We are days away from officially closing down operations and saying farewell to a kaupapa that serviced many industries that were new to vocational education, when we were established in October 2021.
It was not easy building a workforce development council from scratch, but we perservered and together with our stakeholders, delivered some outstanding mahi and built strong and meaningful relationships that will continue long after we are gone.
On behalf of the Toi Mai Board, senior leadership and kaimahi, we want to express our heartfelt thanks to our industries, providers, learners and government agency partners for your endorsement over the past four years.
In acknowledgement of our gratitude, we have put together a special farewell video message and published our final pānui:
Link to pānui: https://buff.ly/sxdCILq
Link to farewell message (in full): https://buff.ly/TNEjfcl
We sincerely hope the advice and reporting Toi Mai produced continues to influence the VET system to deliver more useful skills and training to our workforces.
Toi Mai WDC
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The Toi Mai Workforce Development Council will be closing operations from 19 December, and disestablished from 31 December 2025.
We engage with and advocate for our industries, established and emergent iwi, hapū, whānau and Māori businesses, to develop and maintain a high-quality skills pipeline with new and refreshed fit-for-purpose qualifications, skills standards and micro-credentials that meet our diverse industries’ needs.
Tohunga Toi Māori Ngataiharuru Taepa says because Toi Māori is an emerging industry, new guidelines were needed to provide clarity for commissioning agencies around tikanga/engagement, kaitiakitanga/guardianship and utu/remuneration.
“There has been a fear from practitioners to define this, and my response is, if we don’t define it, others will do it for us.”
A consultant on the new Toi Mai report* to help ensure Kaihanga Toi Māori working in the built environment are recognised for the economic and cultural value they bring to projects, Ngatai shares his whakaaro with Toi Mai Poumatua Tama Kirikiri on why the report is so important, especially for future generations.
Click on the link below to access the report and other resources, including the full video: https://buff.ly/ORIUIvD
*He Toi Whakairo, He Mana Tangata – Where there is artistic excellence, there is human dignity – Best practice for Toi Māori within the built environment.
A new Toi Mai rauemi/resource provides clarity for commissioning agencies engaging with Kaihanga Toi Māori in the built environment, working on projects like public sculptures and buildings.
It covers Tikanga/engagement, Kaitiakitanga/guardianship and Utu/remuneration, setting out different models to respond to different situations.
The rauemi accompanies a new Toi Mai report 'He Toi Whakairo, He Mana Tangata – Where there is artistic excellence, there is human dignity – Best practice for Toi Māori within the built environment'.
Watch Tohunga Toi Māori and report consultant Ngataiharuru Taepa and Toi Mai Poumatua Tama Kirikiri discuss the rauemi.
Click on the link below to access the report and other resources, including the full video: https://buff.ly/ORIUIvD
A recently released Toi Mai report* defines remuneration rates for Kaihanga Toi Māori working in the built environment on projects such as public sculptures and buildings like libraries, using three models benchmarked against current industry architectural remuneration rates.
Watch Tohunga Toi Māori Ngataiharuru Taepa and Toi Mai Poumatua Tama Kirikiri discuss how those rates were set.
Click on the link below to access the report and other resources, including the full video: https://buff.ly/ORIUIvD
*He Toi Whakairo, He Mana Tangata – Where there is artistic excellence, there is human dignity – Best practice for Toi Māori within the built environment.
A recently released Toi Mai report* establishes best practice guidelines for commissioning agencies like councils working with Kaihanga Toi Māori in the built environment on project like public sculptures and buildings.
Watch Tohunga Toi Māori and report consultant Ngataiharuru Taepa and Toi Mai Poumatua Tama Kirikiri discuss why the report focuses on the built environment, covering Tikanga/engagement, Utu/remuneration and Kaitiakitanga/guardianship.
Click on the link below to access the report and other resources, including the full video: https://buff.ly/ORIUIvD
*He Toi Whakairo, He Mana Tangata – Where there is artistic excellence, there is human dignity – Best practice for Toi Māori within the built environment.
There’s work to do with our wider community, governing agencies and the Crown so they understand how rich Toi Māori (creative works) can be for the wellbeing and health of everybody in Aotearoa.
Watch Tohunga Toi Māori Ngataiharuru Taepa and Toi Mai Poumatua Tama Kirikiri discuss a Toi Mai report* that establishes best practice guidelines for commissioning agencies working with Kaihanga Toi Māori in the built environment, on projects like public sculptures and buildings.
Click on the link below to access the report and other resources, including the full video: https://buff.ly/ORIUIvD
*He Toi Whakairo, He Mana Tangata – Where there is artistic excellence, there is human dignity – Best practice for Toi Māori within the built environment.
Demand for Māori involvement in New Zealand’s built environment has grown significantly in the past decade, such as public sculptures and buildings like libraries. Too often though, the value Kaihanga Toi Māori bring to projects is undervalued by the commissioning agencies.
Watch Tohunga Toi Māori Ngataiharuru Taepa and Toi Mai Poumatua Tama Kirikiri discuss the starting point for a Toi Mai report* which aims to help Kaihanga Toi Māori working in the built environment, are getting paid appropriately and recognised for the economic and cultural value they bring to projects.
Click on the link below to access the report and other resources, including the full video: https://buff.ly/ORIUIvD
*He Toi Whakairo, He Mana Tangata – Where there is artistic excellence, there is human dignity – Best practice for Toi Māori within the built environment
23/10/2025
Ngā mihi nui Whakaata Maori for covering this important kaupapa!
Click on the link below to watch as our very own Poumatua Tama Kirikiri and Tohunga Toi Māori and report consultant Professor Ngataiharuru Taepa share why Kaihanga Toi Māori working in the built environment need to be recognised for the economic and cultural value they bring to projects, that they are remunerated appropriately and the tikanga of Ngā Toi Māori is understood.
Māori artists push for fair pay, industry standards Māori artists seek national industry standards to ensure fair pay and recognition.
21/10/2025
“One key issue addressed is the misalignment between the value Kaihanga Toi Māori bring to projects and what they are paid. Too often they are treated as an afterthought through a koha payment and aren’t included in the procurement process or factored as a specific budget line or cost.”
Toi Mai Poumatua Tama Kirikiri says the newly released report titled 'He Toi Whakairo, He Mana Tangata' establishes best practice guidelines for commissioning agencies working with Kaihanga Toi Māori in the built environment and covers tikanga Toi Māori/engagement, kaitiakitanga/guardianship and utu/remuneration, with a series of recommendations.
The report sets clear remuneration rates using three pricing models, benchmarked against current industry architectural remuneration rates.
Read the media release here: https://buff.ly/CGD1n2l
📸 Te Wharekura: This is a Ngati Whatua information centre near the Waitematā. The designs represent 4 Pou Tikanga that Whatua use as a conceptual korowai. The other two light boxes are on the other side of the building.
19/10/2025
The demand for Māori involvement in New Zealand’s built environment has grown significantly in the past decade. This includes Toi Māori (Māori creative works), strategic planning, creating taonga, cultural leadership and co-designing projects.
A new report titled 'He Toi Whakairo, He Mana Tangata' lays out remuneration guidelines for commissioning works from Kaihanga Toi Māori (Toi Māori practitioners) and establishes an industry benchmark for price standards for the works they create.
Alongside the report sits a Rauemi (resource) that provides Kaihanga Toi Māori with advice to help them scope and price commissioned Toi Māori work.
Visit the Toi Mai website to access the full report, resource and so much more!
https://buff.ly/8r8Gweu
26/01/2025
Kia rangona tō reo! Let your voice be heard!
The hairdressing and barbering industry regulatory review is to determine whether the current industry regulations established in 1980 are fit for purpose for the industry today.
For more information, head to the Ministry for Regulation website via the link below, and fill out one of the two questionnaires at the very bottom of the page.
The consultation closes this Friday 31 January.
https://buff.ly/4at8jNI
24/01/2025
“Technology might be New Zealand’s third largest export and one of its fastest growing sectors, but we know a severe lack of workforce diversity including under-utilisation of tāngata whaikaha undermines efforts to grow the industry.” – Dr Claire Robinson, Te Tumu o Toi | Toi Mai CEO.
The latest Toi Mai research report, 'Tāngata Whaikaha in Tech', looks into the relationship between tāngata whaikaha (disabled people) and the tech industry for the first time.
The report highlights the major barriers that prevent the whaikaha community from engaging with the industry across education and employment, and it offers practical advice to educators, recruiters and employers to help overcome these barriers.
Find 'Tāngata Whaikaha in Tech' and other resources here: https://buff.ly/40KSQW8
The development of alternative formats is underway; click the link to find out more.
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