Reflecting on Whiria te Tāngata

Whiria te Tāngata opportunity

In mid-2022 I saw an email from LIANZA about the opportunity to apply to be a Kākaho with Whiria te Tāngata – Toitū te Mātauranga, which was an initiative created as part of the New Zealand Libraries Partnership Programme, designed to help support and develop the sustainability of the library sector and the work we do with communities across Aotearoa.

At that time, I was employed as a Library Manager with a large co-educational secondary school in Auckland. I had been in this role for nearly 15 years and was acutely aware of the struggle a lot of libraries (school libraries in particular) experienced in receiving support, funding, and resources.

School libraries create lifelong learners

School libraries fit perfectly within the goals, objectives, and overall mission of schools and education in general. My school talked about creating lifelong learners as well as increasing student literacy levels. Reading for pleasure is obviously a big part of increasing literacy levels for developing readers. Key to this is having a variety of high-interest and popular material, both fiction and non-fiction, for students to be able to access and read. A poorly resourced school library with old and tatty books and an outdated collection will be less appealing to budding readers.

Schools always have competing areas of interest in terms of priority, but it seems obvious to me that a school library can become of huge value to the school community if its intrinsic value is recognised, valued, and supported by the Board and Senior Management Team (i.e. the decision makers).

Moving location

So, it was with this in mind that I was interested in applying to be part of Whiria te Tāngata. At around the same time, I also applied for a position with the Far North District Council (FNDC) as a Casual Librarian. My wife is from Pupuke, Whangaroa, and our three boys were all grown up with our pōtiki (youngest child) in his last year of school. My partner was very keen to move ‘home’ to her tūrangawaewae (the place where one has rights of residence and belonging through kinship and whakapapa).

As it turned out I was successful with both applications which set the wheels in motion for a move North and a chance to do something different. I was a bit worried at the time however as I realised that my role as a Casual Librarian with FNDC would probably not allow me many opportunities to influence the library system up here at a strategic or managerial type level, but the organisers at Whiria te Tāngata were keen for me to continue and that is where my new journey began!

The Whiria te Tāngata programme

The programme was split into four modules:

• Waharua — Mātauranga Māori

• Poutama — Workforce Capability

• Purapura Whetū — Date, Research, and Evidence

• Niho Taniwha — Collective Impact

At first, it all looked a little daunting but along the way, I realised that if a bunch of librarians from across the sector were to brainstorm around the sustainability of libraries, then most ideas and concepts would naturally fall into these four different areas (it was a bit of a lightbulb moment for me!).

Meeting my colleagues in the programme

In September 2022, we all met at the National Library Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, and I distinctly remember feeling a little nervous and anxious because I was meeting a lot of new people and starting with something very different to what I was used to, and also because I was asked to speak on behalf of our group as the manuhiri (visitors) at the whakatau (formal welcome).

My whaikōrero (speech) was fine in the end and well-received by everybody and I remember feeling very happy and honoured to have been asked and relieved that I did not make too many errors!

I did not realise in that moment that being in the foyer of the National Library we were just metres away from He Tohu which houses Te Tiriti o Waitangi (1840) and He Whakaputanga (1835). It is upon reflection that I am glad I stepped up to this challenge because my wife and our children are directly descended from Te Ururoa (Ngāpuhi, Ngati Kahu, Te Tahawai) who is the third signature of the rangatira (chiefs) who signed Te Whakaputanga. It was moving to later be called into He Tohu and see the original document and Ururoa’s name and to see the inked signature that my children’s tupuna (ancestor) had made.

Well, that was just the beginning of our haerenga (journey). A whole lot of learning and sharing happened along the way and later this month (May 2023) we will all be coming together again for our last formal get-together for a noho-marae (marae stay) on Waiheke at Piritahi marae. This in itself has a certain feel of synchronicity as piritahi means to be together, and we will all be together again for one last time as part of Whiria te Tāngata.

Reflecting on my experience

We (the twelve kākaho and three kaiwhakahaere (organisers) have all worked together so well and I will miss our fortnightly ‘zui’ and catch-ups. There have been the obvious benefits of being part of this group around growth and development but also the more ‘behind the scenes’ benefits of collaboration, information sharing, and networking.

Nāu to rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi

With your basket and my basket the people will thrive

We are the inaugural group of kākaho but I also now think that we are kākano (seeds) as well, as we plant, embed, and nurture what we have learnt into the different library organisations we work for. I can honestly say that I have benefited greatly on a personal level through my participation in the Whiria te Tāngata programme.

Ki te kotahi te kākaho ka whati, ki te kāpuia, e kore e whati. (Nā Kīngi Tāwhiao tēnei tongi).

If there is but one toetoe stem it will break, but if they are together in a bundle they will never break. (This saying is by King Tāwhiao).
— maoridictionary.com

Nā reira, e pirangi ana au ki te tuku mihi maioha ki ngā kākaho katoa o te hotaka nei, me te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, me nga kaiwhakahaere tokotoru, ko Carla, rātou ko Rā, ko Jewels.

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Mauri tū, mauri ora!