Matthew Jackson is serial entrepreneur from Aotearoa New Zealand (LinkedIn, Twitter, Personal Website). He is currently Founder and Commercial Director of Alimentary Systems, "a circular way to treat multiple & seasonal organic waste streams, that creates renewable energy. With an positive economic payback in 8 years."

Matthew and I are both Edmund Hillary Fellows ('EHF'), a network for incubating solutions to global problems from Aotearoa New Zealand.

Matthew starts with his Pepeha, "a way of introducing yourself in Māori. It tells people who you are by sharing your connections with the people and places that are important to you." Matthew gives his at 1:23 and explains a little more at 1:37.

There's a deep background on why a non-Māori (or 'Pākehā') Kiwi like Matthew wants to give a Māori introduction. The short version is that many in Aotearoa New Zealand are trying to engage with the history of how the British entered the country. Key in this is a founding agreement, the Treaty of Waitangi, which has Māori and Pākehā in partnership. While for a longtime the Treaty was ignored, there has been a shift in recent times back towards partnership, or 'biculturalism'. Speaking your Pepeha at the start of a conversation is a way of supporting a bicultural nation, and addressing the colonial past.

Themes of our conversation: 

-Respectfully having a relationship with indigenous knowledge, and using that wisely for a better world. 

-We are in a profound crisis because of how we have treated the natural world, which is deeply interrelated to how we treat each other, especially colonialism.

-Accessing our common humanity through being vulnerable with each other is part of the way forward.

We spoke at the end of March 2022. I had just had a period of illness, where I had lost 3kg in 3 days. This gets a small reference at 9:10. (Don't worry, it was a passing food poisoning and I soon put that weight back on!)

Links

Kaitiakitanga -- 'guardianship' here

Te Awa Tupua -- mentioned at 14:30, it recognises "the special relationship between the Whanganui River and Whanganui iwi. It also provided for the river’s long-term protection and restoration by making it a person in the eyes of the law."

Timings

0:50 - Q1 What are you doing now? And how did you get there?

15:38 - Q2. What is the future you are trying to create, and why?

Q3. What are your priorities for the next few years, and why?

34:29 - Q4. If someone was inspired to follow those priorities, what should they do next?

41:24 - Q5. If your younger self was starting their career now, what advice would you give them?

Q6. Who would you nominate to answer these questions, because you admire their approach?

42:50 - Q7. Is there anything else important you feel you have to say?

You can read quotes from the episode here.

Twitter: Powerful_Times

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Thank you for listening! -- David