Stasia, a Library Assistant at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, on her applied learnings and challenges while on the Whiria te Tāngata programme.
Whiria te Tāngata has been a bit of a dream come true for me. I’ve always loved libraries, growing up helping my mum in her various public and school library roles; but my degree in Māori Studies helped me realise that my area of passion lies in Māori politics and te reo Māori education.
I’ve been lucky enough to be able to bring a lot of my knowledge in this area into my mahi at Te Pātaka Kōrero a te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington’s Library, but when I read the description of the Whiria te Tāngata course, I knew it was an unmissable opportunity to help me grow this area of my own and my team’s skillset.
Akoranga
So far, we’ve looked into mātauranga Māori within the library sector and professional development through the Te Tōtara Capability Framework, and we are now focussing on data, research and evidence strategies. These modules have all involved learning new content and then using this to analyse our own organisations’ capability levels in the areas.
My learning journey has definitely been challenging at times; there are always both positives and negatives to be found when analysing what these topics look like within my organisation, but these modules have really helped me identify the gaps, particularly in my own approaches to my team’s development. Looking into these areas in a more structured, intentional way has been a great way of not becoming overwhelmed by all the difficulties and downfalls, and making sure to acknowledge the areas where we have made progress too.
Whanaungatanga
One of the things I am most grateful to this course for is the many connections I have made along the way. I’ve not only had the opportunity to bond with the amazing group of wāhine in my cohort, but we also were lucky enough to attend Te Rōpū Whakahau’s Hui a-Tau, alongside a bunch of INCREDIBLE Māori working in libraries or library-adjacent mahi. Our day of governance training in Auckland also gave us the chance to meet some new faces and strengthen some of the connections we’d already made.
Finding a group of fellow librarians who share the same values, passions and concerns as me has made an enormous difference to my mahi. As a tertiary librarian, I think that a lot of us within Te Pātaka Kōrero often feel quite isolated, both from our wider institution and from other libraries around the country. My time in this course, and particularly at Te Hui a-Tau, has shown me how many people there are out there doing almost the exact same mahi, and fighting very similar fights. Building up these relationships, and knowing that I have those people around to tautoko and inspire me, has made my journey in this mahi feel so much more possible and so much more exciting.
Rangatiratanga
These learning modules have been an amazing support in applying a Māori worldview to my mahi, and I’ve already found so many ideas and adjustments to implement along the way. I’m looking forward to really digging into the project mahi and seeing how I can bring all my learning to my team in a meaningful, sustainable way!
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