hui

Hui (pronounced as one syllable, 'hoo-ee') is the Māori word for a gathering, assembly, or meeting. A hui can be a family meeting, a community gathering, a formal parliamentary session, a school meeting. The word encompasses all forms of collective gathering.

A hui follows strict tikanga (protocol) passed down through generations. The sequence is always: karanga (a ceremonial call from the kuia, female elder), powhiri (formal welcome), and whaikorero (speeches where speakers outline their mana, genealogy, and position). The process is as important as the outcome.

In a hui, everyone must be heard. Someone may speak for an hour. Others may sit in silence for a long time before contributing. The meeting ends when all voices have been heard, not when the clock says so. The time commitment is unknown because completeness matters more than schedule.

This is a radically different model from Western meetings. A hui does not accept silence as consensus. Silence is space for thinking. Absence from speech is absence from authority. The collective decision is legitimate only if all people have had the space to speak.