While creating a tukutuku panel to celebrate Matariki and Rotorua, the Healthy Families Rotorua team connected with their tīpuna and reinforced unity within themselves.
Last week, the team participated in a tukutuku wānanga, as part of its Te Awhero programme designed to strengthen staff te reo Māori and tikanga competency. Master weaver and Te Arawa Whānau Ora colleague, Ross Wesche, helped bring the team’s vision to life.
Tukutuku is a traditional Māori storytelling art form that carries mātauranga about important kaupapa, such as the cosmos, navigation, and the waka journey from Hawaiki to Aotearoa. Healthy Families Rotorua’s creation depicts Te Motu-tapu-a-Tinirau (Mokoia Island), Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe (Lake Rotorua), Waikimihia (Hinemoa’s bath), the kūmara, and Ngā Whetū o Matariki (The stars of Matariki).
Manager, Jenny Kaka-Scott, says the tukutuku wānanga provided the team with the mātauranga to embrace intergenerational continuity while learning more about Matariki and its associated kupu Māori.
“I loved that our kaiako was our talented colleague, Ross. Tukutuku is a collective activity, which afforded us a brilliant opportunity to build our team bonds even stronger,” she says.
“When we draw on the knowledge of our ancestors, it allows us to contribute our knowledge in the present to be passed down to our descendants. In this way, we’re constantly adding to our collection of mātauranga, updating it, and making it relevant in te Ao Hou (the New Year).
“We recognise that mātauranga Māori can provide unique and innovative ways of thinking and doing things. Our te ao Māori values are highly progressive with a deep commitment to the taiao, and a focus on inter-generational and collective rather than individualistic,” says Jenny.
The team expressed that the tukutuku wānanga provided a fun team bonding experience while learning a new skill, and also instilled a sense of purpose, and moments of self-reflection, understanding and patience.
Healthy Families Rotorua’s newest addition, systems innovator Lois Swinton, says the wānanga delivered on the shores of Lake Rotoiti was an amazing experience and a great opportunity to bond a dream team further.
“It weaved our team together, creating deeper awareness and understanding of each other’s strengths and weaknesses. I felt safe being able to show my vulnerability without judgement. We learned to trust in the process, lean on each other, and accept imperfections as part of the journey,” she says.
