic for an author.
What I write is for action in the real world.
Aroha. Māori wisdom for a contented life lived in harmony with the planet, is a book I wrote, published in 2020 by Penguin Random House, chosen for The Oprah Winfrey Book Club in 2021. Filled with a year’s worth of weekly whakataukī / whakatauākī, Māori proverbial sayings and reflections on how these are useful every day. Sources of aroha to help us in practical ways in our daily lives. Despite, and maybe because many of these nuggets of wisdom are so old, they are still relevant today.
You may or may not be familiar with the Māori concept of aroha.
I think of myself as a living representative of our ancestors’ aroha.
Their raw and fierce love, their belief in the future.
Aroha is the fuel and the purpose.
Aroha is our inexhaustible wellspring of love, drive, ferocity, resilience, and the fun that comes from our forebears. Aroha nourishes us on life’s journey.
Aroha is grit too. Tough, clear decisions made and delivered with aroha.
Aroha is a yard stick and a place to stand.
Aroha will rub your face in the dirt. Aroha will make you laugh and cry, sometimes both at the same time.
Aroha makes things happen.
COVID/ planetary emergency/ recession finds all of us close to burn out, beyond burn out? Feeling the long painful pinch of uncertainty? Together we can reconnect with our source of aroha as energy, as healing and new resolve to transform and re-discover the joy in life amid the struggles.
Māori cultural values, te reo me ōna tikanga, mātauranga Māori, our indigenous knowledge systems are global leadership approaches that can shed indigenous light on a planet-centred way forward.
Together we will re-consider living, working, business, identity. Emotions, thoughts, guts.
We will find the aroha effect that works for you.
Hinemoa is always ready. To think, to support, to act. To sparkle, to question, to delight. But perhaps above all to find the right words to capture a complex thought or express a difficult emotion or inspire all around her. It is no surprise that she was the first person to say yes to being a member of the Women Emerging Expedition, she drove and inspired me to be ready too.
It is hard to package Dr Hinemoa Elder into one or two sentences. You listen to her personal story and think ‘wow, so much, so young, so visible’. You hear about her personal challenges and think ‘wow, how did she battle her way through’, then you observe the fierce determination she’s shown to reinvent herself, to invest in substantial skill building and to then take her place as an activist and matriarch and you go ‘wow, if only a fraction of our world’s leaders had a measure of her ability.’
I love this woman for sure But mostly I have a profound respect for the legacy she is creating for so many and the way she has gone about leading.
Dr Hinemoa Elder is a true gift to Aotearoa and someone I am honoured to call both a mentor and a friend. Learning from Dr Elder opens your eyes to what is truly possible in life. Through her, I realised the power of being unapologetically myself, of bringing compassion and kindness to any table, and the joy of being part of a team of wāhine with a purpose. Her genuine love for people is moving. Her commitment to social justice never falters. Her wisdom is a source of strength for many. Interacting with Dr Elder is unforgettable; she is a light that illuminates your own potential.
Dr Hinemoa Elder’s books Aroha and Wawata beautifully complement her own work within hauora and whānau, with reflections on our traditions, that provide reference and relevance to our present and future – “kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua”. These literary gems are testament to Hinemoa’s own aroha and commitment to her people, sharing her knowledge and experiences that inspire us all.
I have had the pleasure of knowing, mentoring and working with Hinemoa for more than 30 years; first as a medical student, then supervising her PhD research studies and more recently when she was appointed as Kaiwhakahaere Māori (Māori Strategic Leader) for our Centre of Research Excellence “Brain Research New Zealand” where she very ably led our Maori outreach and engagement to Aotearoa New Zealand for more than 5 years. Hinemoa is totally committed to the advancement of Māori. She follows both her heart and her head and is relentless in her pursuit of tino rangatiratanga, Māori self- determination in pathways of knowledge and wellbeing. Hinemoa leads from the front and is an agent of change.
During my time in public life I have followed Hinemoa’s progress with great interest – from TV presenter, to medical student, to fully-fledged psychiatrist, and now a widely-published author spanning the worlds of Pākehā and Māori. I value her friendship and professional integrity, and it is for this reason that I approached her to join the Board of Trustees at The Helen Clark Foundation. We are delighted to have her presence and good counsel.
