Our responsibility is to always improve. We are trying to get other people to care and understand the values so they understand where we need to go, and we can go there together.

My greater intention is to be part of a community. We are also a business that thinks of the future, this gives me purpose inside and outside of my work. Attracting the right team that wants to follow this dream. Want to have kids and then come back to be part of a boat that’s going forward. Actually, I’m quite proud to be part of that. All our intentions are moving in the right direction, and I’m quite inspired by everyone in pulling in the right direction.

Thai people are like Māori; our values mean a lot to us. We also believe in protection and being protected. Bringing people together under the protection of the Buddha in one family, feel you are one family. At work, we believe in the same thing, we all look after each other. 

We are a family – we care and protect each other. We give guidance who ever needs it. Those who ever come to work with sadness we protect them

As for the land, we all live on the land so we should try to protect it . We don’t damage the land, it’s about balance. Annies needs fruit, fruit needs land, human’s need fruit to grow.

For me, kaitiaki is all about mentoring and looking after our people on the water, and our mussel growers, and caring for the environment.

Do you see this value played out at work? Examples? At work, I see this value come to life as we ensure we get the best out of our farming practices for our growers and whānau (family).

We live kaitiaki as a business through the training of crews through to Skippers and we are very involved in beach clean-ups.

At home, I live this value through caring and looking after my family and the environment.

When I thinks about kaitiaki, I think about a family. Like the head of the family worrying and taking on the responsibility for the whole unit.

At work, I feel like I’ve experienced this role when I oversaw final pack and I needed to take care lots of things and manage people. I always to try to help everyone.  All of us in the final pack room act as a team. We try to take care of each other.

As a business, Kono is a good kaitiaki – they are very protective. When someone has a problem or makes a mistake, they don’t judge, they wait and try to solve the problem with the person. There’s also flexibility, if people have problems, they can start later. 

Being a New Zealander, we are all bought up in nature and taught to keep things green and care for our land and to preserve it in its natural state. At a personal level, I’m very aware of the environment. I’m very conscious of food waste and the packaging we consume. 

When it comes to working for Kono we use products that are natural. We change the state of the product by slight degrees, but not irreconcilably so. For example, we turn apples into fruit bars etc. Kono is still in touch with itself and NZ doesn’t add a lot of processes into food. 

The company does well in staying as close as possible to the natural state of the ingredients and using all the product. With the apples- they move into another product instead of being wasted. We are doing the most we can to reduce waste. 

This approach helps me work for the business and help them to achieve.

Kaitiakitanga
We are all part of a legacy
Definition: We have been entrusted with the wellbeing of our people, our lands and waters and we are honour-bound to protect them for the next generation.

Rangatiratanga
Know the way, show the way
Definition: We each lead by example

Manaakitanga
The power of generosity
Definition: We are thoughtful and generous in our dealings with others.

Whanaungatanga
Together we are more
Definition: We are a family, connected by a powerful common purpose, enriched by each other, and bound by mutual respect.