Sir Mark Solomon rose from working in a foundry as a metal worker to chairing Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, a tribal council and billion-dollar enterprise advancing the collective interests of the South Island iwi.
Sir Mark says it was a culture shock to go from the foundry to the boardroom.
“The role with Ngāi Tahu was magnificent. I absolutely loved the people side and working with iwi katoa all over the country.
I did not like the politics of the board table. It's no different from the politics of the Pākehā board tables. Most of the board issues tend to become about personalities. And to me, that's just time-wasting rubbish.”
Sir Mark said his biggest barrier was the language and the corporate-speak used by business organisations.
Business gibberish
“For the first six months, it would be fair to say that I probably drove all the boards crazy. In different industries, there's a particular speak that goes with it and they use acronyms all the way through. What does that mean in English? Stop? What does that acronym mean? Why don't you just talk normally so we can understand each other?
"It took me about six months to train the boards, to speak normally. If you keep the language simple, everyone can be involved and continue with the discussions.”
Sir Mark spent 18 years leading Te Runanga o Ngāi Tahu and helped transform it into a billion-dollar company.
Not the business leader
“We probably started off with about $230 million post-settlement. When I finished with the organisation in April 2017, we were worth $1.7 billion net.
“I was the spokesperson on behalf of the tribe. The assumption was that I was responsible for leading the business side. That simply is not true. I can certainly read a balance sheet and understand governance but the business side was not my role.”
Since leaving his role, Sir Mark’s contribution to the community has been significant, from fostering educational opportunities for young Māori, to taking a strong stance against whānau violence and sexual abuse.
Stopping home violence
“Sexual abuse, there were some cases up in my own community. I was part of a group that called a meeting on the marae to discuss it and since then have stood alongside the victims.
“One out of every six New Zealand males has been sexually abused. One out of every three New Zealand females has been sexually abused. Having the reputation of being one of the most violent countries of all the OECD countries is absolutely shameful. That is our data. The violence against Māori women is as high as 69%. The perpetrators of that violence are mixed. It's not a race issue. It's a male issue that has to be dealt with."
Sir Mark has led hui across Te Waipounamu, spreading a message to stop violence within homes.
“We've now got six navigators who are working full-time with the families on violence, sexual abuse, and I believe that we've actually had an 18% decrease of family violence in Te Waipounamu among Māori.”
'Yes, Aunty'
For his work in the community and for his iwi, Sir Mark was honoured by knighted in 2017. He initially wanted to turn the knighthood down but received a bollocking from his kuia after expressing his reluctance.
“I'd gone home and I'd mentioned it in front of an aunty and man, did I get pulled down. She literally went at me: 'Who do you think you are to say no? Do you think you'd been offered a knighthood if you were still working in the foundry? So you've been offered this through your work for Ngāi Tahu? Then who the hell are you to say no? It's not about you. You will accept it.’
"You don't argue with those old ladies. So, I said, ‘Yes, Aunty.’”
Sir Mark appeared on Te Ngākau Tapatahi, a show profiling Māori dames and knights. The new "series from the Māori Television newsroom is running this week on Māori Television at 12pm. Find the first five episodes on Māori+ now and the full series from Sunday, January 23.