Whiria te Tāngata – Life and times of a kākaho

From the four corners of the country

Early (and I do mean early) on a pleasant spring morning in late September 2022, 12 strangers made their way to Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa – the National Library in Poneke | Wellington. The purpose – the inaugural hui of Whiria te Tāngata. Selected from nearly 100 applicants, we 12 literally come from the four corners of the country.

With various skills, backgrounds and experiences, our group is an eclectic mix that works cohesively well together. Unified by our collective desire to be part of this future-focused initiative, discussions are dynamic, respectful, and insightful with a liberal sprinkling of humour thrown in for good measure – and that was just the first gathering!

Bold, brave opportunity for Library sector sustainable growth

Over the past three months, we have met virtually via ‘Zui’ and within cyberspace via our digital workspace. Our role as Kākaho is to review, analyse and consider how the four frameworks, born from the New Zealand Library Partnership Programme (NZLPP), could support our organisations, either in part or entirety.

For me, as I have moved through the frameworks I’ve begun to appreciate the immense amount of work that has gone into producing these. At face value, the frameworks can seem quite overwhelming because they are a new way of approaching learning from a proactive rather than a reactive position. But what they truly are is an exciting, bold and brave opportunity for the Library sector to achieve its aim of sustainable growth.

Embracing mātauranga Māori

Perhaps the most exciting thing for me is that the frameworks are built on a foundation of mātauranga Māori. Thus allowing for the application of a te ao Māori lens to ensure the principles, key concepts, practices and approach to engagement and collaboration are informed by tikanga.

Now there are those in the wider community who would have you believe that you lose something by embracing mātauranga Māori. But the truth is you don’t, in fact you gain something – an exciting new way of not only approaching but viewing things. All you’re asked to do is open your mind by stepping away from disparaging ‘deficit colonial thinking’ and move to an inclusive accepting 21st-century way of thinking where anything is possible.

Exciting times

It’s exciting times with the alluring possibility of “building the capability and skills of the sector; communicate the value of the sector, including how it supports community recovery and resilience; and take an ‘action learning’ approach.” Within my own organisation we’ve begun considering aspects of this mahi but with the understanding ‘Ōtautahi wasn’t rebuilt in a day’.

I am continually mindful of a whakataukī that another Kākaho, Simon Whitlock shared with our rōpū: te piko o te māhuri, tērā te tupu o te rākau - the way in which the sapling is nurtured, determines how the tree will grow. Thus we welcome a lot of discussions, considerations and pondering that await us.

So there it is and here we are at the beginning. My hope is that the Library sector is brave enough to embrace the new and fulfil the aims and aspirations of this mahi. My wero to you is will you join us? Will you embrace the change? If not now, then when? If not you, then who?

Mā te wā e hoa ka kite…