UGL employee honoured with Korowai

 Magda Robertson, COO of Auckland One Rail (AOR – a joint venture between UGL and Comfort DelGro) has been gifted a Korowai by one of our Māori iwi’s (elders). The traditional woven Māori cloak was delivered to Magda at a ceremony in Auckland. 

The Korowai is worn as a symbol of prestige and honour and is rarely given to non- Māori people. 

“This is epic and I was very honoured to receive this in front of our extended operations team,” Magda said. 

The Korowai has a woven black band and white feathers. The colours of the feathers symbolise Earth, wind, water, and connection to people.  

“I’ve been told that my presence is always grounded, and my love and respect of nature and community comes through very quickly. The colours signify my love of nature, spirit and community,” Magda said. 

She was also gifted with the term ‘Mouthpiece’ which stands for those that voice local tradition and speak for the community. 

“It’s such an honour, not just for me, but our Auckland One Rail organisation. This means we have made a difference here and for the communities we connect with on a daily basis,” Magda said. 

UGL is committed to working with the local communities in which we operate in, and Magda is also passionate about this. AOR has been operating passenger trains in Auckland since January 2022 and when it commenced, Magda immediately connected with Māori iwi Kerri and other Auckland one Rail Māori and Pacifica employees to educate herself on their marae (traditions) and kaupapa (way of life).  

“This is one of the reasons I wanted to take this secondment. I now consider Kerri and the other members of the Māori and Pacifica AOR community as my fanou [family],” Magda said.