A Word from Kia Kotahi Ako Co-Lead, Nikora Ngaropo

Kia Kotahi Ako trustee Nikora Ngaropo (Te Rarawa, Tūhoe, Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahungunu) is transitioning into the role of Co-Lead Māori in 2026, working alongside Sarah and the board to support our tīma, deepen our support for communities, and accelerate our impact for the years ahead. Here, he shares his vision for the road ahead.

Powering Our Future with Purpose

There are moments in history when everything shifts.

Right now, the world is changing faster than ever. Artificial intelligence is transforming how we work. Clean energy is reshaping economies. Technology is moving at a pace that can feel overwhelming.

But here is what we know.

Every one of those systems runs on energy.
And energy is power.

The question is not whether this new future is coming.
The question is who gets to shape it.

At Kia Kotahi Ako, we believe Māori communities should not be standing on the sidelines of the next energy revolution. We believe our rangatahi should be leading it.

Because long before the world talked about sustainability, our tīpuna understood balance. Long before anyone spoke of systems thinking, our ancestors lived it. Te Ao Māori is not behind the future. It carries the blueprint for it.

Our vision is simple and bold.

Māori communities leading their own learning and energy futures.
Restoring wellbeing for our people.
Honouring Papatūānuku.
And stepping confidently into a world powered by clean technology.

Solar Is Not Just About Panels

When our rangatahi build a solar system, they are not just wiring up equipment.

They are learning how the modern world works.

They are learning how energy flows.
How systems connect.
How data moves.
How infrastructure shapes opportunity.

They begin to understand that the same energy powering their kura can power data centres. It can power AI. It can power industries that have not even been imagined yet.

And suddenly the future does not feel distant.

It feels possible.

Now, not every young person needs to work for NASA. Not everyone is going to space. But every community deserves the capability to design, to build, to maintain, and to innovate.

That is what sovereignty looks like in this generation.

It looks like knowledge.
It looks like skill.
It looks like ownership.

From the Marae to the World Stage

In Taranaki, a kura becomes a living laboratory. Eighty solar panels. A battery system. Real savings. Real emissions reductions.

But what matters most is what happens in the minds of the students.

They see the data.
They track the energy.
They understand the economics.
They realise that their community can produce, store, and even sell power.

That changes how a young person sees themselves.

And when a kura in Ōtautahi wins a global sustainability prize for an indigenous composting project, it sends a message.

Our solutions matter.
Our knowledge scales.
Our leadership is global.

From composting to clean energy, from research partnerships to workforce pathways, Kia Kotahi Ako is building bridges between culture and innovation.

We are proving that you do not have to choose between identity and advancement.

You can stand firmly in your whakapapa and still design the future.

Energy as Dignity

When adults in Tairāwhiti learn to calculate their household energy use and build solar units that meet their real world needs, something powerful happens.

Resilience grows.

Confidence grows.

Agency grows.

Energy independence is not just about keeping the lights on. It is about reducing pressure on whānau. It is about strengthening local economies. It is about knowing that your community can stand strong in times of uncertainty.

That is dignity.

The Bigger Story

Around the world, nations are racing to secure clean energy because they know energy will power the next century of innovation.

But for us, this is not a race.

It is a responsibility.

A responsibility to our ancestors.
A responsibility to our children.
A responsibility to Papatūānuku.

Kia Kotahi Ako exists to ensure that Māori are not simply consumers of the technological future.

We are architects of it.

Some of our rangatahi will enter trades.
Some will become engineers.
Some will work in research or policy.
Some may shape AI infrastructure or space based systems.

All of them will carry with them values that the world desperately needs.

Whakapono.
Whakatuturutanga.
Whanaungatanga.
Honore.

Because the future does not just need smarter technology.

It needs grounded leadership.

And here in Aotearoa, in our kura, in our communities, that leadership is already rising.