Te Pou Theatre, 3-4 June

Pūrangakura was excited to host the Generation Kāinga research symposium (3-4 June), a capstone event for the four-year MBIE Endeavour Fund project at Te Pou Theatre, Corban Estate Arts Centre in West Auckland. Guided by the theme "Whakarauoratia te ūkaipō – our beloved places of belonging", the symposium brought together a large multi-disciplinary research team, invited speakers and rangatahi voices to share key findings from across the project.

Project leads Professor Jenny Lee-Morgan and Maia Ratana opened the symposium by introducing Kaupapa Ūkaipō as both the organising framework for the Generation Kāinga research findings and a theory of change to support rangatahi and whānau in exercising mana motuhake as a pathway to kāinga. Presentations from the research team were then structured around the kaupapa Ū- Kai -Pō: nourishment, abundance, and reimagined legacies, with each session opened by an invited speaker reflecting on the theme.

Prof Jenny Lee-Morgan and Maia Ratana introducing the Generation Kāinga project.

The symposium featured four invited speakers whose presentations framed and enriched the research findings. Eru Kapa-Kingi opened the first session with a focus on mana motuhake, sharing his reflections on what it means in the present context, particularly for rangatahi, drawing an important distinction between mana motuhake and Western notions of power, and mana mokemoke, the kind of power that isolates people from others.

Invited speaker Eru Kapa-Kingi and the Mana Motuhake team: Dr Diane Menzies, Assoc. Prof. Shiloh Groot, Prof. Mera Penehira and Pania Newton.

Pania Newton then shared powerful insights about Ū and what it means to hold fast to whakapapa, whenua, and whānau, drawing on her experiences of activism and leadership at Ihumātao. Emeritus Prof. Ella Henry offered a broad economic and historical analysis, highlighting the significance of Māori in the contemporary economy (currently around $32B per annum) and reminding us that rangatahi remain among our most vulnerable whānau.

Emeritus Prof. Ella Henry, issued a rallying cry, quoting the words of Malcolm X, ‘We are not outnumbered, we are out organised, so let’s get organised”.

Te Wehi Graham Ratana, an advocate for Indigenous justice, offered a thoughtful perspective on reimagining the ways we live and can transform the futures of our communities.  Prof Jenny Lee-Morgan and Rosa Hibbert-Schooner, from Pūrangakura, introduced the final theme of Pō as a site to reimagine legacies, to dream, and to embrace a decolonial mindshift.

A highlight of the first day of the event was the official launch of the Gen K Charitable Trust, a significant milestone marking the project's commitment to lasting impact beyond the life of the research. The Trust will be dedicated to continuing to advance kāinga solutions for rangatahi, carrying forward the insights and momentum generated by the Generation Kāinga project to ensure its findings translate into real, enduring change for whānau.

Rangatahi voices and creativity were woven throughout the symposium, not just in the research findings but in the programme itself. Alongside the research presentations, attendees were provided with a rich programme of creative contributions, featuring spoken word poetry from rangatahi group Rehekōrero, a kapa haka performance by Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Kōtuku, and a solo musical performance from Mere Arihi Pipi-Takoko alongside video presentations and a curated photo exhibition.

Collectively, the symposium brought together research insights, lived experience, and creative expression to highlight both the challenges and possibilities shaping rangatahi access to, and aspirations for, kāinga. As we come to the final phases of the research, the symposium provided a moment to reflect on the significant insights generated through the Gen Kāinga programme, alongside reinforcing a shared commitment to supporting rangatahi and whānau in exercising mana motuhake. The symposium was ultimately a living expression of ‘Whakarauoratia te ūkaipō’, a gathering in service of the places, people, and futures that matter most.

Gen K research team pictured from left to right: Bernadette Lee, Liliana Clarke, Stephen Lee, Eruera Lee-Morgan, Dr Catherine Mitchell, Maia Ratana, Prof. Jenny Lee-Morgan, Luana Abraham, Prof. Rau Hoskins, Jolene George, Caitlyn Te Moana, Escence Kingi Williams, Rhieve Grey, Dallas Cherrington, Rāhiri Makuini, Lani Rotzler-Purewa, Ariana Hond, Pania Newton, Rosa Hibbert-Schooner, Karamea Ratana, Mātangireia Yates-Francis, Prof. Mera Penehira, Hanna-Marie Monga, Prof. John Reid, Jacqueline Paul, Emeritus Prof. Ella Henry, Dr Diane Menzies, Irene Farnham, Assoc. Prof. Shiloh Groot, and Dr Annie Te One.