Source: Radio New Zealand
Ngā Kaitiaki Mauri board member, Russell Smith. Supplied/Ngā Kaitiaki Mauri
The first dedicated kaupapa Māori workforce capability framework for the mahi tūkino (sexual violence) sector has been launched.
Advocates hope the framework will support the “under-resourced and stretched” Māori workforce supporting victims of physical and sexual violence.
The framework, He Ara Toiora, was launched on Thursday by Ngā Kaitiaki Mauri (NKM). It was developed over a two-year period in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development (MSD).
Ngā Kaitiaki Mauri board member Russell Smith (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa) told RNZ it was a response to long-standing Māori-led workforce development for specialist services and was developed with the input of kaupapa Māori practitioners, workforce expertise and lived experiences.
“But more broadly, it was developed because of the significant undervalued recognition of kaimahi Māori who were working in the mahi tūkino space and what that meant was that we were often overlooked, under-resourced, definitely under-resourced, and that led into a whole lot of other issues.”
Smith said kaimahi Māori were often forced to learn and work under other methodologies of practice that may or may not align with a Māori way of thinking.
Having the framework would give the workforce validity, as for a long time there had been a lack of acknowledgement of kaupapa Māpro services, he said.
“It’s a stronger Māori-led, whānau-centred workforce development. So kaupapa Māori approaches like, you know, during Covid-19, for example, showed that when workforce development is guided by Māori values like whanaungatanga and manaakitanga, kaimahi are more effective and better supported.
“And just as a note, under Covid-19, kaupapa Māori were the largest social services that mobilised out into the community.”
But, when Covid started to “slow down” the strategies and protocols that Māori services had put in place to combat it were pushed aside and no longer acknowledged, he said.
“It also creates visibility, a visible, skilled, resilient Māori workforce across sectors. We know because of the under-resourcing of workforce development for Māori, that it’s not a resilient workforce. For example, we have services that find it really difficult to get staff who are kaimahi Māori.”
Māori services also could not compete with mainstream or with the public service when it came to pay, he said.
“It’s also about workforce wellbeing and safe whānau-centred workplaces. So when services, kaupapa Māori services become under-resourced, we get stretched. I mean, just recently from the flooding and that, we already know that our marae are already under the pump because we’re the first ones to open our doors.”
Wāhine Māori were more likely to be affected by violence than any other ethnicity. More than half (58 percent) experienced physical and/or sexual violence from a partner in their lifetime, according to a briefing paper provided to incomming ministers in 2023.
Smith said the data remained grim, especially considering the majority of sexual offences went under-reported to the police.
He Ara Toiora would help ensure the Māori workforce has sustainable funding and resources to mobilise into under-reported communities, he said.
Ngā Kaitiaki Mauri board member, Russell Smith. Supplied/Ngā Kaitiaki Mauri
“So when… kaimahi Māori start to reach out, then we know that there’s an increase in reporting because we’re reaching out into those communities. In short, the data remains grim for wāhine Māori and that needs to change right across the board.”
Smith said it was a no brainer to be investing into He Ara Toiora, and he hoped as the framework moved forward the workforce would get better at preventing sexual violence from occurring in the first place.
Mark Henderson, MSD general manager – Safe Strong Families and Communities, said the ministry was proud to support He Ara Toiora. It provided $700,000 of funding over two years toward developing the framework.
“This is about professional development and career growth for the kaupapa Māori sexual violence workers who deliver the services we fund. We’ll continue to support its implementation throughout the sector.”
He Ara Toiora was intended for use by Kaupapa Māori organisations working in prevention, response, and healing, as well as organisations seeking to build capability and capacity in the area.
Implementation would be supported through online access and a series of region-based wānanga across Aotearoa over the next six to 12 months, alongside MSD-supported engagement processes.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
