Rangatahi Māori

Te hiringa matua, te hiringa tangata, te hiringa o te rangatahi

This workshop has been designed to be relevant to all professionals working with young Māori (rangatahi). Participants will learn current and applied knowledge that will further develop their own cultural competence.

"Hiringa" recognises the essential driving force that is necessary to activate and enable Māori potential. Hiringa can initiate transformative outcomes for rangatahi and can enable transcendance from negative or destructive realities. In this presentation, leading academic and Māori cultural expert Professor Meihana Durie will highlight specific rangatahi-centred pathways that galvanize hiringa leading to flourishing vitality (mauriora), enhanced wellbeing (hauora) and that forge further capacity for resilience (manawaroa). A selection of compelling initiatives will be examined to ascertain the critical success factors that have led to profound and enduring outcomes for rangatahi, whānau and their communities. A wider aim of this presentation is to guide participants in refining the pathways that engender a greater capacity for rangatahi to cultivate pūmanawa (potential) and to develop pūkenga (life-skills). Whilst the focus is specifically on rangatahi Māori, the approaches shared during the presentation are as equally applicable to other life stages.

Some of the specific content Meihana will discuss includes:

• An examination of current challenges and opportunities for rangatahi and whānau and the implications for those who work with them;
• The application of tikanga (Māori cultural practices) that safeguard mana (spiritual vitality) and elevate mauri (physical vitality);
• The relevance of Māori cultural practices in the paradigm of modern practice & how the two can come together to make a difference for young people
• Applying Māori models of health and education within a Whānau Ora frame;
• An exploration of critical elements that help to build personal identity alongside Māori cultural identity for rangatahi, including:
  • Unpacking and finding relevance within essential messages contained within Māori cultural narratives;
  • Collaboration to shape culturally-grounded practices to align with contemporary realities of rangatahi, their whānau & communities
  • Harnessing creativity (whaihanga) to fuel positive growth
  • Acquisition and use of Te Reo Māori and Māori knowledge

This presentation is aimed at those who work with or alongside rangatahi in clinical practice and support roles, as well as those working in education, social service, whānau ora provision, health promotion, and community development roles.

Professor Meihana Durie heads Te Pūtahi-a-Toi (School of Māori Knowledge) at Massey University where he engages in research, teaching and community-orientated work around cultivating transformative outcomes for whānau, and Māori communities. He was previously based at Te Wānanga o Raukawa where he helped establish Ngā Purapura, an iwi-driven initiative built around high performance sport, exercise and Māori health education. Meihana is a past recipient of the Sir Peter Snell Doctoral Scholarship in Exercise Science and Public Health and the HRC Hohua Tutengaehe Postdoctoral Fellowship Award.