We keep hearing it, or at least we should. The Maori economy is on the rise and there is an emerging renaissance for social change in this country, led by Māori.

And here’s the point. Māori can no longer be seen as a group of people patronised by Pakeha and other cultures. Leadership for Māori is not just about “showing the way”, it’s about “he kai kei aku ringa” which means providing the food you need with your own hands.

This self-determination leadership role is no better seen than in a recent website we helped develop for E Tu Whānau. Take a look at the first points on the About page:

E Tu Whānau nurtures and celebrates:

• Te Ao Māori taking responsibility and action to create positive change
• doing things that make whānau strong − te mana kaha o te whānau!
• tikanga and traditional values - drawing on rich and powerful traditions
• kahukura − the people that inspire change in whānau and communities.

To me this is a revelation and inspiration we can all follow. While not all Māori will agree on the directions needed to impact positive social change, E Tu Whānau is firmly based in strong values which draw on rich and powerful traditions, and critically it's focused on rangatahi (young people).

While E Tu Whānau has been in development for some time, it’s early days for this online community. It would pay to keep an eye on this space.

Fraser Carson is grateful to have the opportunity to share knowledge and ideas through this blog. He is the founding director of Flightdec.com, The Crowd Blog.com, Wotzon.com and Issues.co.nz. Fraser is a marketer and communications expert, and a developer and commentator on online and community building issues with a particular interest and involvement in the Collective Impact method of working cooperatively.