Te Reo Maori Is Imperative for Research and Practice in Aotearoa. He Taonga Te Reo. Korerotia! Tuhia!

Abstract

Nursing has a proud heritage in Aotearoa. The country continues to benefit from Irihapeti Ramsden's conceptualisation of cultural safety, and its incorporation into nursing requirements by the Council; the establishment of Te Kaunihera o Nga Neehi Maori o Aotearoa, the National Council of Maori Nurses; the development of Maori nurse training programmes addressing the under-representation of Maori in the nursing workforce; the commitment of nurses to working with Maori communities in whanau ora services. These are all examples of praxis - putting the principles of Te Tiriti into practice. Te reo Maori (Maori language) is central to the governance, provision and development of health care and health research from a Maori worldview.Maori language and tikanga have a critical role in health care in Aotearoa New Zealand. Maori patients and whanau feel more respected when their names are pronounced correctly and they are greeted appropriately. Patient-directed use of the language supports positive relationships with Maori patients and whanau, and enhances perceptions of the quality of care (Pitama et al., 2011). Developing skills in te reo Maori can also boost the confidence of health professionals working with Maori patients, whanau and communities.Language revitalisation requires increased exposure and access to the language throughout all spheres of life, including research and scholarship. For those of us learning te reo, and those of us involved in health research, the abstracts in this journal provide kupu Maori (vocabulary) that can support us to speak or write about our research in te reo.Confidence in pronouncing and teaching key Maori resources, models of health, strategies, and policies is also vital for tertiary educators. Teachers who are worried about pronunciation may avoid focusing on important Maori models of health such as Te Whare Tapa Wha or Te Wheke, or even key policies and strategies such as He Korowai Oranga, the Maori Health Strategy. Such an absence disadvantages students and ultimately weakens our health system's ability to achieve health equity. Free or low cost courses in Maori language are available online and in many communities or institutions.The Waitangi Tribunal has alluded to the potential for developing new Treaty principles from their conclusive findings that sovereignty was not ceded by the rangatira who signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Waitangi Tribunal, 2014). The world view, the language, the tikanga of Maori values and philosophy can be recentered in our mahi in health, in research, and in education. …