Speech by Commissioner Kim Workman at the forum on Kaupapa Māori research

This speech was delivered by Commissioner Kim Workman at the Families Commission's forum on Kaupapa Māori research, held on Wednesday 15 September 2010 at Pipitea Marae.

This report, Whānau Taketake Māori: Recessions and Māori resilience, engages the reader in a journey in time, to explore the economic impact of previous recessions on whanau, and how Maori have adapted and survived in those time. It tells stories of impact, challenge, adaptation, and strength in times of adversity.

The report engages the reader in a succession of life stories, which create a connectedness between the story teller, in this case Kahukore Baker, and the reader. It is no coincidence that Kahukore is the daughter of Pat Heretaunga Baker, himself an accomplished Maori author, historian and story teller.

In Maori tradition, stories serve various functions. Firstly, accounts of events and experiences are one way to unravel the complexities of life, to make meaning of mystery, and integrate those meaning into ones life. At other times, stories are retold and adjusted to fit societal norms, giving the listener a direction to follow, or an example to emulate – stories of personal sacrifice, of adaptation, of economic survival. Another purpose of storytelling is to externalise distress as the expression of troubling feelings and thoughts. On yet other occasions, stories are told to express rebellion and non-conformity to the status quo.

As I read these stories, I couldn’t resist piecing together the stories and integrating them into my own life experience. I was challenged to re-examine my own values and paradigms in relation to today’s dominant cultural themes; themes of success, achievement, work, life changes, loss, grief, and survival. The closure of Tomoana and Patea freezing works, brought back painful memories of the closure of Waingawa freezing works, at Masterton in 1989, resulting in a loss of 850 jobs. I experienced at first hand the damage to members of my own hapu and whanau. But I could not help but be uplifted at example after example of the way in which Maori overcame those difficulties, and moved on to a new life. What struck me is that while the report is directed toward the development of whanau strategies toward promoting strength and resiliency in hard economic times, the potential audience is much wider than that. It is my hope that those who take the time to study this document, will come to understand the cyclical pattern that has repeated itself over the last 170 years, and then develop strategies to engage in and break that cycle.

In conclusion the report says:

“resilience is about making the most of opportunity. It is about what works in the face of difficulties and what can be built upon by both Māori and the Crown in achieving shared outcomes for whānau and for Māoridom as a whole.”

Perhaps the greatest crisis we face is the crisis of “the common good,” the sense of community solidarity that binds all in a common destiny – haves and have notes, the rich and the poor. Mature people, at their best, are people who are committed to the common good that reaches beyond private interest, transcends sectarian commitments, and offers human solidarity.

Kia ora koutou