Weaving cultural knowledge into our mahi

Our kaimahi work on the frontline of family and sexual violence, so they need strong support and connection to sustain their vital mahi. A key part of this is ensuring that they have opportunities to become culturally grounded themselves, so they can pass these learnings onto the whānau they walk alongside.

To that end, many of our kaimahi recently attended a tukutuku panel wananga, which was a wonderful way to deepen their connection to te ao Māori.

“I really enjoyed being part of the tukutuku wānanga with our team,” one of our kaimahi reflected. “Moana created such a calm, open space for us to learn and gave us the freedom to work at our own pace. I loved how she would drop in pātai and whakataukī as we went, it made me think deeper about what I was weaving and the meaning behind it.”

“Doing tukutuku reminded me how much patience and presence it takes. It’s not just making a pattern, every stitch holds kōrero, whakapapa and wairua. I left feeling really inspired and more grounded in who I am as a Māori wāhine. It was one of those experiences that stays with you, not just in the panels we made but in the way it brought us together as kaimahi.”

We look forward to delivering more opportunities for our kaimahi to immerse themselves deeper into our culture – so that in turn, they can share this powerful knowledge with whānau.

Kotahi te aho ka whati, ki te kāpuia e kore e whati.
One strand of flax is easy to break, but many strands together will stand strong.