Our People

SHAREHOLDER ENGAGEMENTS

Over April and May 2024, the Committee held 8 wananga in Gisborne, Hamilton, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Tauranga, Napier, and Rotorua.

The hui focused on the current Mangatu position and provided an opportunity for shareholders to give feedback to the Committee.

Shareholders were able to give views on what information they would like to have, what issues they may have, and how best to communicate with them. The format allowed more time for shareholders to ask questions outside of the annual general meeting hosted in Gisborne.

In total, we received 2,200 answers from 320 respondents – coming from both the registration process and on-day responses.  217 people attended the hui over the four days. The largest attendance came from Gisborne with 82 owners on the day.

We have combined their thoughts into the following themes:

Our People

  • Connection with Mangatu – understanding Mangatu whakapapa and owner connections. Supporting access to whenua, stories, and tours.
  • Empowering owners and succession – exploring pathways for owners to develop into jobs within the Incorporation, its subsidiaries, and within similar industries. Fostering rangatahi and succession. Increase in education support and consider alternative education systems.
  • Importance of tangata Mangatu – impacts on ahikaa/haukainga, marae and communities and increasing support.

Our Businesses

  • Transparency – improvements to content, simplicity, and transparency of information provided to owners. Supporting the owner understanding of information.
  • Strategy and future – communicating future activities and strategies with owners to give confidence to direction.
  • Importance of taiao – active management and improvement of taiao, whenua, wai & ngahere.
  • Investments – understanding the past and current investments and financial outcomes.

Our Communications

  • Communication – improvements in frequency and ways Mangatu communicates with owners and community.

Our Constitution and Policies

  • Constitution and policies – access to constitution, policies, and procedures to consider owner interaction and review.

Where to from here?

The value of the hui is in the ability of the Committee and Management to listen and respond with strategies for improvement.

The Committee acknowledge improvement is needed and these hui will help shape immediate and lasting changes over the coming months and years.

Immediately this work has led to:

  1. A new communications plan which includes: quarterly panui; a new social media strategy; refreshed branding/storytelling; improvements to the website; more frequent wananga with shareholders; and improvements in connection.
  2. Review and implementation of new Mangatu values and behaviours. In line with the vision of the Incorporation and its owners.
  3. A review and updating of the Incorporation’s strategic plan focused on whenua, taiao, financial returns, investment structures, and owner support.
  4. Considerations in investment, management and operations plans to support owner expectations as well as other financial and non-financial benefits.

We are grateful to owners who were able to attend the hui and will continue to provide more opportunities to connect directly.

We are considering more wananga to support some of the issues raised and provide opportunities for shareholders to develop more understanding and connection. Some amazing photos were taken of our owners over the hui and the Committee is looking into how best to make these available.

OUR KAIMAHI

Rini Pohatu

My name is Airini Pohatu but I am known as Rini.

I am Te Whānau ā Apanui, Ngāti Porou and Whakatōhea. I’m married to George Pohatu and have been for 46 years.  We have one daughter, Ana, two mokopuna, Lee and Amiria, and our son in law is Jason Devery.

I am the Administration Manager at Mangatu Blocks Incorporation and started work here on the 20th of March 1995 and have been here for 29 years and counting. I was originally employed by Gary Alexander and to this day hold Gary in high esteem. I’ve worked with some amazing people over these years, all of whom were very loyal to Mangatu Blocks, together, we formed a strong team. Some of these people are Jim Campbell, Greg Galley, Anne Quilter, Del Tamanui, Bob Jukes, Ron Clancy, Anthony Creswell and Boycie Tamanui.

What I love the most about Mangatu are the people I work with and the shareholders I work for. No two days are the same and there is always work to be done, no time to get bored. Don’t get me wrong though, we do have lots of laughter in our office.

I prioritise looking after our shareholders and am passionate about helping them to find where their shares came from and supporting them to succeed. We have wonderful help from the Tairāwhiti Maori Land Court staff and we delight in finding our lost shareholders.

If there is one thing I would say to all our shareholders it’s ‘never be afraid to ask questions’. Please contact the office for help with succession to your parents/grandparents shares. It is your birthright, and we want to help you.

Some of the hardest parts of my mahi is lost contact with shareholders, no addresses and now with no landline, no opportunity to search the phone book for a name or number. We’re often hamstrung by the Privacy Act so we are unable to put information in our Panui like “have you seen this person who has x number of shares and x amount of unclaimed dividend?” It’s for this reason that updating your contact information is so important. We want to be connected and keep you informed.

There are lots of questions being asked of the Incorporation at the moment which can be unsettling but we have a new CEO, David Battin, who has some exciting plans for the future. Change is challenging but we have a great board, awesome staff and we are all dedicated to seeing Mangatu Blocks thrive.”

EDUCATION & SCHOLARSHIPS

Mangatu annual education grants have been paid to owners. 119 Tertiary Grants ($1,300 each grant) and 132 Secondary Grants ($300 each grant) were paid. A total of $194,300.

Scholarship instalments were also paid to Ariana-Moe Brown. We received an update from Ariana on how her studies and journey is progressing.

Applications for the 2024 Scholarship closed 15 March 2024.

The process included four applicants participated in a robust interview process. The Committee and Scholarship Sub-committee were blown away by the amazing tauira within the Mangatu whanau.

Applicants came from a range of study areas and stages in education. Several excelled in their fields of study and showed real motivation to contribute.

From these applicants Alani McLeod was selected as the 2024 Mangatu Scholarship recipient. Alani will receive $10,000 towards her study this year and $10,000 in 2025 and 2026. Totalling $30,000 over three years. Alani must meet all the study achievement requirements to receive the scholarship in 2025/2026.

Two one off discretionary scholarships of $5,000 were paid to Rakairoa Joyce and Samara McLeod. These tauira are also excelling in their studies and were deserving of acknowledgement.

The Committee encourages more whanau to apply each year and to take advantage of both the education grants and scholarships.

Scholarship – Alani McLeod
Alani McLeod, Mangatu Tertiary Scholarship Recipient

“Ko Maungahaumi te maunga
Ko Waipaoa te awa
Ko Horouta te waka
Ko Tapuihikitia te marae
Ko Whanau a Taupara te hapū
Ko Te Aitanga a Mahaki te iwi
Nō Tūranganui a Kiwa ahau
Ko Alani McLeod tōku ingoa

I am proud to be born and bred in Turanga nui a kiwa and am an ex-student of Mangapapa School, Gisborne Intermediate, and Gisborne Girls High.

I whakapapa to Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki through my tipuna whaea Rangihuataki.

My whanau on both my mother and father’s side have shares in Mangatu. It was my grandma, Paki Hutley (nee Smith) that suggested I apply for the Mangatu Education Scholarship.

I’m currently in my first year of university, studying a Bachelor of Engineering conjoint with a Bachelor of Product Design at the University of Canterbury.
I always wanted to be an engineer.

Engineering is all about creativity, problem-solving, and using science to come up with cool solutions to real-world problems. It feels like the perfect mix of science and creativity, where I can use my imagination to come up with innovative solutions to complex problems and help make a positive contribution to society.

The best part is, I get to work with my hands and actually create and build things, which is something I’ve always enjoyed doing.

It is difficult making decisions about your future when you are at high school. I gave consideration to various options but eventually engineering just started to make sense for me, particularly as math and science were my stronger subjects and I love to be creative.

Engineering is traditionally a male dominated profession so I feel proud to be breaking barriers and proving women have as much to offer as men in this field.

I love that what I am learning is helping me to build a solid foundation in the fundamentals of engineering. I am getting to learn about a variety of engineering fields that eventually will help me figure out in what direction I really want to branch out into.

Every new piece of information I learn is setting me up to be more knowledgeable than I was the day before. But it’s not just about learning the principles of engineering. There’s always a lot to learn in a short span of time and so I’m learning to cope in a high stress environment. I’m learning to work with others and I’m learning how to push through even on the most challenging of days because eventually it will all be worth it.

Financial support is a key factor to success at University. I knew I was willing to work hard but I also understood it was going to take a lot of financial support to help me get there. My whanau suggested I apply for a scholarship to help relieve some of that financial pressure so I could focus on my academic goals.  It’s an honor to receive any scholarship, but to receive one from a local organisation that is all about building a more sustainable future for Maori, is really special. I feel very grateful that they are prepared to invest in Rangatahi like me who have aspirations to be part of that better future.

Applying for this scholarship required me to think seriously about my goals and I guess everything that I have done and achieved to get to this point.  It was a reflective process that required time and thoughtfulness and although the interview was a bit daunting, I was  honored and extremely happy to have been named a recipient.

I didn’t get my hopes up, but when I received the call from Michelle and took in the news of my success I could barely contain my joy.  It was a mix of relief, and gratitude. I remember thinking I can’t wait to tell mum and grandma!  My entire whanau were so happy to hear the news, it’s incredible in so many ways.  I have a 5-year degree and I know this will go a long way in helping me reach my end goal. I still need to pinch myself some days as I take it all in and reflect on the generosity of this scholarship and what it means to me and my whanau.

My mum has been the most influential person in my life. She has done so much to support me and my sisters over the years and I love the way she does everything with so much passion, love and empathy. I admire her strong moral compass and work ethic, and the way she relates effortlessly with people from all walks of life. She uplifts me and so many others and has shown me how to be strong and appreciative even when life can be its most challenging. Each day I try to live by the values she has installed and hope to make her as proud of me as I am of her.

My advice to prospective Mangatu students is to apply! Back yourself because there are lots of people willing to do the same if you give them the chance and take that first step.  Put the time and effort into your application and give it a go. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Everyone from Mangatu Blocks has been so friendly and supportive. They helped me feel relaxed and I realised all I had to do was be myself. If I didn’t get the scholarship, I knew some other deserving student would and that was ok too.  I know it can be hard talking yourself up and perhaps you don’t have every aspect of your future mapped out perfectly but it’s all about seizing moments and opportunities because you never know what will come of it and there’s nothing to gain from sitting in your safe bubble doing nothing.

I just wish to once again express my sincere gratitude to Mangatu Blocks for selecting me as a recipient of this scholarship. I am deeply honored to have been chosen and am inspired by all you do to foster sustainability and growth within the Māori community.  I look forward to staying connected and contributing to Mangatu Blocks in the future. “

-Alani McLeod, Mangatu Tertiary Scholarship Recipient 2024