Chairperson and Chief Executive Overview

E ngā iwi huri noa, nei rā ngā matihere e rere atu nei!

Rātou mā kua riro ki te kāpunipunitanga o te wairua, nei ka tangi, nei ka mihi. Tātou te hunga ora, e takatū ana ki te mata o te whenua ngā manahau e rere atu nei!

Toi Tangata has enjoyed another positive year in 2023. We have seen a significant expansion of our work with the kaupapa Mātaiao ki Tāmaki, Deep South Research, Healthier Lives, and a similar increase in our number of new kaimahi. We continue to team up with more organisations across a wider range of kaupapa.

Our fundamental commitment remains doing more and better for our whānau and communities. We, as Toi Tangata, continue to paddle in unison and navigate our waka to guide others towards a more empowered future of hauora. Despite the uncertain waters that lie ahead, particularly with the pending changes in the Māori health system and the current economic downturn, we continue to be effective and efficient in what we do. The commitment and dedication of our staff and board to make meaningful and impactful change for our people continues.

Ka whawhai tonu mātou mō te oranga o Ngāi Māori.

Jacob Tapiata

Chairperson/Tiamana

Darrio Penetito-Hemara

Chief Executive/Kaiwhakahaere Matua

NGĀ HUA O TE TAU

---

Toi Tangata Hui ā Tau 2023

The Toi Tangata Hui ā Tau 2023 brought together passionate advocates of te reo Māori to reflect on their journeys, celebrate achievements, and chart a path forward for te tira hou.

As we commemorated the 50th year since the signing of the Māori Language Petition and the 40th year of the Kōhanga Reo movement, we reflected upon one of the most precious taonga tuku iho we have – te reo Māori. Our hui ā tau contemplated both the paths we have already traversed and our current position in this moment. Of equal importance, we looked towards “te tira hou,” the new generation, borne from the intergenerational vision of restoring the mauri of our people through the vehicle of our reo Māori. The hui attracted whanau and kaimahi from across the health and related services sectors, providing a platform for sharing experiences, exchanging wisdom, and collectively envisioning what it means to be well. It was a celebration of resilience, determination, and interconnectedness.

Our theme posed an important question: How can te reo Māori continue to guide us towards well-being? A resounding and powerful answer to this pātai reminded us that if we want to live in a world that is not dictated by western systems and structures, then we must value the role of te reo in shaping a world that is uniquely ours with the need for te reo to be embedded in the contexts from which it derives – te taiao.

Ko te mana, te mauri, me te wairua Māori me tiaki e tātou.
Ko te reo te waka hei whakapūmau i ēnei tikanga.

Dr Cathy Dewes ONZM

---

He Puna Reo Hauora

We have been working hard to increase the confidence and use of te reo Māori by kaimahi hauora Māori. He Puna Reo Hauora was sparked by the health sector’s increasing demand for mātauranga based kaupapa Māori delivery for whānau across the motu, but with very little invested into te reo Māori learning and use. To compliment the recent initiatives to improve te reo Māori use and visibility within the sector, this kaupapa, led by Renei Ngawati, was initiated as part of our workforce development approach.

In 2021, a scoping project was undertaken to gather insights from kaimahi hauora Māori about their aspirations, enablers and barriers to Te Reo Māori learning.

In 2022, the foundational work and strategic approach for He Puna Reo Hauora was completed including:

a) the formation of an ohu across hauora Māori that Toi Tangata work closely with and;

b) seeking funding support to host the first face to face kura reo unique to the sector.

The kaupapa is built on the right for te reo Māori to be an integral part of health delivery and for the right of Māori to converse in te reo Māori as rongoā. A key development has been achieving a pathway for immersion learning support for kaimahi hauora Māori. We look forward to the next steps for this kaupapa.

---

Te Mana o Te Taiao

Toi Tangata’s commitment to the strategic priority of reconnecting whānau to the environment is exemplified through the Te Mana o te Taiao project. This initiative aimed to enhance the engagement of rangatahi with the outdoors, fostering deeper connections to their Māori identity through te taiao.

In collaboration with Te Papa Tākaro o Te Arawa, known for their iwi-centric knowledge transfer programme grounded in experimental learning, Toi Tangata engaged two Summer Interns, Jewell Carlson and Paris King who actively participated as rangatahi in the wānanga. These wānanga were instrumental in shaping a workforce development strategy for taiao-based activities, aligning with the overarching goal of increasing whanau engagement.

The journey began with a wānanga hosted in Rotorua, focusing on establishing the need for a Kura Taiao workforce development approach. Subsequently, Toi Tangata Summer Interns and Te Papa Takaro o Te Arawa engaged in a one-day skill-based workshop on outdoor safety, incorporating essential elements such as outdoor first aid. These initial wānanga sessions served as crucial foundations, informing and preparing the team for the final haerenga.

The culmination of this immersive experience involved a hīkoi and wānanga up Tarawera, providing a hands-on and holistic approach to understanding and engaging with the environment. Through these intentional and culturally grounded initiatives, Toi Tangata not only facilitated the exploration of ways to enhance rangatahi participation in the outdoors but also nurtured a reconnection to te taiao, reinforcing Māori identity within whānau.