Become bi-culturally confident at work

James Graham, Hastings District Council's adviser relationships, responsiveness and heritage, demonstrates how to pronounce some Māori place names. Photo / NZME

One of the biggest barriers to non-Māori using te reo in the workplace is a fear of getting pronunciation wrong or causing offence. Michael Moka, director of Indigenous Growth, suggests we stop trying to read the word in our head.

"That's where the pronunciation is going wrong — because we read it with our Western lenses. Get someone you know who can say it — get them to pronounce it, record it and then learn it."

Diversity Works NZ developed its Foundations of Bi-Cultural Organisations workshop in collaboration with Indigenous Growth to help people leaders feel more confident in understanding the Māori experience and perspective and integrating it into the workplace.

"Bi-cultural understanding is a foundation for any New Zealand organisation," says chief executive Rachel Hopkins.

"Even with great intentions and strategies in place to embrace diversity, if we lack understanding of the unique journey of our indigenous people, we can't promote Māori success in an authentic way. We have older Pākehā and new immigrant participants who have never learned about Māori history, language or culture, as well as people who want to reconnect with their Māori heritage. Everyone gains something from beginning this journey."

Moka says it's all about belonging and connection.

"It's important for all New Zealanders to understand who they are first. We all had an ancestor or a person who made the decision to come to New Zealand for a better life, whether we're the first generation or the 10th generation. Be proud of your ancestry. When you're proud of your indigenous culture, you'll understand that there are real similarities between most cultures and you will understand the importance of acknowledging the people of the land wherever you are — Māori in New Zealand, Samoan in Samoa, Aboriginal in Australia."

It is important to have bi-cultural practices in New Zealand workplaces because as a multi-cultural country we need to show how multiple cultures can thrive together, says Moka. "To achieve multi-culturalism, we have to achieve bi-culturalism first. If one culture can lead the way, it sets the platform and blueprint for other cultures to use their culture to thrive. It's only right we embrace the tangata whenua (people of the land).

"Bi-cultural practices and knowledge of te reo have been missing from our workplaces."

A simple way of introducing Māori culture and te reo into the workplace is to develop current Māori staff to be better versions of themselves.

"Do this in conjunction with developing their leadership capability so they are confident and can lead the way," says Moka. The hardest part for non-Māori is being afraid to make mistakes, so with more of their peers around helping them out, the more they will increase in confidence."

Moka suggests that if you're a visual learner, try writing te reo phonetically, "but only if you have to. Māori is an oral culture. I would rather you say my name or town properly, than spell it properly. For example, Moka is not MowCar it's MoreKa".

Employers can assist in encouraging a bi-cultural workplace by integrating Māori culture and te reo into daily workplace habits. "Develop a core group of staff who can show how these can be integrated into meetings, courageous conversations and so on," says Moka.

"If people can see how it practically enhances their productivity and engagement at work, they will embrace and learn it. If there are people that are resistant, go for the low hanging fruit first. Like anything new, it requires a mindset shift."

Moka says it's most important for New Zealanders of other ethnicities to also be able to bring their culture and language to work. "When they love their culture, they will respect other cultures even more. I am proud to be Māori and love meeting people who are proud to be where they are from."

Insurance company IAG New Zealand has just been awarded highly commended in the Cultural Celebration category at the 2019 Diversity Awards NZ for its employee-led initiative encouraging the use of te reo Māori within the company. The Te Reo Talk programme is the brainchild of IAG's Māori Employee Network Resource Group (ENRG), which wanted to encourage the use of te reo in a fun and interactive way, making it accessible to everyone.

Video clips are filmed by staff members in the IAG offices and shared on the company's internal social network. Over two years, more than 26 videos have been created and typically they are each viewed more than 550 times.

Fiona Hewitt, IAG's executive manager of culture and business solutions, says "Te Reo Talk presents an opportunity for every staff member to experience te reo Māori in a way that's comfortable for them. It might mean listening to a Te Reo Talk video privately through headphones or gaining the confidence to try out Māori words around the office or include a Māori greeting or sign-off in their email correspondence."

People from all levels of the business have participated in the initiative, sharing their pepeha, or introducing a new kupu or whakataukī for others to learn. The initiative has led to a willingness to use te reo Māori as part of internal formal communications, to speak te reo Māori in face-to-face forums, and to open conferences with karakia.

For employees who are interested in taking their learning further, Moka recommends Te Wānanga o Aotearoa or Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi for reo and tikanga.