Supervision

Wairuatanga

Māori values and beliefs inform practice.

Informed practice

Te Ao Māori values and beliefs advance the wellbeing of tamariki/mokopuna and whānau.

Spiritual and physical connectedness

Value Māori worldviews of wellbeing and safety which are centred around the interrelationship between spirituality, humanity and nature (Ruwhiu, 1999).

Cultural paradigms

Best practice for tamariki/mokopuna and whānau Māori is guided by Te Ao Māori values and beliefs.

You can

Use Māori values, beliefs, theories, ideologies, paradigms, frameworks, perspectives, and worldviews to inform, validate and legitimate Māori cultural wellbeing processes and practices.

Practice includes

• Visually including in all projects with absolute clarity Māori values and beliefs.
• Māori paradigms, metaphors and frameworks are evident in activating your mahi.
• Māori perspectives and worldviews are valued and used, right from the onset and throughout all stages of engagement: assessment, planning, implementation and review.
• Valuing and utilising Māori perspectives to advance tamariki/mokopuna and whānau ora.

Reflective questions

• Describe a time when you demonstrated respect for Māori values in your practice.
• Think of one Māori value or belief and describe how you have demonstrated it in your practice.
• In exploring and using Māori frameworks of wellbeing, what did you learn and what challenged you?
• When using this principle, what experience do you want tamariki/mokopuna and their whānau to have? What will you hear? What will you feel? What will you see?

Working with Māori: Te Toka Tūmoana

Te Reo Māori

Te Reo Māori is treasured and essential for providing deeper understandings of Māori worldviews.

Valued voices

• Tamariki/mokopuna contribute to their ora (wellbeing).
• Te Reo Māori supports active contribution of whānau, hapū, iwi solutions.

Border engagement

The use of Te Reo Māori:

• enhances engagement with Māori
• breaks down barriers
• creates a balance in power.

Transformational

• The active use of Te Reo Māori facilitates change.
• Te Reo Māori positions us within our practice starting point of Te Ao Māori.

You can

Use Te Reo Māori throughout all your engagements in a respectful, confident and ongoing way.

Practices include

• Actively using and correctly pronouncing Te Reo Māori in all activities – pepeha, mihimihi, waiata.
• Actively using Te Reo Māori to promote tikanga practices in all activities – for example, mihi whakatau, karakia kai, karakia whakamutunga, pōwhiri.
• Acknowledging and respecting the different iwi dialects.
• Supporting and encouraging the confidence to use Te Reo Māori.
• Advancing the use of 'significant' kupu Māori to grow common understandings – for example, kaitiaki, mokopuna, whānau, whakapapa.

Reflective questions

• How have you worked to make sure tamariki/mokopuna and whānau voices are heard?
• How do you use Te Reo Māori in your practice?
• What have you done to make sure you haven't talked past each other?
• Describe how you have used Te Reo Māori to break down barriers.
• When using this principle, what experience do you want tamariki/mokopuna and their whānau to have? What will you hear? What will you feel? What will you see?

Working with Māori: Te Toka Tūmoana

Whakapapa

Connection with significant people, places, events, values and beliefs.

Identity

Tamariki/mokopuna:

• are proud of their Māori heritage
• are empowered through whakapapa and positive whānau relationships
• know who they are
• know where they come from.

Belonging

• Tamariki/mokopuna know they belong to whānau, hapū and iwi.
• Tamariki/mokopuna are meaningfully connected to their whakapapa.

Connection

Tamariki/mokopuna are connected with their whakapapa with people, places and Māori cultural values and beliefs.

You can

Display an active implementation of strong meaningful human connection, significant places of engagement and value relationships within the spiritual dimension.

Practices include

• Facilitating enduring relationships with whānau, hapū and iwi.
• Valuing and supporting the significance of whānau history.
• The uniqueness of whānau is recognised and used to empower tamariki/mokopuna.
• Building relationships for tamariki/mokopuna.
• Valuing and strengthening connections with whanaungatanga network including hāpori (community entities/services) kin and non-kin relationships.
• Working in significant sites of engagement – for example, marae.
• Respecting the integrity of healthy whānau relationships.
• Using our influence to advocate for the importance of whakapapa for tamariki/mokopuna.

Reflective questions

• How have you supported and facilitated tamariki/mokopuna to explore their identity?
• How have you facilitated tamariki/mokopuna connection to significant people, places, events and cultural values and beliefs?
• In your practice, what steps have you taken to connect tamariki/mokopuna to their whakapapa and to their whānau, hapū and iwi?
• When using this principle, what experience do you want tamariki/mokopuna and their whānau to have? What will you hear? What will you feel? What will you see?

Working with Māori: Te Toka Tūmoana

Rangatiratanga

Enabling whānau self-determination.

Participation

• Tamariki/mokopuna and whānau are active participants in making the decisions that affect them.
• Whānau leaders are identified and engaged with.

Self-determination

• Tamariki/mokopuna rights are promoted.
• Recognise and value the role of tamariki/mokopuna and whānau to achieving their collective vision for wellbeing.
• Build and strengthen whānau capacity and capability to be self-determining.
• Build and strengthen whānau capacity and capability.

You can

Strengthen Māori self-determination by building whānau leadership and capability.

Practice includes

• Encouraging whānau to take an active role in determining the wellbeing outcomes.
• Enabling whānau to participate fully.
• Tamariki/mokopuna whānau leadership is nurtured, developed and promoted.
• Recognising that safe whānau members are experts of their own tamariki/mokopuna.
• Ensuring that the views of mokopuna are informing our response.
• Strengthening the emphasis on tamariki/mokopuna participation and leadership.

Reflective questions

• Describe a time where you saw whānau and tamariki/mokopuna demonstrate their rangatiratanga.
• What actions have you taken to ensure that tamariki/mokopuna can participate fully?
• How have you identified and included whānau leadership in the progress of tamariki/mokopuna towards wellbeing?

Working with Māori: Te Toka Tūmoana

Tikanga

Unique and diverse Māori processes that provide balance, stability and safety to uphold the mana of all.

Safety

• Processes and practice that facilitates and reflects safe engagement.
• Facilitation of safe encounters.
• Tika – doing the right thing.
• Pono – demonstrating faith and truth.

Rituals

• Application of diverse cultural customs and practices.
• Facilitation of customary practices in today's context.

You can

Create safe environments by championing the voices and aspirations of whānau using Māori cultural processes and practices.

Practices include

• Reflecting tika (correctness), pono (faith/truth), and aroha (genuine empathy) in our customary practices.
• Awareness of when and how to use cultural processes and practices of engagement with tamariki/mokopuna, whānau, hapū and iwi.
• Identify appropriate tikanga that supports tamariki/mokopuna and whānau oranga.
• Modeling the use of tikanga with tamariki/mokopuna Māori.

Reflective questions

• Describe how you have used Māori cultural practices and processes in your work. Why did you decide to do this?
• How have you used these practices to guide a safe process for tamariki/mokopuna?
• When using this principle, what experience do you want tamariki/mokopuna and their whānau to have? What will you hear? What will you feel? What will you see?

Working with Māori: Te Toka Tūmoana

Kaitiakitanga

Roles, responsibilities and obligations to protect, keep safe, support and sustain tamariki/mokopuna and whānau oranga.

Guidance

Contributes to intergenerational and sustainable wellbeing.

Nurture

• Increase whanaungatanga networks to strengthen connections and safety.
• Develop a secure bond with whānau and significant others.

Cultural protective factors

• Emotional, physical and spiritual connections are strengthened
• Emotional, physical and spiritual connections contribute to the safety, protection and wellbeing.

You can

Create an environment that actively uses Te Ao Māori knowledge, values and practices.

Practices include

• Using whanaungatanga networks to support the wellbeing and safety of tamariki/mokopuna.
• Working in ways that are respectful to the whānau is evidenced to ensure appropriate tikanga is respected and followed.
• Being guided by a clear understanding of oranga and its holistic, restorative and protective elements.
• Ensuring that mana is enhanced by taking responsibility for your behaviour and demonstrating aroha and manaakitanga, respect, generosity and reciprocity.

Reflective questions

• Describe how you have increased support networks to provide a nurturing environment for tamariki/mokopuna.
• How have you enabled whānau to use their cultural processes to keep tamariki/mokopuna safe and protected?
• Can you give an example of seeing intergenerational wellbeing as a result of your practice?
• What is your understanding about the connection between what you are doing now with the tamariki/mokopuna and their whānau, and the future impact on their wellbeing?
• When using this principle, what experience do you want tamariki/mokopuna and their whānau to have? What will you hear? What will you feel? What will you see?

Working with Māori: Te Toka Tūmoana

Manaakitanga

Caring for and giving service to enhance the potential of others.

Reciprocity

Relationships are built on sincere acts of giving and receiving.

Mana-enhancing practice

Being mana enhancing and respectful, acknowledging boundaries and meeting obligations.

Service

Displaying acts of hospitality and genuine care which is inclusive and respectful.

You can

Identify and enact roles, responsibilities and obligations to care for and strengthen the mana of tamariki/mokopuna and whānau.

Practices include

• Genuine care of the holistic wellbeing of tamariki/mokopuna.
• Recognising and promoting the strengths of tamariki/mokopuna and whānau to reach their full potential.
• Ensuring that engagement is a two-way mana-enhancing process.
• Working collaboratively with others and sharing resources to promote tamariki and mokopuna ora
• Supporting and faciliatating tamariki/mokopuna through the social work process with their mana upheld and strengthened.
• The simple act of sharing.

Reflective questions

• Describe acts of genuine care and hospitality that have happened in your work with tamariki/mokopuna and their whānau.
• Describe a situation where you have practised this principle with tamariki/mokopuna and their whānau.
• Share a time in your practice when you knowingly tapped into the mana of others (mokopuna, whānau, community, work colleagues, etc.) to help tamariki/mokopuna.
• When using this principle, what experience do you want tamariki/mokopuna and their whānau to have? What will you hear? What will you feel? What will you see?

Working with Māori: Te Toka Tūmoana

Whakamanawa

Supporting whānau to emancipate and realise their full potential.

Mana-enhancing practice

• Behaving in mana-enhancing ways.
• Supporting the rights, interests and aspirations of tamariki/mokopuna and whānau that will enhance their wellbeing.

Resilience

Recognise strengths and attributes to increase resilience.

Manifestation of potential

Identify and remove barriers to enhance tamariki/mokopuna wellbeing.

You can

Support the empowerment of mokopuna, tamariki and whānau to reach their full potential.

Practices include

• Strong advocacy of all issues that impact on Māori.
• Valuing the potentiality of others.
• Supporting and facilitating the participation of everyone in planning, decision-making, making it happen and reviewing progress and outcomes.
• Leading 'ora' conversations as the norm.
• Skilful analysis to identify potential blocks and barriers.
• Sharing good information is practised to help in decision-making.
• Ensuring that there is robust, passionate, critical and respectful thinking.
• Acting in mana-enhancing ways with each other.

Reflective questions

• In what ways have you improved the mana of tamariki/mokopuna?
• How have you supported individual and whānau traits to build tamariki/mokopuna resilience?
• How have you supported the uniqueness of tamariki/mokopuna and whānau to help build their resilience?

Working with Māori: Te Toka Tūmoana