Station Officer, Warren Samuels strengthening knowledge of te ao Māori through grant
Warren Samuels is a Station Officer at Auckland City Station and is one of eleven of our people to receive the Sir John Te Ahikaiata Turei Memorial Grant.(external link)
As an indigenous person from Cape Town, South Africa and serving as a Firefighter there, Warren saw the importance of connecting with the people and land when his family moved to Aotearoa, New Zealand.
“It’s an integral component in successfully performing our role in the community. I believe it's equally as important to have this connection with the tangata whenua here in Aotearoa”.
Each member of Warren’s whānau has made commitments to strengthen their education around te reo and te ao Māori. Warren and his wife, Glyn, have both enrolled in ‘Te Ara Reo Māori’ a level 2 Course delivered by Te Wānanga O Aotearoa(external link). His two daughters are each undertaking te reo classes alongside their other studies.
Glyn, Tyla, Warren, Ollie and Peyton
Warren also recognises there is a need to build stronger relationships between Fire and Emergency and iwi in Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland. "Our whānau have decided to take this journey of understanding and embracing the world of Te Ao Maori, Tikanga Māori and becoming fluent in Te Reo Māori. We have lived in Aotearoa for fifteen years and for our tamāhine who were born here, these are the invaluable gifts we would like to share with them to be well rounded New Zealanders”.
“My goal is to be able to speak confidently and fluently in Te Reo Māori on marae, at ceremonies, powhiri and deliver Fire and Emergency risk reduction strategies in Te Reo Māori. Learning these skills and having a greater understanding of Te Ao Maori and Tikanga Māori will be invaluable in developing and nurturing whānaungatanga between Fire and Emergency and local iwi”.
Fire and Emergency has made a commitment to working with Māori as tangata whenua, people of the land. To support this commitment, the 'Hiwa-i-te-Rangi' programme was developed to improve the way we serve Māori. You can find out more about this below;