Getting comfortable with the uncomfortable: Designing for intergenerational health and wealth. - Jennifer Susanto
In this interview, Baruk Jacob sits down with Anaru Ah Kew from the Cause Collective to discuss how we can design better products, systems and futures for generations of Aotearoa to thrive and succeed.
When it comes to having a diverse CV, Anaru Ah Kew has it all. Anaru is a dedicated leader in social change, committed to empowering Māori and Pasifika communities in South Auckland, with a focus on long-term, intergenerational wellbeing and addressing complex socio-cultural issues. He is a leader at the Cause Collective, – a community organisation that aims to create the conditions for Pacific people in South Auckland to thrive – an ex-mental health and wellbeing advisor for Auckland Council, with a background as an urban planner who has worked in banking and originally practised as a tradie. Through all of Anaru’s incredible experiences, his mahi is driven by one goal: to help people live their best lives for generations to come.
What is the Cause Collective trying to shift in the world?
Social inequality affects people in many different ways. Communities like South Auckland are frequently depicted as “the hood” with low numbers of education and high levels of crime. However, this perception is rooted in a lack of social equity where people in these communities lack access to resources that foster success.
Anaru’s kaupapa in the social change space focuses on mental wellbeing and working in South Auckland, addressing complex socio-economic issues faced by Māori. Much of Anaru’s work lies in advocating and showcasing the power of Māori people and knowledge saying, “if you’re not being seen, not heard, then you’re kind of forgotten.” In a world where everything is in a state of flux, including the systems that are undergoing transformation, Anaru believes we need to step up and drive the value of Te Ao Māori. When Māori are granted access to education, healthcare and catered support services, they are both individually and collectively empowered to succeed. Individual achievements have the power to uplift families and strengthen communities, enabling a positive generational movement.
What barriers do Māori face in empowering generations to thrive in Aotearoa?
For many Māori, the intergenerational trauma of colonisation and oppression has led several generations to live lifestyles that do not fulfil their potential. Anaru believes that these decades of physical poverty have also created a poverty of the mind and spirit, the belief that, “there can be no better.”
However, the flipside to intergenerational trauma is intergenerational health and wealth. By providing the resources and opportunities for Māori to learn, earn and develop their capabilities to succeed, people are more likely to develop both physical and spiritual health and wealth.
For example, Māori home ownership rates are among the lowest in Aotearoa. However, good social outcomes are often supported by having stable housing. Home ownership provides a stable foundation, fostering a sense of community where families and children can grow together. “I've seen significant behaviour change when moving people from social or transitional housing to market rentals. People often give up drinking, smoking, and drugs, viewing the house as a tohu, a sign of intergenerational wealth.” Anaru says that the biggest driver for personal change stems from changes in a person’s physical environment and connectedness to the world around them. These changes can influence others and build durable intergenerational health and wealth.
Anaru believes that today’s rangatahi are breaking out of this generational cycle. “They are the face of this circuit breaker,” which is particularly evident during events like Te Pāti Māori’s Activation in May. They are "unapologetically Māori," not shackled by those limiting mindsets and spirits and it will reward generations to come.
How can Te Ao Māori influence the way we design?
As humans we can think of ourselves as separate from the rest of the world. But the reality is, everything we design for ourselves has an impact on everything else. The Māori world view adopts the connections between humans, the living world and our ancestors strongly, which helps develop kaupapa that guide the design process for future generations as opposed to the current moment.
Anaru states the importance of designing with concepts from te ao Māori, saying that we should be designing by thinking about the long term— making, "mokopuna decisions and mokopuna outcomes.” This means designing products, systems and solutions that benefit seven generations or more. In order to generate change in the world, we have to make change through our people which means replenishing intergenerational health and wealth by developing who we are and passing knowledge of what we can do to the next generation.
“It’s [design] for mokopuna we might never meet. What are we doing now, oranga whakapapa, creating things with your whakapapa in mind.” Whakapapa is not just our DNA and blood, it is the holistic connection between our souls and our worlds, connecting the physical and spiritual, connecting our mana to our maunga and our aroha to our awa. “Our whakapapa should be at the centre of all we do.”
How can people support social change in Aotearoa?
“Be part of a movement and demonstrate that you don’t have to be Māori to be concerned about these issues. Understand what Te Tiriti actually entails and what it means for you and for Aotearoa in creating a better future… It's about getting on the kaupapa, embracing the shared responsibility to build a more inclusive and equitable society for all.”
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