"I decided to make this course my priority"

*Definitions for te reo Māori words are highlighted and can be found in the glossary at the bottom

In July 2022, Human Resources Senior Advisor Dana Leggett attended a wānanga at Te Rau Aroha marae in Bluff as part of cultural Training for the Southland District Leadership team. The wānanga covered topics on Te Tiriti o Waitangi and parts of New Zealand history which have not been widely taught. Dana recalls this experience as an eye-opening moment of how much she needed and wanted to learn.

“It really kickstarted my awareness of what I don’t know, and I realised I needed to do more and more on a regular basis otherwise it’s not going to stick”.

A few months later Dana put her name down for a six-week Cultural Discovery Programme as part of the pilot for Te Aho Tapu.

“Initially I was just focussed on wanting to improve my knowledge of te reo Māori, but there’s so much more to learn than the language. I decided to make this course my priority”.

The Cultural Discovery Programme took 20 of Fire and Emergency’s people through topics on tikanga, local and national history and practical information on introductions and being on a marae.

“The course was really good, with a great bunch of people. Our kaiwhakahaere made a safe space for us to ask questions, and although we were all at different levels with different backgrounds everyone was so supportive of each other”.

Dana has also enrolled in Te Aho Tapu’s online te reo Māori classes with Joan Costello and sees everything she’s learning about Māori culture as a way to help her gain confidence to support the organisation when working with local iwi

“I want to gain some understanding so it’s not it’s not just a token gesture when we engage”.

Dana says, “you’ve got to go for it”, to anyone considering improving their knowledge of Māori culture. She believes the ability to ask all the questions you’ve ever wanted to in a supportive environment is invaluable.

 If you're interested in taking part in any courses like the one Dana has, for you or your team, please reach out via: hiwa-i-te-rangi@fireandemergency.nz

Kuputaka | Glossary

Wānanga - seminar, conference, forum

Tikanga - correct procedure, custom, practice

Kaiwhakahaere - director, organiser, manager