{"id":266,"date":"2024-12-19T11:53:23","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T11:53:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/inclusion\/?p=266"},"modified":"2024-12-19T11:53:23","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T11:53:23","slug":"the-voices-of-all-nga-reo-o-te-katoa-in-new-zealand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/inclusion\/2024\/12\/19\/the-voices-of-all-nga-reo-o-te-katoa-in-new-zealand\/","title":{"rendered":"The voices of all (Ng\u0101 reo o te katoa) in New Zealand"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guest blog by Kate Robinson, University Librarian:<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not often that I attend a conference where so much attention is given to celebrating the culture and voices of all, but the 44th<\/sup> International Association of University Libraries in Auckland did just that. Collaboratively led on behalf of IATUL by three local Universities, the organisers took exceptional care to acknowledge the diversity of the Library, Information and Knowledge profession and to provide a platform to share experiences and knowledge. Intertwined throughout the event were the language and cultural practices of M\u0101ori colleagues, which enriched our collective experience and fostered a deeper understanding of this unique culture.<\/p>\n

\"AThroughout the conference elements of Te Ao M\u0101ori (the M\u0101ori world) were incorporated to respect and celebrate the status of M\u0101ori as tangata whenua (people of the land), with opportunities to engage with traditional M\u0101ori practices, language and perspectives.<\/p>\n

The conference was preceded by a P\u014dwhiri, an elaborate ritual of encounter between the hosts and visitors. The process was underpinned by values and principles to uphold and uplift the dignity (mana) and sanctity (tapu) of everyone involved. The ceremony was intended to help eliminate any barriers and inhibitions for those new to a place and space, so they are free to interact and engage. It ensures their life force (mauri) and their spirit (wairua) are sustained and nurtured during their stay. It also offers an opportunity to connect by acknowledging existing relationships and fostering new ones. Once welcomed in this way, with mutual speeches and ritual, we were told we would always be welcome, whenever we returned. These strong and engaging messages were an extremely powerful way to promote inclusion for all participants and to encourage a sense of belonging and value right from the start.<\/p>\n

Song and chanting (waiata tauoko) were also interwoven throughout, as were karakia (prayers or incantations). Waiata are an important part of protocol and it is customary for them to follow a speaker as an expression of support for the knowledge they have shared. Karakia are used to ensure a favourable outcome, but also served as a punctuation point to clear previous thoughts and to focus on the task at hand. This was an excellent way of moving from one topic to another at a conference and the collaborative chanting and singing served to provide a sense of community for all present.<\/p>\n

The organisers were also keen to encourage a \u2018brain friendly conference\u2019, making best use of the programme, spaces and engagement to encourage insights and new thinking. A quiet room, a conversation room and walking options were offered and speakers and workshop organisers were encouraged to be intentional in giving space for those attending to pause, digest and make sense of what we were hearing, learning and integrating.<\/p>\n

The use and inclusion of these elements made for a truly inspiring conference and a real insight into how the deliberate syncretism of more than one culture enriches the experience for all.<\/p>\n

E koekoe te t\u016b\u012b, e ketekete te k\u0101k\u0101, e k\u016bk\u016b te kerer\u016b.<\/em><\/p>\n

(The t\u016b\u012b squawks, the k\u0101k\u0101 chatters the kerer\u016b coos. It takes all kinds of people)<\/em><\/p>\n

Dr Hinemoa Elder<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Nga manaakitanga (with best wishes)<\/p>\n

Kate Robinson, University Librarian<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guest blog by Kate Robinson, University Librarian: It\u2019s not often that I attend a conference where so much attention is given to celebrating the culture and voices of all, but the 44th International Association of University Libraries in Auckland did...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":620,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culture","category-inclusion"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/inclusion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/inclusion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/inclusion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/inclusion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/620"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/inclusion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/inclusion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/inclusion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/inclusion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/inclusion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}