Whetu has worked extensively in the performing arts sector as an activator, facilitator, and creative collaborator. Central to her life’s work is listening deeply to the guidance of Ngā Atua, tūpuna, and kaitiaki, leading her toward places, space, people, and kaupapa that seek reclamation, restoration, and the return of balance toward te mana o te wāhine, the sacred feminine energy within us all. From this potent source of creation -birthplace of humanity, woven atua whakapapa threads fromnow into eternity – Whetū will always sing, dance and share the stories of blood tides. Restoring and strengthening her matakitetanga, an ancestral esoteric practice, has been pivotal for being of greater service; in activating the creativity and creative expression within us, we generate the most powerful medicine the human family can co-create.

What does leadership look like to you?

When I think about leadership, I see an image of someone standing in front of me speaking loudly, sharing words of encouragement and motivation, supporting us to manifest the vision they are there to uphold and represent – the potential power of this role is potent. Intricately, this calls forth the kupu maaori Rangatira. Rangatira, a person who weaves a group of people together. For me the role of the Rangatira is to support the journey that each person goes on to discover their own rangatiratanga. To listen to your tira, to learn about your people and to support them to grow and flourish so they can step into a deep sense of purpose and how that weaves and contributes to the group, thus all embodying the flow and movement of rangatiratanga. When we have rangatiratanga activated we can initiate the tino.

How does your community show up in your practice?

For me, it comes back to rangatiratanga, we weave, we weave together like a whaariki, an old woven mat stretching across all time and space continuums, we commune in practice, in struggle, in love and pain, in breath, we keep weaving into each other, thus continuing our experiential journey as community. It is for a shared humanity and a divine purpose of AIO.