E Tū Tāngata

We have a good reputation. New Zealanders are generally known as: friendly, hardworking and laid back. But live here for a while and you’ll also discover we have a bad habit of criticising one another. This criticism can range from good-natured ribbing amongst friends to brutal slurs towards strangers on social media and everything in between. Otherwise known as the Tall Poppy Syndrome, this culture of criticism is so entrenched in our society that individuals self-deprecate in order to beat others to the punch (so to speak). We have become our own harshest critic and we live with the erroneous belief that, somehow, your success is a threat to mine. But just because something is, doesn’t mean it should be. E Tū Tāngata is an initiative focussed on turning our culture of criticism around. Empowering you to build a culture where every person is valued. WHY USE E TŪ TĀNGATA? TO TRANSFORM COMMUNITIES? E Tū Tāngata seeks to change the narrative. Instead of criticism (which can lead to damaging beliefs about yourself and others), we want to raise the bar. To believe that each individual has value, that we can succeed together and that others matter is at the core of E Tū Tāngata. We want to create a new script, whereby people can authentically E Tū Tāngata (Stand Together) in support of one another; this is about celebrating individual success and championing one another in pursuit of dreams and accomplishments. We have always been a nation that rises to a challenge; tell us we can’t do something and we’ll create it out of number eight wire. So, let’s do this New Zealand. Let’s make Aotearoa a nation where each individual can hold their head high and be all that they can be, knowing that they have the applause (rather than the criticism) of their friends and family. Because that will be a reputation worth having.