Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week represents a moment in which we should take stock of our inclusion of Te Reo in our day to day lives, but also a time to reflect on why this is so important to Aotearoa New Zealand and to physiotherapists and other health professionals.

Incorporating Te Reo in our day to day lives is a significant part of recognising the partnership that our country is based on. Practitioners must have an understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and of how we implement it in our day to day lives, because in doing so we can better understand ourselves as New Zealanders, but we also create the space to achieve better health outcomes for our people.

That’s part of why the Board is working on a Māori cultural competence standard, and why we have included Māori cultural competence in our revision of our CPD framework. It’s also why we developed the Māori leaders scholarship to the Ngā Manukura o Āpōpō Māori programme.

There is, however, still a long way to go and the Board is committed to travelling that road.

Whāia te iti kahurangi ki te tūohu koe me he maunga teitei

There are lots of good ideas for celebrating Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori here and text for bi-lingual signage here. 

Professor Te Kani Kingi talks about health outcomes and cultural competence here.

Dr Ricky Bell on Māori culture and his worldview as a Māori health professional and leader.

https://www.facebook.com/physioboard/videos/445556209272670/