One company that takes its cultural competency seriously is workplace training provider Education Unlimited. Not only do they support their clients to dive into the Māori bicultural space, but they also walk the talk, with an internal Māori development programme that’s compulsory for all their staff. 

We catch up with Education Unlimited Māori advisor Thomas Taiaroa (Ngāti Uenuku/ Ngāti Rangi, Te Ātihaunui- a Pāpārangi, Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Ngā Rauru, Ngati Kuri and Ratana) to find out more about the impact Education Unlimited’s unique Ka Ora programme is having on all those who work there.

Why did Education Unlimited start its Ka Ora Māori Development Programme?
Education Unlimited Founder Tina Rose wanted to embrace and acknowledge tangata whenua through learning and utilising reo in everyday life and therefore felt an importance for those waving the Education Unlimited flag to do the same. So about two years ago we started implementing Ka Ora as a way to increase the use of te reo Māori among our employees, tutors and contractors.

What does it entail?
It’s an internal te reo Māori programme with fortnightly one-on-one sessions in which I tailor training according to the level of each staff member. But te reo Māori doesn’t walk alone – it needs guidelines of practice or tikanga. It’s like seeing tikanga as a policy and te reo as a procedure. Every staff member has created a mihi (greeting), acknowledging their lived experiences in Aotearoa, and others have developed a pepeha (a form of introduction establishing whānau affiliation). We’ve learnt about things like sentence structure, time markers and possessives, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi has also featured, with explanations around te reo and the interpretations of context along with some kōrero around the articles. In addition we have a reo lesson called Te Kupu o te Wiki (the word of the week) which is a weekly email with a word or phrase sent out to participants to assist in building vocabulary.

What is the most rewarding aspect of teaching this programme?
The thing I enjoy most is the utilisation of te reo in the workplace, in the delivery of programmes and in general conversation, which is a step towards normalisation.

Have you noticed a growing appetite within other organisations to honour Māori language, tikanga and Te Tiriti principles at work?
Absolutely! This is evident in the media outlets and social media platforms with greetings and farewells. Many emails I receive, regardless of who from, will drop a greeting or mihi, and wrap up with a farewell. There will be different reasons for different businesses as to why they want to utilise te reo, which I think is great for te reo and its users alike.

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Why is it so important for organisations to build their cultural competence?
With the fast growth of our reo being used in everyday communication, I guess you have to know to understand, otherwise assumption prevails and te reo has been misinterpreted and lost in translation.

Through your work at Education Unlimited you also support other businesses to build their cultural capability. Can you tell us about an organisation you have recently worked with? 

Link Alliance is one of our clients and they expressed a desire for a reo Māori component within the training we deliver to them. I worked with them to develop a programme based on pepeha and mihi which each learner presents at their graduation. This requires a level of confidence, which is developed through standing to deliver their mihi and pepeha regularly and practicing to stand tall with pride and confidence.

Can you tell us briefly about your own reo journey?
It started unintentionally when I was young when I used to do karakia, kapa haka and hymns for the Māori Catholic community’s Easter weekend celebrations. Unfortunately, I missed out on the kõhanga reo movement as it was initiated after my preschool years. My dad also missed out due to the laws of the time not allowing te reo Māori to be spoken. I joined his journey when I was about 10, starting with Ātarangi, a beginners course in te reo. My journey continued at secondary school and once I left school, I did some courses with Te Wānanga o Āotearoa. I was also involved in kapa haka for the national competition Te Matatini. Above all of that, my main learnings come from just being around friends and family, prolific speakers and being involved on the marae, both on the paepae and in the kitchen.

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And finally, this week is Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2023, Māori Language Week! Can you share a reo phrase that is meaningful to you?
Mā te mahitahi, ka tipu te mātauranga, mā te mātauranga, ka tipu hei tangata.

Education Unlimited’s whakatauāki: Through working together, knowledge is grown, from that knowledge people are grown.

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