Te Reo classes are being offered for Taupō Hospital staff. Photo / NZME
Te Reo classes are being offered for Taupō Hospital staff. Photo / NZME
Poipoia te kākano, kia puawai. Nurture the seed and it will blossom.
It is a valuable Māori proverb and also the mindset of a group of Lakes District Health Board staff who have been taking te reo Māori classes during the last year.
The initiative has seen the Lakes DHBenlist the help of Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi to help educate staff at Taupō and Rotorua hospitals.
Taupō Kaiako (lecturer) Benoir Midwood-Murray says the 18-month Pōkaitahi Reo programme is about more than just learning a language.
"It's been an excellent journey for them," he says.
"It's a journey about discovering themselves. Even though it's being delivered in te reo, it's all about them understanding and learning about themselves. When people start exploring their own whakapapa they find gems, they find taonga."
Benoir says the classes help the staff express themselves and be understood.
"It's hugely beneficial, the whakawhanaungatanga, the coming together and building of the community within the hospital. They're becoming more than just colleagues now, it's whānau."
Having a greater understanding of different cultural backgrounds also helps the staff relate to their patients more effectively.
"The feedback I've had is that they're more understanding, especially those with a clinical approach, they are realising it's more about creating a connection with the person, you get more out of it that way.
"I would encourage [other businesses and organisations] to do these classes. We have others within Taupō that are reaching out now and wanting the same because they've seen there's a whanaungatanga element which they want to encourage within their own organisations. Especially during these Covid times.
A te reo class held for Rotorua Hospital staff as part of a joint initiative by Lakes DHB and Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi. Photo / Supplied
"I think there is more of an understanding now [in New Zealand] of the culture that has founded this country. I teach my students not to label themselves as Ngāti Pākehā because there's actually no such thing. The correct term is Ngāti Wikitōria, which is Queen Victoria, this is when we make that connection between people of the Treaty of Waitangi and tangata whenua, people of the land."
Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi programme coordinator - teaching and learning Ryan Te Wara says an initiative likes this has benefits for the wider community as well as those directly involved.
"From an organisational perspective, it's about widening and acknowledging te reo, allowing people who may not have had much engagement with te reo Māori a look into the Māori world.
"We do see te reo as a kind of pathway. It's not just about linguistics or language acquisition - that's obviously a huge component of it but it's also about allowing people to comfortably have a view or introduction into a Māori space through the medium of language.
"Along with the language comes cultural aspects, viewpoints and philosophies people may not have otherwise been aware of. That allows them to explore those wider issues."
He says all classes are held in the environment of those taking part, in this case Taupō and Rotorua hospitals, to make the students more comfortable while learning.
"Being in Taupō, with a significant Māori population, it may also assist staff who engage with a wide range of patients. They may find more common threads or have a bit more understanding of some of the cultural indications.
"It's a two-way thing. Even just a doctor saying kia ora or pronouncing a Māori name properly can really help people feel more comfortable. They may have never had that in their life before."
