The indigenous Māori people of New Zealand are rebuilding their economic base after a long period of confiscation and discrimination. Some tribes (Iwi) have received partial compensation from the Government, but sub-tribal groups (Hapū) are the traditional organisational entities.
As a young consultant, I was advising on Iwi- and Hapū-run development initiatives in the Central North Island of New Zealand. I had to get to grips with a landscape that was filled not just with forests and geothermal pockets, but with dozens and dozens of Māori Land Trusts, all affiliated with the same Iwi but with independent governance over a parcel of land and its associated resources.
I didn’t ask why they had so many. Instead I simply declared that what they were doing was incredibly inefficient. It’s not an approach I would take again with a Paramount Chief and Ariki of his people.
Sir Tumu Te Heuheu acknowledged that the system wasn’t perfect, but patiently pointed out that the immediate cost inefficiency was more than made up for in the long run by a vastly heightened sense of ownership and enfranchisement.
Leaders and innovators can float between these Trusts, sharing ideas and models with Trustees who feel radically accountable to those who have gone before, those who will come after, and those who put them there and want results.
The more independent and entrepreneurial the teams, the less they can thrive in a top-down command-and-control model. And this was coming from someone many would perceive as having a birthright to command.
“Trustees feel radically accountable to those who have gone before, those who will come after, and those who put them there and want results.”
It’s much easier to focus on eliminating small costs now than on courageously empowering teams to capture large value over the long term. I was missing the big picture.
Baruch ter Wal
Principal