Welcome to the creative canoe of Flying Geese Pro, founded by Faumuina Felolini Maria Tafunai. This canoe includes Wayfinding, Cultural Coaching, an Indigenous Talent Agency and a fair amount of disco dancing.
Our Wayfinding Programmes
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Wayfinding comes from a genealogy of knowledge passed down through Pacific star navigators and ocean voyagers. From many guiding conversations with navigator Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr from Aotearoa (New Zealand) and by voyaging on the ocean aboard Haunui waka, Faumuina created a dynamic wayfinding model that has become lens for all our design work. In Samoa, there is a saying: “You cannot change the way the wind is blowing, but you can change the way your canoe is facing.”
WAYFINDING FOR BUSINESS
Are you struggling to get clarity on how your business is operating? Our workshop series and mentoring programme is designed to help small and large enterprises determine their vision, assess their skills and resources, their operating and social environment, risks and next steps. We also specialise in helping enterprise decolonise themselves and step fully into an indigenous mode of business.
WAYFINDING FOR LIFE
Are you look for a way to build resilience in your students, your community and your organisation? This mental strengthening programme is focussed on building a stronger, empathetic ecosystem. Originally aimed at reducing suicide in NZ, it is designed to give people navigational skills to deal with life's ups and downs, and just be a great deal kinder to each other.
WAYFINDING FOR YOU
Feeling like you need a bit of check-in from time to time with someone who helps re-centre you? Sometimes life can make our compass spin, so we have created a one-on-one coaching programme. Specifically designed for those of us who have to bridge cultural divides and do too much thinking for those around us.
Our Slipstream
Faumuina Felolini Maria Tafuna'i
Faumuina is the daughter of Mau'u Lopeti and Nivaga Mau'u from Samoa. She is the mother of Oliver, wife to the late and humble Patrick Tafuna'i. Her background is in media, long-form journalism, and development communications. She oversees all Flying Geese projects. She specializes in the empowerment of indigenous peoples, and has won international awards in agricultural journalism. She is also the first Pacific Island person to become an Edmund Hillary Fellowship Fellow.
Navigator and Leadership Guru Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr ONZM
Management Coach and Capability Development Maestro Janyne (Dottie) Morrison
Website Ninja and Digital General Chris Parnell
Graphic Designer and Aesthetic Master Greg Dodds
Video Storyteller and Intern Grasshopper Oliver Tafuna'i
More about Wayfinding
"Don't pray for good weather. Pray for courage."
- Mau Piailug, Master Navigator
Wayfinding was designed specifically for changing environments and builds business' ability to work to a vision and take on the skills of navigation. It has been used with many types of businesses, start-ups, business schools, and international development programmes.
In 2016, Wayfinding was used to design the Organic Warriors Academy as part of the Samoa Youth Employment Programme supported by Sustainable Development Goals Fund and UNDP. One of the key evaluation recommendations was: "Strengthen and popularize the Wayfinding method used by Women in Business Development in resilience assessment and leadership training of the organic farmers to adapt modern tools of business development to the indigenous culture... As part of the participatory approach, the Wayfinding method inevitably leads to national and local mastership and to the sustainability of development actions."
As for the company name - flashback to 2003 when Faumuina went to church and heard how geese fly in V-formation with the strongest bird leading, which falls back when it tires and the next strongest takes its place. Their close proximity creates a slipstream and so can travel longer distances using less energy. Side note: Geese have long memories, and they use familiar landmarks and the stars to navigate during their annual journeys.
Our Clients
We have had the honour of working for dedicated organisations that are trying to develop and apply social, economic and environmental solutions to this planet we call home. Contact us to talk about your next project.
