New Tumu Whakarae welcomed.

Feb. 13, 2024

Hau Taki Haere | Tertiary Update Vol 28, No 2

A historic occasion took place in Pōneke | Wellington last Thursday as the TEU held a mihi whakatau to welcome its first ever Tumu Whakarae Māori | National President Māori Hūhana Wātene along with returning Tumu Whakarae Tiriti | National President Tiriti Dr Julie Douglas.

Hūhana and Julie are our union’s first co-presidents under our new co-governance structure that includes equal representation for tāngata Māori and tāngata Tiriti on our ruling council.

Both were surrounded by family, current and former colleagues and other loved ones as TEU Kaumātua Hōne Sadler, Te Pou Ahurei | National Secretary Sandra Grey and others welcomed them into their new workspace for the next two years.

Hūhana Wātene said “I have a full heart. It’s an honour to co-lead the first union in Aotearoa to go all in on co-governance. We're both committed to working effectively together, demonstrating kotahitanga, making this successful and providing the blueprint for others to follow.”

Dr Julie Douglas quipped that she “wasn’t going to serve more than one term after shepherding the new rules through Conference last year but it quickly became clear that there is a lot of vital work still to do as the union implements the new structure and shapes how it will operate in practice. This work is critical to ensure the success and longevity of this exciting change and I’m inspired and excited to be a part of it – especially after witnessing the amazing scenes at Waitangi last week. New Zealanders are standing up for Te Tiriti and I’m proud of our union’s example.”

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