Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
See below for English translation
Nō te tau, kotahi mano, e iwa rau, e waru tekau mā whitu ka tū tētehi whakawhitiwhitinga tauira tari-o-te-ora i te iwi taketake o Kanata me Aotearoa. Kai te kaha tonu taua herenga kaumātua, nā wai rā ka puta tētehi kāhui nō Kanata ki tēnei whenua me tā rātau kaupapa whakakore wairua taikaha ki te puku o te hāpori me te kāwhaki wāhine. I pupū ake tēnei hononga i waenganui i a Centre me Waitomo Papakāinga i te tau kua kōrerongia ake nei.
“Nā ngā tauira māua ko Katie Murray (OMNZ, Waitomo Papakāinga, Tumuwhakarae) i whakahono. Ka hui mātau, nā wai rā ka huri te ao. Ko tēnei hononga i waenganui i a māua, he hononga rangatira. E mea nei ahau, he kiritata māua’. Ko ngā kupu wēnei a Tammy Christensen te pou kōrero mā te ohu nei.
He huinga whakahirahira e taea ai e rāua ki te whakawhiti whakaaro, ki te tuku mātauranga, ki te tuku awhina e mana ai tētehi, e ora ai tētehi e puta ai rāua tahi i ngā pēhitanga onamata e anga whakaterākura ai ngā iwi taketake.
Kua whakaurua e te Centre tā rātau kaupapa (FGC) Family Group Conference ki Aotearoa nei. Ka rūnanga ngā mema o tēnei rōpū ki ngā poumahi o te Manatika kia mātau ai rātau me pēweha e mana ai tēnei kaupapa, e tū kauae tiketike ai ngā whānau Māori. Kua whakaaraarangia hoki e rātau tētehi whare e pīata kau ana te haki Tino Rangatiratanga.
‘Ko The Grey Buffalo Wellness Centre he kāinga haumaru e nanao atu ai te wairua o te tangata ki tōna ūkaipō otīā te whenua, te wai, te one otīā te taiao. E hoki ai te tangata ki onamata, kia rukua ai te puna taketake hai oranga mōna. He wāhi tika ki te whakatū wānanga, ki te ako, ki te hui tangata’. E ai ki a Tammy.’
He mana tiketike ka kitea i ngā wā e mahi ngātahi ana ngā iwi taketake’. He kaupapa e arahina ana e ngā wāhine rangatira nō Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre i Winnipeg, Manitoba. Tokorua ngā pirihimana kai tēnei kāhui me tētehi pou rangahau. Wheoi anō, ka kōrerongia e rātau ngā mea kua kitea e rātau. Ka tukuna hoki e rātau ētehi awhinatanga itiiti, nā wai rā, ko te aroha nui ki tēnei kaupapa kua roa e koke whakatemua ana. Ko te tangaengae mau kaha nei i ngā iwi taketake o Kanata me Ngai Māori.
Ko te tikanga o te Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata, ' Mā te mahi tahi e ora ai tātau katoa’. He Cree a Tammy nō Norway House First Nation, kua rua tekau mā rima o ngā tau ki tēnei whare awhina, nā ko ia te pikitūranga ināianei engari taihoa ia ka whakawhiwhia ki te tūnga rangatira whakahaere.
Nō te tau kotahi mano, e iwa rau, e waru tekau mā wha ka whakatūngia tēnei kāinga-ā-iwi taketake, tēnei kāinga manaaki i runga i ngā taumahatanga pōrearea e tāmi nā i ngā iwi taketake o Kanata, ara, ko te kāwhaki tamariki taketake e te whenua rangatira tauiwi. I ēnei rā e kawea ana e rima tekau kaupapa whakaora, whakamana me te aukati mahi tautauhea ki ā rātau kāinga kotahi tekau mā waru, mātua ko te nuinga kai te tāone o Winnipeg. E rua rau tangata kai tēnei rōpū e mahi ana engari anō te hunga awhina, te hunga mahi aroha e waru rau noa atu. He kāinga haumaru tamariki, whakateitei wāhine, whakamana tangata katoa ēnei mea ka taea e ā rātau tini kaupapa whakamana.
Ko te uho o Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata he ritetahi nei ki te kaupapa E Tū Whānau. ' Kai te whakaaro kotahi ngā whare e rua nei, he ahakoa kai tētehi whenua kē atu, kai whenua anō tētehi, ara kia tiakina, kia hākoakoa kia motuhake te mana o te hāpori, ka rua, e koke whakatemua nā ki te whakapakari ngā tamariki kia manawa hinau, te whānau me te hāpori hoki, ko te mea kē kai te whakatakataka mātau i te pae tawhiti’. He ahakoa ngā tini herenga ki waenga nui i ngā whare e rua nei, kātahi nei rāua ka oti i te tuku i ō rātau moemoeā, whakapapa me te mahi i tētehi huinga matihiko e kī a nei ko Poutokomanawa Hāpori Hui 2022. Ka tae ngā rangatira ki Aoteaora ā te wiki nei.
—Na Raimona Inia i whakamaori.
An exchange of social work students in 1987 set up a relationship between iwi taketake of two nations, Canada and Aotearoa.
That relationship continues today evidenced by a visit from a delegation of indigenous Canadians, who are working to stamp out violence in their communities and sex trafficking among their women and transgender whanau.
Led by women from the Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the delegation, which includes two police officers and a researcher, leaves Aotearoa on Sunday.
The deep relationship the Centre and its people have with Waitomo Papakāinga started with an exchange of social work students in 1987.
“The students put us in touch with Katie (Murray, OMNZ, Waitomo Papakāinga Chief Executive) and her whānau, and life changed for us. The relationship we have with Waitomo Papakāinga is now one of our most meaningful relationships.
“We’ve become a family,” says spokeswoman Tammy Christensen.
The two communities continue to inspire each other by adopting and adapting ideas and practices and building on common experiences as indigenous peoples in a post-colonial world.
The Centre has successfully introduced New Zealand’s Family Group Conference (FGC) model. Members of the delegation met Justice and Corrections staff during their visit to deepen their understanding of how FGC works on the ground, especially for Māori whānau.
At home they’ve also built a lodge inspired by Māori marae in which a Tino Rangatiratanga flag proudly flies.
“The Grey Buffalo Grandfather Wellness Centre is a welcoming place that gives people the opportunity to experience a connection to the land, and to explore and experience indigenous culture, traditions and ceremonies. Guests have a safe space to hold conference, retreats, training, and meetings,” says Tammy.
“There is something super powerful about indigenous people helping other indigenous people.”
Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata translates as ‘We all work together to help one another’.
Tammy is a Cree woman from Norway House First Nation and has been involved in the centre for 25 years and is its next executive director.
The centre was established in 1984 as an indigenous-led, community-based response to the unacceptably large numbers of indigenous Canadian children taken into state care.
It now operates 50 culturally relevant, prevention- and support-based programmes and services from 18 sites, primarily within the city of Winnipeg.
Ma Mawi has a staff of 200 and over 800 volunteers.
They provide families, children, and youth with community-based programmes.
The Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre bases their mahi on core values which echo those of E Tū Whānau. “Like E Tū Whānau, Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata whānau envision ‘a safe, healthy, happy and interdependent community’ and work towards it by ‘strengthening children, families and community…. investing in our future.”
Beyond shared values, E Tū Whānau and Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre also enjoy growing connection. Various members of Ma Mawi presented on their moemoea, whakapapa and mahi at the digital Poutokomanawa Hapori Hui 2022.
■Thanks to my friend Pamela Fleming and E Tu Whanau for this story. Your kaupapa is awesome.
Club operations manager Rachel Beckett wants to attract events and functions.