Ngāti Kāpo O Aotearoa Inc. Biennial Conference 2009

Copthorne Hotel, Oriental Bay, Wellington

‘Whakamanawa’

Hon Dr Pita Sharples; Minister of Maori Affairs

Friday 13 November 2009; 9am

This hui has been inspired by the aspirations of Mrs Tawai Te Rangi, a kuia of Ngāti Kāpo ki Te Upoko o te Ika ropu. 

Mrs Te Rangi challenged this hui to focus on the concept of ‘Whakamanawa’ – a concept which embraces several things  - to honour, to bless, to inspire, to promote, to encourage, to refresh and revitalize.

All in all it’s an opportunity to celebrate – to celebrate the achievements of Ngati Kapo; to celebrate your whanau; to celebrate the wellbeing of blind and partially sighted people. 

And in doing so, we are always mindful of the importance to cherish and celebrate the treasures handed down from the ancestors.

Nga taonga tuku iho, tuku iho; no nga tupuna whakamanawa e!

This conference is an opportunity to pay tribute to the founding members, who some 28 years ago in 1981 established a vision, mission and principles to protect the status of kapo Maori and their whanau as tangata whenua of Aotearoa.

This organisation has been on quite a journey since that inaugural meeting of kāpo Māori and their whānau in Auckland in 1981.  Nowadays you boast a membership of more than six hundred; and over twelve Ngati Kapo ropu located throughout Aotearoa.

Today we acknowledge you as the voice of kapo Maori and their whanau.

You have been resolute in your determination to uphold ‘Mana Kāpo – Blind Māori Dignity’;  as an organization your work exemplifies ‘By Māori disabled for Māori disabled’.

But I want to congratulate you particularly, for your courage and commitment in being guided by nga kaupapa tuku iho; the inherited values of your ancestors.

The values that provide a foundation for your future are : Te Tiriti o Waitangi; mana kapo; te awhi tangata; te manaaki tangata; te tautoko tangata; whakapapa raua whanaungatanga.

I have considerable interest in your progress as an organisation in working in a way which lives up to these values.

As a Member of a political party which is guided by many of these same values, I want to share with you our experience that to ‘walk the talk’; to live up to the legacy of these kaupapa, is one of the most challenging roles we set for ourselves.

We believe our task in Parliament is to be advocates for the policy and action that promise a tomorrow that we want for this Nation. 

As advocates we strive to be convincing.  We can do this most effectively by behaving in ways that are mana enhancing; ways that give expression to values that are uplifting and enriching. 

So I mihi to you all, in setting your organization such high aspirations, aspirations best summed up by yourself as ahakoa kaore matou i te kite kei te kite – Although we may be blind we have vision.’

This conference, then, is an opportunity to share that vision with kapo Maori and your whanau.

During the course of this hui, there will be a report on the project Ngati Kapo undertook in partnership with the Donald Beasley Institute; a research project to investigate the health, education, social and cultural impact upon Māori blind and their whānau – “Growing up kāpo Māori”. 

I was really interested in this project when I met with Nigel, Pura, Gayelene and Chrissie earlier this year.

As far as I can work out, this is the first piece of kaupapa Māori research undertaken specific to blind Māori and their whānau.

It is a perfect example of your commitment to self-determination and self-sustainability – to tino rangatiratanga.   Through the work of this project we will all be much better informed about the types of programmes that build self esteem, confidence and independence. 
And so I commend Dr Nancy Higgins, Dr Hazel Phillips, Christine Cowan and Dr Benita Wakefield for your work in exploring how blindness affects Māori and how health and education services impact on the identity, cultural well-being and health of kāpo Māori and their whānau.

Already the research has resulted in a very exciting development – and that is the ongoing work to understand why it is that such a high percentage of kāpo Māori children do not have an identifiable eye diagnosis. 

This is a project you are advancing in a unique partnership with the Blind and Low Vision Education Network of New Zealand and the Tairawhiti District Health Board. 

This hui will also hear about the research to, amongst other things, identify the causes of vision impairment in kāpo Māori children; and to determine the general demographics of kāpo Māori children.  

This data will be absolutely vital to inform ophthalmological services, health and education strategies and service provision; and so as Minister of Maori Affairs I place on record my thanks for the leadership you are demonstrating in bringing the issues for whanau with kapo Maori out into the open.

If we turn to the data for just one moment, according to the 2006 Disability Survey, there were 96,600 Māori with a disability. That’s about 17% of our population.  

Within that, an estimated 10,800 Māori children – that’s 5% of Māori up to the age of 14 years – have a special education disability, and an estimated 10,400 have a chronic condition or health problem that limits their activities.

One of the things that has caused me great concern, is the fact that perceived problems caused by kāpo children in school are deemed to be behavioural rather than a kāpo issue.

We have to be open to learning the true extent to which our young kāpo encounter barriers at home, school, within whānau and in the community – and we need to be doing something to break those barriers, and ensure access and participation for all.

I’m really pleased that you are working with my Ministry, Te Puni Kokiri, to work with 15-24 year old kapo Maori, to share the challenge they are facing, in setting off on a pathway of opportunity for lifeskills and career development.

From the sound of it, the presentation that you’re going to get very soon is really exciting.  As I understand it there’s a real buzz around the rangatahi development strategy – marketing, education, social/recreation, employment and the “S-Factor” (Self awareness, self confidence and self determination).

I want to share with you, some of the ideas that I have been developing about how we can best support all of our whanau to be the very best that they can be.

We know whanau are creative, they are innovative, they are brave – and that most whanau are self-determining – proud not to be reliant on the state.   And there are other whanau whom circumstances have made vulnerable – and our kaupapa leads us to know that we should offer support when we can.

Recently I launched a trio of initiatives that were about countering the impacts of our current recession on whānau, and emphasising whānau is part of our solution moving forward.

One of those initiatives was the network of Kaitoko Whānau, which will work directly with community groups, Māori service providers and local and government agencies to ensure that whānau are receiving all the assistance available to them.

As an example, Ngati Kapo might be concerned about the uptake of government provided disability supports. 

A particular concern is the Domestic Purposes Benefit for the Care at Home of the Sick or Inform, as it appears that many Māori carers may be eligible for this type of income support but are not currently receiving it.  Kaitoko whanau workers, in working with whanau, will be charged with the responsibility to be proactive in searching out supports such as this.

The other two initiatives are Māra Kai, and Oranga Whānau.

Māra Kai is about establishing community and whānau gardens and reconnecting with traditional ways of planting, growing and harvesting vegetables and fruit.

Oranga Whānau, which I launched just a few days ago at Ruapotaka Marae in Glen Innes, is about whāngai or nurturing of our children and parents.    Oranga Whānau will provide for nga kuia to be engaged and mobilised in the community to assist parents and caregivers and their whānau to identify their immediate needs and respond appropriately.

We visualise the Oranga Whānau’s task is to re-weave or reconnect whānau back into the tribal whariki, a human mat built on strong whānau relationships, so that whānau are supported by their already strengthened whānau systems.

I’m really excited by the potential for each of these projects  - and I’m excited because the whānau lies at the heart of each of these initiatives; it is the vehicle by which we will help ourselves.

My colleague, Tariana Turia, is also leading a cross-government initiative around whanau ora – which calls for a transformation of government services to place whanau at the centre – rather than perpetuate a focus on the problems of individuals. 

It starts from the premise of building on our strengths rather than highlighting our weaknesses; whanau ora calls for collaboration, cooperation and commitment to make the difference we need for our people.

Finally, I want to just draw our attention to two other key developments for kapo Maori and their whanau.

The first is WAI 2109  - the claim being advanced by Maaka Tibble.  The claim states that Māori who are kāpo (blind, vision impaired and deaf blind) and their whānau are prejudicially affected by institutionalisation and deinstitutionalisation.

The second is a thesis by Te Momo Ivan Prentus in relation to the pursuit of te reo Maori.   As we know, Te Reo Māori is a very significant cultural marker for Kāpō Māori to identify themselves as Māori.   The thesis explores the challenges that kapo Maori face in their pursuit of te reo.

All of these issues, and so much more, will no doubt be teased apart and expanded upon in the course of this hui.   This is really important korero to be having and I encourage you all to stay focused on the outcomes we seek for our whanau.
Those outcomes will be evident in an improved quality of life for visually impaired and blind Maori and their whanau.   They will be evident in the strength of your advocacy; the confidence of your peer support; the health and wellbeing of your whanau.

I wish you well for this hui, and I pledge you my total support in your leadership of the pathway ahead for kapo Maori.

Tena tatou katoa.

 
ends
 

Helen Leahy

Senior Ministerial Advisor

Telephone: (04) 817-9170

Facsimile: (04) 817-6525

Cell: 021-881-031

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