McConnell Dowell (MCD) is on a journey of cultural understanding to learn more about Māori culture - te Reo and te Ao Māori - the language and the unique way Māori see the world and our place in it. Our purpose is to “provide a better life for the communities we work in,” and we believe engaging with their culture is an important first step.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi) is New Zealand’s founding document and informs how we do business today. We engage with mana whenua (people of the land) and different iwi groups (tribes) in line with the Treaty’s three principles - partnership, participation and protection. We ‘partner’ with mana whenua (as authorities over the land) and the client so they can ‘participate’ in the planning stage of our projects. The first step is consultation on draft management plans where we discuss issues such as environmental controls and processes, and how we work on archaeologically significant land. During construction we meet regularly so iwi representatives can work alongside us, in their role as kaitiakitanga (caretakers), to oversee and ‘protect’ the environment and the cultural and spiritual needs of the team.

People are at the core of why and how we deliver cultural engagement. Donna Wilson (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga, Ngāi Tahu) is the first Social and Broader Outcomes Advisor at the MCD Group (NZ & the Pacific, Australia, and Southeast Asia). She joined the business in 2022 and supports projects to deliver social and broader outcomes initiatives and is growing our social procurement network.

In 2023, Nate Rowe joined the Te Whare Wai Para Nuku project team in Wellington as a Kaitohutohu or Local Indigenous Advisor. His role is to instil mana whenua values and initiatives which is one of the project’s aims. Māori values are evident in many of the project's initiatives, so it was fitting that it was gifted a new name at Matariki this year by local iwi, Taranaki Whanui.

He holds regular cultural inductions, has given the meeting rooms names in te Reo, written a karakia for the project, and worked with the team to relocate, and restore the native Tūmatakuru/Matagouri in the Wellington area. 

Other initiatives implemented across the business as part of engagement with mana whenua include:

Te Reo Māori (language) courses in 2021, 2022 and 2023 by Aro Solutions] so all employees could learn te Reo Māori, about tikanga (custom), and were able to write and competently deliver their mihi (a personalised greeting) in te Reo Māori.

• Cultural Engagement Plans on our projects – outlining who, when, where, how, about what and why we will engage with local iwi.
• Karakia (blessing) before project’s
• Cultural inductions – an overview of the cultural significance of a project and the wider area.
• Hui (meet) regularly with iwi (tribe)
• Cultural monitoring – overseeing earthworks or other activity on culturally significant land.
• Bilingual signage – site signage in English and te Reo Māori.
• Training – with partners such as TupuToa to develop young Māori
• Social procurement training for all staff
• Celebrating cultural events like Matariki– Māori New Year - as a business