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Reegan Lawton
Helix Global
Reegan Lawton is the CEO of Helix Global and the industry expert on the He Toki board. Having lived and worked around the world his global knowledge and experience in the construction industry extends to Australia, USA, Southeast Asia, North America and Europe – that was before COVID hit, bringing him home to create Helix Global.
Classified as a ‘pioneering organisation’, Helix is not like any other construction company. “The way we're doing it and what we're doing is going to benefit New Zealand in the long-term.” And they’re taking He Toki with them.
“It's like being on the marae y'know, it's a lot more open, a lot more fun, a lot more supportive and we just focus on different things than what we would have in the past."
“The whole dynamic has changed because of He Toki tauira. It's all whānau centric. We deal with things completely differently. There's a lot more than just what happens here at mahi. All that stuff at home that affects what they do at mahi.” Reegan speaks to the opportunity He Toki has to create welfare beyond education and the role Helix Global plays in an industry that can lack that. “As an employer now, I recognise that we have to find support beyond the classroom.”
Creating the opportunity to be who they want to be
Rather than just employing someone, the philosophy of care beyond the classroom extends to providing pathways. “Our guys might start off doing their carpentry … but they don't have to end there. Whether they want to be an architect, an engineer, a project manager, or specialist in the VR space for instance, we can create that pathway for them."
“I say to my daughter anyway, I think being Māori is almost a currency. There is value to being Māori now. She wants to be an architect. So, I say, ‘well, be a Māori architect, don't just be an architect. There's lots of architects around but being Māori has a unique perspective."
“We provide the right atmosphere for our rangatahi to work and where they feel challenged but safe.” An atmosphere that provides the ability and allowance to explore, ask questions, and to “give them the confidence to stand in their own shoes.” According to Reegan, “when they don’t have a box to think in, even though they are apprentices, this is where they can innovate and be creative, then you can see the penny drop for them when they realised they did something special.
“He Toki gives them that identity which they bring with them as part of their kete. ‘I'm He Toki’, I am somebody, I mean something. Like anything, keep that in your kete. We'll add to that."
What is your ideal dream for rangatahi Māori in this industry?
“If we think about how we grew up with our grandparents, it was different from what it is today. Our turanga was our marae and our whānau. That was our home base and I think through the trades to be able to rebuild that mindset and create an industry which supports that is motivating. Everybody wants to be able to build a home for their whānau or nan or koro, and I know from a Māori point of view we struggle to get our whānau back onto our marae. How do we do that? One option is that we have them involved in that process. You know, we design and build those homes for our whānau, we work closely with marae and our whānau. There is an opportunity to create this industry so that we can grow plumbers or builders or electricians, you know? When we have the tools and know-how then we can revitalise our marae our people. We can bring our whānau home. We can utilise that as a platform to grow as Māori.”
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