Speech: Titoko o te Ao : Leadership in Action in Whanau Ora- Hon Tariana Turia
Titoko o te Ao : Leadership in Action in Whanau Ora
Turangawaewae Marae, Ngaruawahia
E nga mana e nga reo, koutou kua huihui mai nei, ka nui taku mihi ki a koutou.
Tuheitia, me te Kahui Ariki, e noho mai nei ki Turangawaewae, tena koe, tena koutou.
Waikato-taniwha-rau
He piko, he taniwha
He piko, he taniwha
I greet you today, as uri of Whanganui – a descendant of te awa tupua.
Our rivers connect us to a common whakapapa; our stories link us forever, in the journey we make as whanau; every bend reminding us and inspiring us to cherish the leadership within.
It is entirely right that I am here today, to share with you the experiences of leadership in action in Whanau Ora.
Yesterday I joined with others of our greater whanau, gathered together at Tawata, the final resting place of the late Sir Archie Taiaroa, to remember him, and the indelible mark he left on our lives.
As we thought of him, we shared that powerful association with his grandfather, Titi Tihu, who led the Whanganui River Maori Claim from 1936 until his death in 1988 at the glorious age of 103.
Like my cousin Archie, memories of Koro Titi evoke the strongest sense of presence, ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au.
And through this line we reflect on the tupuna, Karanga Te Kere, and the strength of character and steely determination she passed on to her mokopuna.
At this point in our lives, we of Whanganui descent, are entering one of the most significant markers in our history, as we come closer to agreement with the Crown, about the vital care, protection, management, use and development of te awa tupua.
One of our beliefs in the dialogue we are entering into, is that the health and wellbeing of the iwi is fundamentally interconnected with the health and wellbeing of te awa tupua : the two are inseparable.
I bring this korero to you today, because when I think of Whanau Ora I think of the very essence of who we are - and for us, te awa tupua is central in our tribal heart.
Whanau Ora has never been about Government or providers; it is not a grand opportunity for outsiders to fix a pre-conceived problem.
Whanau Ora is an approach – a journey in the movement of transformation.
It is about returning the power to ourselves; reinvigorating our whanau to know that they are the most powerful source of motivation for change that they will ever meet.
As people of the river; the environmental, cultural and spiritual health and wellbeing of Te Awa Tupua is absolutely associated with our health and wellbeing. It is all interconnected; weaving together the very fabric of our lives.
And so I return to where I began – that it is entirely right that I am here today, to learn and share the stories of leadership in action that you embrace within the concept of Titoko o te Ao.
I was so excited when Tania (Hodges) first approached me to spend some time with you at this first of four wananga in the unique leadership programme being sponsored by Digital Indigenous Com.
I’ve had a sneak preview of the eight days you have ahead of you over the next eight months; and I can tell you if it wasn’t for the fact of something happening at the end of November, I’d dearly love to be able to spend more time in this wonderful opportunity to turn talk into action.
The programme is clearly focused on outcomes – understanding how important results are in maintaining motivation and momentum.
That is exactly what Whanau Ora is all about – that our survival, growth and development is in our hands – and will be most enduring when we own our solutions; plan out our own transformation.
And I want to share with you a message that Sir Mason Durie left with us at the recent Whanau Ora Conference. He said,
“The burdens carried by whanau today must be addressed. But they should not obscure the vision for tomorrow – the translation of high hopes into strong whanau who will lead communities throughout Aotearoa”.
75 years ago, when Koro Titi picked up the mantle of the Whanganui River Claim, he would have hoped the day would have come in his lifetime; that justice would be done; that his mokopuna wouldn’t have to fight for the right to protect and preserve our taonga.
Through the leadership of those before us, we have inherited an energy; a commitment and an investment in our future that remains a beacon of hope for the generations to come.
And that is what is the most exciting element of Whanau Ora for me – that what we are doing in taking on the vision of transformation is to lay the foundation for a strong and prosperous pathway ahead for our mokopuna and their mokopuna after them.
Being here today with you all as you start this journey, I’m reminded of a very well known Waikato pepeha from King Potatau that was said here in Ngaruawahia:
'Kotahi te kohao o te ngira e kuhuna ai te miro ma, te miro pango, te miro whero.
There is but one eye of a needle, through which white, black and red cotton are threaded... that is how I’m thinking of us all on the journey of Whanau Ora:
Titoko o te ao recognises there are many strands that connect our whanau as elements of wellbeing.
It is absolutely critical that we recognise the interconnectedness of health, education, housing, justice, social services, employment – and that we actively encourage intersectorial collaboration : threading the needle through bringing together the diverse sectors rather than being locked into the trap of a silo mentality.
But the most phenomenal aspect of Whanau Ora is of course the context of whanau - the different influences and aspirations of our nannies, and papas our aunties and uncles, our cousins, our parents, our tamariki and mokopuna; it is reaching the potential that each and every one of our whanau deserve.
It’s about capturing all of the aspects that contribute to making us whole individuals and families
Whanau Ora is about whanau driving their situation and when and if service providers are involved, they support them to increase their capacity and their capability.
If we start from the basis of whanau, then our future is already anchored on solid foundations.
I have every confidence that Whanau Ora will turn our lives around – everywhere I go, I see the potential and the passion of our whanau driving us forward.
Through the active support of the 25 whanau collectives - and the 158 providers encompassed within their reach – I have seen incredible commitment; innovative practice and an open willingness to learn from each other, to look for fresh opportunities to place our faith in our whanau.
In coming here today, I was asked to think about the next steps for Whanau Ora.
My greatest hope is that we grow the model of Whanau Ora so that it is, in fact, normalised – that it becomes normal to be whanau centred; it becomes part of best practice for any agent of the state to consider the health and wellbeing as whanau as an essential part of their work.
It is a privilege to be here at the start of your journey as you set yourself goals to focus on whanau leadership.
I wish you well and I thank you, for taking up the challenge to take a bold new path ahead; to focus on wellness, health and resilience; to come together as whanau and truly know your own greatest potential.