About Us

Making a difference at a grass roots level

As an innovation team with a laser-like focus on economic equity, TSI’s interest in MPTT is threefold.

Firstly, our active participation in tertiary education gives us first-hand, real-life experience of the pipeline from vocational education to the labour market. It enables us to gather precise insights on what works and what doesn’t, for whom and why, as well as the ecosystem of the public, private and third sector actors involved. This information directly inputs into our strategic policy and systems change work. Without this first-hand experience, our influencing would lack credibility.

Secondly, Māori and Pasifika peoples are overrepresented in construction and infrastructure. The trades can offer great careers and lots of very successful Māori and Pasifika owned businesses are in this sector (check out Amotai) but, for the large part, Māori and Pasifika workers are in the lowest paid positions. We’re not going to reach a balance any time soon, so we need to work with the current situation so that more Māori and Pasifika peoples get the best of what the sector can offer and not the worst.

Thirdly, whilst TSI is a ‘think-and-do’ tank we must also make a tangible difference to real people’s lives. We know that Māori and Pasifika peoples can’t afford to wait for macro-level or systems changes and whilst this is our ultimate goal, we need to make a positive difference at grass roots level at the same time.

That’s why we have a strong, practical focus on labour market entry, attachment and progression because there is no point in running courses if they don’t make a material difference to people’s finances and disrupt economic inequality at a household level.

The Auckland Council family is a large buyer of construction and infrastructure works. Council is also the third largest employer of ICT professionals in Auckland. Whilst this is not a direct driver, we leverage these things to test and trial different approaches and we’ve learnt that there is a unique advantage in being in both the demand and supply sides when prototyping.

Our Team

Atarau Pouwhare-Ellis | Kaihautū

Ngāi Tūhoe, Rakahanga

Atarau, of Ngāi Tūhoe and Rakahanga descent, was born and raised in South Auckland but calls Ōtara home. Her upbringing in South Auckland has deeply influenced her commitment to supporting and empowering her community, countering negative stereotypes.

With 8 years of experience in local government, Atarau has held the following roles, including Youth Engagement Officer and Youth Innovator in Māori and Pasifika trades training. She later transitioned to Healthy Families South Auckland as a Systems Innovator. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Sociology and a minor in Māori Studies from the University of Auckland. Additionally, Atarau currently serves as a trustee on the Student Volunteer Army Board.

At present, Atarau serves as the Kaihautū for TSI Māori and Pasifika Trades Training. In this role, she leads a consortium of private training establishments, service providers, and employer partners to empower Māori and Pasifika communities towards positive pathways.

Folau Tu'inukuafe | Youth Engagement Officer

Mu'a tatakamotonga, Kolofo`ou

Folau was born and raised in Central Auckland, with her roots tracing back to the beautiful islands of Tonga. She recently graduated from the University of Auckland with a BCom/BSci Conjoint and is now embarking on her first graduate role.

Folau discovered her passion for advocacy during her time in student politics. She was elected twice to the executive of the Auckland University Students Association (AUSA), serving as Women’s Rights Officer and Engagement Vice President. In these roles, she dedicated herself to championing the voices, experiences, and welfare of students.

Currently, Folau has joined MPTT as the Youth Engagement Officer. She is excited about this new journey, where she represents communities that she holds close to her heart as a Pasifika woman. In her role, Folau works closely with the rangatahi involved in the consortia, ensuring that these ākonga are heard and represented.

Governance

We have a governance group that includes a diverse range of people with expertise and connections in the trades, te ao Māori, Pasifika, training, apprenticeships, economic development, gender equity and employers. The board is chaired by Jenny Solomon who now holds four governance roles, consults on diverse projects, and has extensive business acumen.