LOGIN:
Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent, and not enough time on what is important – Stephen Covey.
After yet another busy week, with our kaimahi attending events and hui up and down the motu, I have found myself reflecting on the importance of investing time wisely. I’m sure that we are all familiar with kōrero about not having enough hours in the day, of feeling stretched thin or burnt out. For many of us, it is a daily juggling act to make sure we are dedicating enough time to each area of our life – our whānau, our mahi, and ourselves.
I cannot pretend that I’ve struck upon a solution just yet, and in fact I regularly find myself borrowing against my own time to make it up in other areas. Working in Whānau Ora is demanding, because of course we are always aware of what is at stake: the wellbeing of our whānau and hapori. It’s easy to tell ourselves that it’s worth sacrificing whānau time or an hour of sleep in the evening if it means clearing our inboxes and keeping kaupapa moving along.
My own time management is still a work in progress, but I have been reflecting on the whakaaro of understanding what is truly urgent, and what is important.
If nothing else, the past two years have taught us that it is possible to escape the mentality that every phone call needs to be answered immediately and every email responded to the same day – both the calls and emails we receive, and those we send out to others.
As Pouārahi, I know it is my responsibility to demonstrate this attitude to my kaimahi, and to make sure that our workflows are motivated by true importance rather than a false sense of urgency. Sometimes that means deferring a hui until another day so that we can focus on meeting an important deadline. Other times that might mean taking the time to share kai and whanaungatanga so we can make sure we all have the rest and wellbeing we need to continue.
The problems of time management are not unique to Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu, or indeed to Whānau Ora. However, our values as an organisation and network put us in a unique position to find new ways of working that allow our kaimahi to look after all aspects of their wellbeing, while continuing to deliver outstanding outcomes for whānau and hapori across Te Waipounamu.
This week a team of our kaimahi have travelled to the bottom of the motu to support the Rangatahi Zone. This amazing initiative has been created by the Tuurama Trust to provide some much-needed fun, healing, inspiration and creativity to rangatahi throughout Murihiku during the school holiday period. Held over three days from 5-7 October, Rangatahi Zone is making use of venues right across the Bluff township. With over 3,000 registrations, tamariki and rangatahi have been participating in activation zones that range from axe throwing, smash out rooms, mahi toi, beauty therapy, gaming, planting trees, mirimiri, cooking and much more.
Our team have been on hand to support the activation zones, giving away RUIA merchandise and prize packs and spreading good vibes, sharing dance moves and engaging with whānau to get a better understanding of their needs and wants when it comes to their health and mental wellbeing. Despite the wild weather (rain, snow, hail and sunshine), rangatahi have been turning out in droves to take part and it’s been fantastic to see them enjoying the event, making new connections and feeling cared for by their community. Check out the photos below for some highlights and click here to read more about this special event.
This week our new Tū Pono Contracts Advisor Riki Paea was in Te Tauihu to connect with whānau working in this space throughout the rohe. Tū Pono is an extremely important workstream for our hapori, with a focus on raising awareness and developing whānau-led solutions to family violence. Having a dedicated role within Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu will allow us to support the ongoing growth of this mahi and to maintain close relationships with the amazing whānau leading the way for Tū Pono in our communities throughout the motu.
This week’s haerenga to Te Tauihu was part of this journey, and Riki was delighted to spend time at Te Āwhina Marae in Motueka on Wednesday, and at Te Hauora o Ngāti Rarua and Te Mana Kaha o Te Whānau o Te Tauihu in Blenheim on Thursday.
Last week we celebrated two special occasions in the tari: Leanna Pardoe had a birthday and Terina Harper graduated. Leanna celebrated her 28th birthday with cake and flowers, and Terina Harper received her Bachelor of Science from Lincoln University. We are grateful that we could share in the celebration of these important milestones and want to acknowledge both of these wonderful kaimahi for their hard work and dedication to Whānau Ora in Te Waipounamu.
We are delighted to share that our Aroā workstream will be hosting another cervical screening event at Te Whenua Taurikura in Ōtautahi on 5 November, after our first two events in June and July were completely booked out. It is fantastic to see whānau respond so well to this kaupapa which tells us that there is a genuine need for them – wāhine and tāngata Māori value the opportunity to learn more about cervical cancer and undergo their regular screening in a space that is designed especially for Māori, by Māori. Our thanks to He Waka Tapu, Screen South and #smearyourmea for their support with these events. Click here to register your interest in attending – if you are not sure, watch the video below to learn more about what these events are like!
