Here is a whakaaro that has been sitting on my heart lately, especially as we look at the challenges facing our beautiful Northland. This wisdom came from my pōtiki who was 11 at the time. It’s a simple rule of thumb for life, a hierarchy of needs that we often get twisted: 1. Be safe. 2. Have fun. 3. Do what you’re here to do. In that precise order. The wero (challenge) we face in our modern world, particularly under the pressure of what we might call the "Babylonian" operating system, is that we frequently swap numbers two and three. We put the "grind" before the joy, and in doing so, we damage the very spirit—the wairua—that fuels our purpose.

The first step is non-negotiable: Be safe. In our research, we talk about the "Economic Pā". Historically, the Pā was a place of defence and storage, ensuring the survival of the hapū. You cannot thrive if you are constantly in a state of survival mode or high entropy (disorder). We need "Ontological Security"—a safety of mind, body, and spirit. Whether it is financial security through institutions like Te Au Rawa Mutual or simply the safety of a warm, dry home, this foundation allows us to lower our guard and breathe. Without safety, the "wave function" of our potential cannot collapse into a reality of abundance.

Standing at the edge of the world at Te Rerenga Wairua (Cape Reinga), you can feel it in the air—a tension between the physical and the spiritual that defies the logic of a spreadsheet. This isn't just a scenic lookout for the tourist brochures; it is the most sacred portal in Taitokerau. It is the place where the spirits of our deceased make their final leap into the afterlife, returning to the ancestral homeland of Hawaiki. For generations, we have understood this as a transition, a movement from one state of being to another.

For too long, the "Babylonian" system has tried to convince us that this world is just a collection of separate, dead objects. It views a place like Te Rerenga Wairua as mere "real estate" or "scenery." This is the Newtonian error—the belief that the universe is a clockwork mechanism where things only interact if they bump into each other. In that cold, mechanical worldview, death is an absolute end, and the spiritual is just a "nice story" we tell ourselves to feel better.

Three Threads, One Kākahu: The Harmony Of Physics, Faith, And Whakapapa

I’ve spent a lot of time on the porches of Taitokerau, listening to the old people talk about the "good old days" while watching the logging trucks carry our whenua away. It’s a heavy sight. You see those logs—61% of our timber exported raw—and you’re watching the sunlight, the rain, and the very nutrients of our soil leave the harbor. It’s what we call the "Leaky Bucket" economy. It often feels like we are caught between three different worlds that don't speak the same language: the Whare Wānanga, the science lab, and the Bible. But here in the North, we are realising they aren't competing; they are three threads of the same Kākahu.