About
Founder of Tu Tāne
Ko wai au?
A bit about me.
Gary (Te Gaz) Harding otherwise known as Matua is of Maori descent from te iwi (tribe) o Ngati Porou, first to see the sun, based on the East Coast of the north island of New Zealand Aotearoa.
Gary has spent much of his career working with and for his people, helping support iwi members to develop their skills and capabilities to become the best version of themselves for them and their whānau.
Gary pioneered a movement and became the first ever Iwi based Youth Justice Family Group Conference facilitator, working alongside Oranga Tamariki, NZ Police and the NZ Youth Court, during that time he also held the role as a Restorative Justice Coordinator working with the NZ District Court System. Gary continues to work currently in this space as a Cultural Report Writer for the New Zealand Courts.
All of these skills and experience Gary has obtained has helped him build and create his own unique business to continue to support his people both in Australia and back home in Aotearoa. Gary is a competent speaker of Te Reo Maori and taught as a total immersion teacher for many years before becoming a Youth Mentor for his Iwi.
Nā tō rourou, nā taku rourou, kia ora ai te iwi
With your skill set, and my skill set, our people will flourish.
Atua māori
Maui-tiki-tiki-a-taranga
I know what you’re thinking – what’s with the Disney reference? Well, before Māui was helping Moana recover the heart of the ocean, he held a special place in the hearts – and pantheons – of Māori, as well as some of our Pacific Island brothers and sisters. Māui performed many heroic deeds and his stories vary depending on where you are and who you’re talking to, but one thing we can generally agree on: he was a bit of a mischief fulla.
Much of our cultural knowledge is stored in our own myths and legends, and through their retelling and different representations we can gain a new insight, perspective and understanding towards unlocking some very important learnings.
One thing that Māui can teach us is to just have fun with it and don’t take anything too seriously, so while we’re out there on the frontlines we know exactly what that looks like and how important this is for our young people to see and experience.
