A fundamental part of who we are as an organisation is our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, including to all our obligations under this founding document. One of the core principles of Te Tiriti is ‘Protection’ – and this includes the protection and strengthening of the beautiful taonga, te reo Māori. Over the last few years, we’ve embarked on a number of initiatives aimed at both increasing the use of te reo Māori, and implementing te reo translations in key areas of the organisation. We’ve now expanded this effort in a whole new way with the inclusion of te reo in iplanit, the Client Management System for NZCL.
New Zealand Health Group, along with the organisations we encompass, are driven by our purpose of Pae Ora mō Tātau Katoa – Achieving Equitable Wellbeing for Everyone. Pae Ora underpins everything we do and when developing our Pae Ora plan at a Central Hui workshop in Horowhenua with Kaumātua Matt Mataamua, an initiative by a Positive Behaviour Support Planner was to include Te Reo in iplanit. This whakaaro (idea) sparked the fire and it was all go after this!
Bringing te reo Māori to iplanit has been a collective journey, including our Cultural Services Team in conjunction with Kaumātua Tamati Cairns and La Winterburn, and supported by both our iplanit administrator and iplanit vendor Aspirico.
The inclusion of these translations is the first time we’re aware of that te reo Māori has been included in iplanit – we’re proud to be on the cutting edge of highlighting and preserving te reo in the way we work. We hope that others will follow and continue to promote and normalise te reo in the health and disability sector.
These translations are now in place for NZCL Residential, Respite, and Vocational services as well as Whānau Support – and we plan to expand into whānau-facing pages.
To join us in celebrating the release of iplanit in te reo Māori, keep an eye out for information about a special presentation for managers and support workers around kupu Māori and pronunciation.
