Projects
As a Māori health agency, we recognise the demand for mātauranga and kaupapa Māori-based delivery is currently outweighing the confidence and capability of some kaimahi Māori. Kaimahi are also driven by their own desire to deliver their mahi in te reo Māori. At a deeper level, te reo Māori remains the whakapapa based right of all Māori. It is also a Treaty based and equity based right, not only of the whānau and tamariki who access health services to have the option of te reo Māori as the main language of communication, but also the right of the kaimahi to speak te reo Māori in their practice.
- In 2020, Toi Tangata started the first steps to scope what a dedicated Māori Health Workforce Development support scheme could look like that removed the main barriers that kaimahi hauora Māori face to advancing Te Reo Māori service delivery.
- In 2021 we led a scoping project to gather kaimahi insights.
- Now in 2022, Renei Ngawati has been leading the feasibility toward He Puna Hauora Reo: A Kaupapa Māori Workforce Development Scheme, which has been informed by the 2021 scoping project. This scheme seeks to invest in kaimahi hauora Māori to remove barriers in advancing Te Reo Māori proficiency in hauora-based services for whānau Māori, ngā whānau whānui.
This has been a complicated space to navigate as it brings forth all the factors of te reo Māori reclamation that kaimahi have personally – and generationally – been impacted by. Furthermore, the dedication that each kaimahi Māori has in their roles towards achieving and sustaining whānau oranga has, at times, come at the sacrifice of their own career and personal goals.
Toi Tangata would like to mihi to Te Mātāwai for funding the 2021 Te Ara Hauora Reo scoping project and to Dr Julie Wharewera-Mika and Mafi Finaki-Tahifote at the MAS Foundation for supporting the 2022 feasibility stage of this work.
Supported by
Toi Te Kupu
Toi Te Kupu is a Māori-to-English and English-to-Māori dictionary about kai, cooking, our body and our mind. The resource was developed in partnership with the Heart Foundation to empower everyone in Aotearoa to have conversations with tamariki and mokopuna about the importance of food and health in te reo Māori. First published in 2014, a new update to this resource has been completed and the 2020 version is now available.
The dictionary includes:
- New stories of the Atua and the foods of Tāne, Tangaroa, Haumia and Rongo
- Kupu (words) for everyday foods including fruits and vegetables, wholegrains, dairy, meat and eggs
- Kupu for parts of the body and some common health terms
- Kupu for whānau-focused activities, from sports to general play and the equipment needed.
Our Partners
He Kakano: Live to Learn
He Kakano – Live to Learn is a co-design framework to create learning environments that meet the needs and aspirations of Māori. It seeks to create a blueprint for change for a national education system that improves hauora Māori. He Kakano is also facilitating the re-design of curriculum and pedagogy, including alignment with current Māori-specific NZQA national standards.
The flagship has been developed in partnership between Toi Tangata, Healthy Families Manukau, Manurewa-Papakura, and Manurewa High School.
The next step is to see the framework adopted in all schools across South Auckland, and a community of practice to support, guide and advocate for the development of this kaupapa is being formed.
If you are a marae, a community organisation or a school interested in joining a community of practice or learning more about this approach for your kura, we would love to hear from you.
Our Partners
