The investment fund might have been the big news out of Ōhanga ki te Ao, but Eden Fusitu’a was focused on the women, including her aunty, leading Māori into the future.
When people talk about the future of Māori, they can sound tired. Tired of politics. Tired of fighting. Tired of the same cycles repeating.
But this weekend in Waikato was different.
The Ōhanga ki te Ao summit under Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po was more than an event. It was a signal. A shift. A quiet declaration that Māori are moving with purpose, with unity and with long-term vision.
The media will talk about the investment fund. The hundred million. The big economic headlines.
But for me, what stood out was something deeper. It was the feeling of being led by women who carry both mana and heart. Women who understand the weight of history and the urgency of now. Women who bring the mauri of our people with them, whether they’re at the board table or on the marae.
And one of those women is my aunty, Rukumoana Schaafhausen.
Ngāti Haua, a wife and mum of two, with years of iwi, Crown and corporate governance behind her, now a trusted leader within the Kiingitanga, chairing both the Office of the Kiingitanga and the new Kotahitanga Fund.
At the summit, she spoke on behalf of the Kiingitanga. Her keynote was not a corporate pitch. It was not dressed in technical language. It was a wero. A reminder that the Māori economy was not built by accident, and will not be carried forward through transaction. It was built through whakapapa. Through kotahitanga. Through the quiet, consistent work of people who choose connection.
When Schaafhausen asked the room to stand and meet someone new, it wasn’t an icebreaker. It was her worldview made practical. Her belief that relationships are the real capital. That innovation happens between people, and that prosperity is not wealth if it doesn’t uplift whānau and future generations.
This is who she has always been.
I’ve seen her guide young Māori with no need for applause, and she’s done that for me too. She reminds me I matter, that I have purpose, that I can do big things for our people. She carries faith, love, and justice the way other people carry qualifications. She leads without performing leadership. She serves without saying she is serving. And somehow, in her quiet way, she leaves you braver than she found you.
And that is why I believe the Kiingitanga is moving with strength under Te Arikinui. Her leadership is upheld by people like Schaafhausen, who serve her vision with humility, loyalty and steadfast commitment. Steady hands. Brave minds. Soft hearts. People who do not work for themselves but for the betterment of Māori, always.
What happened over the weekend was bigger than a summit. It was kapa haka, shared kai, and genuine whakawhanaungatanga. It was a glimpse of what is possible when our leaders build with intention. When they refuse to wait for political cycles or permission. When they imagine a future in 2030, in 2050, and seven generations beyond that.
Schaafhausen challenged the room by asking: What becomes possible if we work together across our differences? Today that answer feels clear: almost anything.
And for me, the deeper truth is this: the future of Māori is heading in the right direction under Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po. She holds the hope for our people, and those who serve her help carry that vision forward
Today I feel certain.
That our Queen is leading us forward.
That our people are in safe hands.
That my generation, and the next, and the next, will be held by leadership that is smart, humble, spiritually anchored, and deeply committed to the wellbeing of Māori.
This is the future I saw in this moment.
This is the future we are stepping into under the leadership of Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po.
