All 24 recruits achieve their Tohu before graduating

Last Monday 24 of our recruit firefighters stood to attention to receive their ‘Tohu’ from Deputy Chief Executive for Kaupapa Māori and Cultural Communities Piki Thomas. The Tohu is a pin worn to represent an individual’s commitment to working with Māori as tangata whenua, people of the land.(external link)

The Tohu is a wearable pin

The 12-week recruit course is pitched as being “the most challenging yet rewarding part” of the recruitment process for aspiring firefighters. Recruits undergo rigorous training to prepare them for their role as a firefighter for Aotearoa, New Zealand. Alongside physical activities such as live fire training and operating ladders and hoses, our recruits acquire knowledge to help them connect with the communities they will serve. One aspect of this involves learning about tikanga Māori; customs, traditions, and protocols of Māori.  

The contribution of Māori is important to all aspects of our organisation’s operations as they help inform emergency response, build resilience in our communities and support recovery from national emergencies such as the recent impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle. Māori are also disproportionately affected by harm from unwanted fire, and that needs to change.   

Piki Thomas commented that having an appreciation of tikanga helps our firefighters to not only be more effective but also respectful as they build relationships with Māori.

Senior Trainer Mike Thompson also remarked on the importance of giving our recruits a greater understanding of Māori culture so they can better inform tangata whenua around keeping themselves safe from fire and other emergencies.

At the start of their training a wero or challenge is laid for the recruits to achieve their Tohu before they graduate. This involves each of them reading Fire and Emergency’s introductory guide to Kaupapa Māori; “He Tīmatanga Kōrero '' and passing the online test.

These 24 recruits were one of the first groups where everyone attained their Tohu before graduating. 

“It was a group decision to push for this, and everyone put some effort into getting the module completed. We are very proud to be wearing our Tohu for the remainder of our course, for our graduation, and of course once we hit our stations next month” - Firefighter, Tim Mellsop.

“I am so warmed and honoured to be able to wear Te Tohu and am looking forward to taking part in other learning opportunities like this” - Firefighter, Samara Pepperell. 

He Tīmatanga Kōrero launched in July 2021 and as of this week over 2,060 of our people have attained their Tohu.