Whanau Career Development

All Māori whānau have career aspirations for their children – irrespective of the nature of the whānau, parents of tamariki and rangatahi will strive to assist and encourage their offspring to make positive career decisions.

Importance of kura kaupapa Māori – it became clear from whānau involved with kura kaupapa how central the relationship was to their sense of direction and relationship with other Māori.

Differing needs of whānau – the adoption of Professor Mason Durie’s identification of whānau types provided the framework for better understanding the needs of whānau. Durie identified four types: pluralistic, conservative, integrated and isolated, which the project redefined as "independent" and "enduring".

Differing cultural expectations – different whānau have different cultural expectations of career practitioners. Some whānau felt a career practitioner with similar strengths in Māori cultural values was critical, while for others this was less important, provided the career practitioner was professionally competent.