Hui-ā-Te Uepū.

Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union’s annual rūnanga, Hui-ā-Te Uepū took place last week – as it always does, on the day immediately prior to conference.

Tumu Whakarae | National President Māori Huhana Watene says the day was used productively to network and kōrero.

“The key priority for our Māori members this year is to think carefully about how we will continue to embed and grow our co-kawanatanga journey. We know the mahi isn’t finished just because we have co-presidents. We have to ensure Māori members are actively engaged, working harder and smarter together.”

At midday, the group took a break, piled into minivans, and headed into the city centre to support the CTU, First Union, Unite, the PSA and other unions at a May Day Rally to protest the National-led government’s anti-worker policies.

The TEU made a big splash as we arrived, singing Ngā Iwi E en-masse.

Watene says “it was wonderful to be able to bring such a strong Māori flavour to May Day and to contribute towards an uplifting spirit at an event that focussed attention on serious, mean-spirited, and damaging attacks on the workers of Aotearoa.”