Strengthening te ao Māori foundation a key goal for new Air Force cultural advisor

The Royal New Zealand Air Force’s (RNZAF) new Māori Cultural Advisor is undaunted about the job ahead of him and is excited to build on the foundations of work laid by his predecessors.

“They have put a lot of things in place to allow this position to really fly. We are now positioned to make further positive change,” he said.

Flight Lieutenant Cookson’s whānau on his father’s side came from the Rotorua area and Ngāti Uenukukopako. He didn’t stray far, growing up in Ōpōtiki where the local iwi is te Whakatōhea. His mother is European and her whānau emigrated to Aotearoa from Britain in the 1960s.   

Looking ahead to his new role, Flight Lieutenant Cookson said his key focus would be to “get our strategy for the next five to 10 years right”.

“To make sure the key players within te ao Māori and command, within the Air Force, all agree on that point in the future that we are aiming for. 

“I don’t think I’m going to bring anything too special. Good communication will be key, and I’ll be putting more focus on our strategic level documents and helping lead us to that future point.”

That future point would be around resourcing the Māori cultural element within the RNZAF to deliver what was needed, Flight Lieutenant Cookson said.

“It will be uplifting the cultural competency of the organisation – that’s one of the lines of effort. The other one is around supporting our specialist functions to deliver their outputs – like pōwhiri and wero (a challenge to guests and dignitaries).”

In his Māori Cultural Advisor role, he said he would be aided by having a close relationship with the command chain and those within te ao Māori, who are the subject matter experts.

Flight Lieutenant Cookson’s career in the Air Force has seen him embrace a wide variety of opportunities, including overseas deployments.

“Some of my most notable trips were with the Māori Cultural Group when we travelled to the United States, and deploying with No. 40 Squadron to the Middle East.” 

Flight Lieutenant Cookson has also enjoyed overseas trips with the RNZAF for rugby league and rugby union tournaments.

He joined the Air Force straight from high school, mostly because he wanted to learn a trade but not be burdened with a student loan.

“At the time I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, but I knew it needed to be something. I didn’t think I’d last this long, but here I am 17 years later.”

Flight Lieutenant Cookson’s advice to young people looking at a career in the Air Force would be to just give it a crack.

“One of the best things about the Air Force and wider NZDF is the relationships you make with people that last a lifetime.”

From a cultural perspective, the Defence Force was heading in a positive direction, he said.

“We’re really looking to adopt a more te ao Māori foundation and there is a good acknowledgement of te Tiriti o Waitangi – the Treaty of Waitangi – and that’s going to flow throughout the whole organisation.

“New Zealand’s society and demographics are constantly changing and the NZDF has to change with it to remain attractive.

“I have a lot of faith in the leadership and the professionalism of our senior leaders to ensure the Defence Force adapts and changes to keep attracting that young talent we so desperately need.”