In the spirit of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, we asked some of our Hauora Tairāwhiti whanau what Te Reo Māori means to them.
A new staff member will be added here and posted on our Facebook page, each day of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori.
Hauora Tairāwhiti Chief Executive, Jim Green
“Te Reo is an increasingly important way to ensure messages around Hauora are conveyed with their full meaning and relevance to the people of our community.
As use of Te Reo grows we enrich (Whakarangatira) the depth of our care (Awhi), joining together (Kotahitanga) in a common language of compassion (Aroha).
Te Reo therefore helps us to live our WAKA values.”
Hauora Tairāwhiti Board Chair, David Scott
“Kia ora kotou engari Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori tino pai rawa atu.
Te Reo is a huge part of my life and has been for some 40 years.
It has enabled me to move between two cultures and it is a privilege to be able to learn, and understand the importance of Māori and Māori culture - which is especially relevant to all of us who live in Tairāwhiti.”
Hauora Tairāwhiti Director of Allied Health, Arish Naresh
"Kia Ora, Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori is significant to me because language plays a crucial part in mantaining culture.
"Having been born in Fiji, being able to converse in native Fijian and my own mother tongue was beneficial. I am trying to learn more Te Reo and definitely make an effort to use it throughout the year. Learning a language is not just a matter of words but it's about the imagination and philosphy that goes with it."
Hauora Tairāwhiti Student Physiotherapist (AUT), Georgia Harris
“Well it’s the native language of New Zealand and something I have always been immersed in - at school and just growing up in Gisborne. I also work at Gisborne Hospital, where Te Reo Māori is all around us.
“I definitely think Te Reo should be more prominent in our country but I’m not sure how to make that happen. In terms of our WAKA Values here, we use those with our patients and within our team every day, so that is a good place to start.”