THE PURE SOURCE #150 - THE ECONOMIC PĀ: BUILDING SYSTEMS THAT PROTECT OUR MAURI

Moving to practical action

For a long time, we have talked about spiritual awakening and reclaiming our identity as Tāngata whenua here in Taitokerau. But true faith cannot just sit in our hearts or be spoken inside the walls of a church, it must show itself in how we live, work, and care for one another. In this post, we are moving from spiritual theory to practical action. We are discussing the design of the Economic Pā, a local economic model built to preserve our collective life force and protect the mauri of our communities.

The baseline of equity

The corporate systems surrounding us are built on a single, aggressive motive: unchecked financial growth. This model does not care about people, and it does not care about the land. It is focused entirely on how much can be taken out. Our philosophy turns this completely on its head, focusing instead on how the pie is shared. We view social investment in our people, our youth, and our housing not as a cost, but as a long-term return on investment for the entire community.