Tūrangawaewae

Jeff Creation

June 2025

I've always loved this powerful Māori concept, tūrangawaewae. Not just the sound it makes as it rolls off my tongue, but also its translation as 'a place to stand'. Tūrangawaewae are places where we feel especially empowered and connected. They are our foundations, our place in the world, our home. For indigenous cultures, place has a particular resonance, connecting the living with their ancestors. In the 'modern' world we are often dislocated from such places, disconnected from the sources of our own power. Often seeing ourselves as separate from the relationships that cultivate and sustain our personal sense of power.

I was in a workshop recently exploring those relationships that empower us. Those who brought us about - in our roles, in our relationships and in life. Particularly those people, living and dead, who stand behind us, those that have our back, are on our side. Someone from the workshop stepped into an exercise to identify those relationships that stood behind, in her senior role. I hadn't really noticed her before, other than she was one of our workshop group. And so I watched. Slowly others took on the persona of the people she identified - spouse, colleagues, predecessors in her role, and parents, even ancestors.

It was a remarkable transformation.

In my mind, she transformed into this serenely wise and commanding presence. Someone who compelled my attention and respect. Someone with real authority, mana. It was as if she had stepped into the power of her collective. Suddenly I was seeing her not as just an individual but as a confluence of the powers of all those who matter and had mattered in her life. She was power amplified, humble, and with a sense of responsibility for her place in the lineage, in the fabric.

It struck me that this calling to mind of relationships was a powerful practice. To regularly bring my attention to these relationships - weekly, daily, before every meeting perhaps. Respectfully embracing the interdependency of this living world. Making wherever I'm standing, my tūrangawaewae. To always bring the weather with me, as Crowded House remind us.

I'm also reminded of that story of learning to see relationships - to see the kārearea (falcon) as the product of the wind, the sun, its prey, and the cliff edge, dinosaurs even! Not just the bird. Learning to see people connected in their lives.

Then I came across another wonderful piece of writing from Nick Cave. Responding to a question about how he prepares for his performances ...

Always remember, development is a process of increasing consciousness.

"You have to grow from the inside out." - Swami Vivekananda

"Then I sit in silence, with my eyes closed, for about fifteen minutes. During this time I bring to mind those dear to me who have passed away, focusing on each person individually, and silently solicit their presence. For someone of my age this is a fairly substantial task. I assign specific qualities or powers to them that reflect their personalities, and I call upon those qualities. I call on Arthur, for example, for his joyfulness; Jethro for his anarchic spirit; my mother for her courage; and my father for his dynamism."

Nick Cave, Red Hand Files, June 2025