Improving Whānau Health and wellbeing where they Live, Learn, Work & Play
Pānui - 21/03/2024
Left to Right: Te Raipine, Piri, Megan, Whitu, Mira, Stevee, Alkana
Whakawhanaungatanga - Te Ngira ki Rotorua
Event Date: Tuesday 19th March 2024
On Tuesday, March 19th, Mira facilitated a visit for Whitu-Waiariki, our Māori Systems Strategist, and Alkana Benioni, our Communications Strategist, who are the latest additions to the Healthy Families team. The purpose of the visit was to introduce them to the team at Healthy Families - Rotorua, led by Jenny.
Regrettably, Jenny was unable to join them. Nonetheless, Megan and the rest of their team were present and extended a warm welcome which made it easy for both Whitu and Alkana to settle in, enabling them to hear the passion in the girls voices and feel the wairua shared across the entire team as they spoke about what each of their respective roles were and what some of the past, present and future initiatives might look like.
Following the exchange of their backstories, interests and passions, it was only fitting to conclude their brief time together over kai.
A great day shared by all getting to know our new Healthy Families members.
He Piko, He Taniwha, Waikato & Waipā Awa Tuna Symposium Report
Event Date: Monday 4th March 2024
On Monday, 4th of March, Tania Bidios (Systems Innovator) and Whitu-Waiariki Ake (Rautaki Māori) had the privilege of attending the He Piko, He Taniwha Waikato & Waipā Tuna Symposium, hosted by the local iwi of the Karāpiro region, Ngati Korokī-Kahukura. The symposium provided a platform for katīaki to showcase their work and engage in knowledge exchange with other kaitīaki, both from the local and international communities.
The symposium began with a presentation by renowned Associate Professor Linda Te Aho, speaking about the history of the Karāpiro region as well as the history of the local iwi, Ngati Korokī-Kahukura. She outlined some of the challenges and barriers they’ve faced in an effort to improve the overall water quality of the Karāpiro Lake and, subsequently, the Waikato River. She emphasised the importance of improving the water quality as both the Waikato River and the Karāpiro Lake are pātaka kai for the many iwi, hapū, marae, and whānau who reside around both of these places of significance.
One of the most significant opportunities she highlighted was the extension of a co-management agreement between Ngati Korokī-Kahukura, Mercury, and local government. This means that Ngati Korokī-Kahukura effectively has a significant seat at the table at a systemic level to create positive outcomes for the Karāpiro Lake and wider Waikato River. This also means that Ngati Korokī-Kahukura possesses the mana motuhake and rangatiratanga to specifically establish initiatives and programmes to clean the waterways and to repopulate the rivers and lakes with tuna so that the Waikato River and the Karāpiro Lake may be restored to the great pātaka kai it was when our tīpuna were alive.
The key sentiment that she conveyed was that the reason why they’ve successfully implemented those initiatives and programmes was because they put the health and well-being of tuna and the waterways as the number one priority, putting personal ego and pride to the side. This is because the health and well-being of the tuna and the waterways are a reflection of one's’ own health and well-being.
“Ki te manaaki tātou i te taiao, ka tīaki te taiao i a tātou.” This sentiment carried strongly throughout each panel presentation.
(Sir Don Rowlands Event Centre, Karāpiro, He Piko, He Taniwha, Waikato & Waipā Awa Tuna Symposium, 2024)
(Modified hīnaki by Taroi Rawiri, He Piko, He Taniwha, Waikato & Waipā Awa Tuna Symposium, 2024)
More specifically, the aforementioned sentiment was brilliantly captured by the Te Karanga a Te Pūtangi presentation, led by Te Ao o Te Rangi Apaapa, and Maria Te Aukaha Huata. Their presentation was particularly interesting because they shed light on the importance of a certain organism which allows their local iwi, hapū, and whānau to measure the quality and overall health of their waterways. They highlighted the fact that when this bio-luminescent limpet (a shell-like creature) is abundant and is glowing beautifully in the dark, it’s an indication to local iwi, hapū, and whānau that their waterways are clean and tuna is also in abundance. Essentially, the survival of those limpets are crucial to the health and well-being of their waters, and subsequently the health and well-being of their waterways as pātaka kai for their people. However, the opposite is true when the limpets aren’t populating their waterways, hence the emphasis placed on the sentiment; “Ki te manaaki tātou i te taiao, ka tīaki te taiao i a tātou.” This presentation was an acknowledgement that the traditional practices of preserving and protecting the environment are just as valuable and important as contemporary sciences, another key theme throughout the symposium.
The reclaiming of traditional methods to address these environmental issues not only on the frontlines but also at a systemic level is crucial. Huata passionately expressed the significance of employing traditional methods at a systemic level, in an effort to create positive health outcomes that represent the goals and aspirations of their iwi, hapū, whānau, and marae as well. She emphasised that when they met with the Matamata-Pīako District Council to discuss with them how they were going to protect and preserve their waterways, she presented them with 3 tukutuku panels that outlined the overall framework, strategy, goals, and aspirations of their wider iwi, hapū, whānau, and marae.
The presentation of the tukutuku panels is an example of indigenising how an organisation goes about presenting their overall organisational framework and structure. She emphasised that when an employer presents their framework to their constituents, more often than not, it will be put into a drawer somewhere to collect dust. However, by presenting those tukutuku panels to their District Council, they were able to more effectively express the goals and aspirations of their people. Furthermore, it highlighted the importance of reclaiming and employing traditional practices at a systemic level to address and influence positive change in an effort to create positive outcomes for iwi, hapū, whānau, and marae.
Additionally, the hosts organised a release of elver eels (juvenile eels) into the Karāpiro Lake. Each kaimahi introduced themselves and talked about the importance of their mahi in restoring our waterways to the great pātaka kai they were when our tīpuna were alive. They spoke about some of the initiatives they’ve been fortunate to take part in, specifically the implementation of an internship programme aimed at employing rangatahi Māori with the appropriate skills to play a significant part in the protection and preservation of the waterways and subsequently the health and well-being of tuna.
(Associate Proffesor Linda Te Aho, He Piko, He Taniwha, Waikato & Waipā Awa Tuna Symposium, 2024)
(Maria Te Aukaha Huata, He Piko, He Taniwha, Waikato & Waipā Awa Tuna Symposium, 2024)
( Te Ao o Te Rangi Apaapa,, He Piko, He Taniwha, Waikato & Waipā Awa Tuna Symposium, 2024)
CONCLUSION
To conclude, the symposium was a major eye opening experience. The key messages of this hui were profound and genuine. In the end, the symposium emphasised the necessity of holistic methods that are anchored in indigenous knowledge in order to create beneficial outcomes for iwi, hapū, whānau, and marae. This is done in order to maintain a dynamic link between cultural heritage and environmental sustainability.
There was also a clear message sent by each panel presentation to not let the foot off the proverbial gas. It was Benjamin E. Mays, civil rights leader and mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King who said; “The tragedy of life is often not in our failure, but rather in our complacency; not in our doing too much, but rather in our doing too little; not in our living above our ability, but rather in our living below our capacities.”
However, if we soar beyond our own abilities and capabilities as iwi, hapū, and whānau our ambition can be likened to the rearea (a small bell bird) soaring and flying to heights beyond its perceived abilities or capabilities up to the heights of the kahikatea.
“Iti rearea teitei, kahikatea ka taea.”
(Elver release, He Piko, He Taniwha, Waikato & Waipā Awa Tuna Symposium, 2024)
25 Year Celebration of Taumarunui Community Kōkiri Trust
Event Date: Thursday 14th March 2024
On Thursday the 14th of March, Mira Martin, Marama Wilson, Whitu-Waiariki Ake, and Tureia Moxon attended the 25 years celebration of Taumarunui Community Kōkiri Trust (TCKT) at the Taumarunui Cossie Club. The celebration began with a passionate pōwhiri by mana whenua, TCKT staff, and tamariki from their Early Childhood Bilingual Centre. This celebration was a huge opportunity for representatives of TCKT to share with the community as well as their partners the initiatives they’ve been involved in to support and serve their community.
Christine Arihia Brears (CEO of TCKT, ONZM), passionately and vivaciously expressed the background of the organisation, how they’ve grown, and how TCKT have now become a pillar of the community they serve. She emphasised that it took years of hard work and dedication to get to the point they’re at now, however, she also emphasised that while they’ve made significant strides in producing positive health and well-being outcomes for their community, she stated that one should not become complacent.
The foundation of TCKT is predicated on addressing the health inequities and disparities that exist for Māori in the health system. Some of the initiatives they’ve spearheaded for their community include;
Opening of their Early Child Bilingual Centre
Opening of their first GP Practice (2002)
Purchase of A Going Concern Home for their kaumātua (2003)
Waka Hau Ora o Te Nehenehenui (2022)
A mobile health van to provide quality health services to rural whānau (in partnership with Maniapoto Māori Trust Board).
Purchase of Nursery Garden growing orchids
When the orchids died, they turned the garden into a community māra kai, growing all sorts of vegetables.
The location of the Nursery Garden will be where they plan on building a 16 house complex to provide housing services to the most vulnerable whānau in their community.
These initiatives are just scratching the surface of the services that TCKT provides. From very humble beginnings out of the Grande Arcade with only 4 full-time staff to now employing a workforce of more than 100 staff, including, mental health practitioners, doctors, community support workers, and social workers, all contributing to providing positive health and well-being outcomes for their community. It is important to note that the vast majority of workers at TCKT are Taumarunui born and bred, reinforcing the fact that this is an organisation for the community, by the community.
One point that was emphatically expressed was that it is incredibly important to the organisation that they steadfastly hold true to kaupapa Māori values and principles in all of their practices. Though there is certainly a place for contemporary approaches to creating positive health and well-being outcomes for their community, TCKT also prides itself on traditional tikanga Māori based approaches to addressing health inequities and disparities that exist in the health sector for Māori. This is key as the community in which they serve can see themselves and their values reflected in the many initiatives that TCKT employs, not only for the betterment of Māori but for the wider community as a whole.
Nō reira kei ngā kaingārahu, kei ngā tāiki ngāpara, kei ngā tātāriki o TCKT, e pūtohetohe ana, e manawanui hoki ana te tutuki i ngā wawata o tōu hāpori whānui tēnei ngā aumihi o te wā e rere nei ki a koutou. Ka eke ko Te Kōhao ki ngā tau 30 i tēnei tau, ko te kōrero ka tineia ki te whatumanawa - “Anō te pai te noho tahi a te tuakana me te teina.” He hononga mauroa, he hononga piritahi e kore nei e motu.
