Merepeka Raukawa-Tait: Honoured to have been IHC support worker

It's  time to say haere ra to the 9am-5pm Monday to Friday work routine. Mind you, when has it ever been 9-5 when you work at a certain level?
This week I finish my job with IHC IDEA Services. It's hard to believe it's nearly five years since I came into the position as area manager.
There have been lots of fun moments with the men and women who use IHC services. They are living with intellectual disabilities, being supported to make choices about their own lives.
I can't help but contrast this group and the people who take what they have for granted. They sit on their bums constantly moaning about how hard done by they are.
I don't like to see people wasting their time and talent believing that things will just come their way without them having to make any effort at all. I believe we all have God-given talents; it's just finding which ones we are passionate about and developing them. Nothing good comes from doing nothing.
I wish everyone at some time in their lives could work as a support worker for IHC. You support people with an intellectual disability to learn to live satisfying lives and to be part of their community.
Those who can, look for work. Sometimes this may only be for a few hours a week, sometimes half a day or perhaps they can manage one or two days a week. In the workplace they mix with a variety of people, feel valued and there's the added bonus of the extra dollars earned.
As a support worker you have the opportunity to learn more about yourself than in almost any other job - I know I did. You learn patience and to listen with a willingness to understand. You can't jump to conclusions either. What you can see so clearly is not always how the other person sees or experiences their world.
You learn quickly that the language you use is all important. How you say things can either calm or inflame a situation. And what the service user says isn't false or doctored it's how they are feeling at that point in time.
You can learn humility too if you are able to accept that in some situations people with an intellectual disability actually can know more than you.
I got to know many of the men and women I worked with personally. They are open and honest, some might say too open. They say what they think and I have often been amazed at their insight into different situations. You also get to know their families. They have shared the journey with their family member, and all they ask is that you treat that person as you would want one of your family to be treated.
When I was interviewed for the job, a service user, a young man, asked me "how do you know if you can do the job?" How indeed. Of course you don't know. You hope you have the skills and qualifications to make a success of it. But how do we ever know if we can do the job we are applying for? And when we move on, did we make a difference while we were here?
The young man has since passed away but this week I am thinking of him. He set high expectations when he asked that question at my interview. I hope I measured up.
It has been a privilege to be part of the lives of people living with intellectual disabilities and to have worked with committed staff in IHC who believe this group have the same feelings and rights as anyone else.