Being a good Tiriti partner: A Pākehā perspective

This workshop has been specifically designed for social service sector leaders and kaimahi by Dr. Nicola Atwool.

“The concept of partnership at the heart of Te Tiriti o Waitangi offers an opportunity to develop ways of working that acknowledge our colonial history and the inequity that derives from that” - Dr. Nicola Atwool

Having previously delivered this workshop to social service organisations, we are pleased Nicola will now be able to offer this valuable learning opportunity amongst our Te Pai Ora SSPA members and friends. It provides an interactive space to explore the cultural dynamics within Aotearoa, particularly in the context of colonisation, and to examine the challenges of working in partnership from a Tauiwi perspective.

The workshop will cover two areas: the first focuses on Culture & Cultural Difference, while the second addresses Being a Treaty-based Organisation.

• Partnership in the social services – expectations and obligations
• Exploration of culture in the context of colonisation
• Barriers to partnership:
• Unconscious bias
• Epistemological differences
• What happens when two worlds collide?
• History and good intentions
• Legacy of monocultural practices
• Navigating ideology
• Moving toward partnership

This workshop will blend oral presentations with small group discussions, offering participants the opportunity to reflect on how the content applies to their own organisational context and mahi.

We highly recommend attending this workshop alongside your hoamahi and team members so that the learning can be shared together. This will also enhance the application of insights gained from the workshop within your workplace setting, and promote ongoing discussion with your colleagues related to your mahi.

Ko wai au

No Cornwall raua ko Devon oku tupuna

No reira he tauiwi Pākehā ahau, he Tangata Te Tiriti

Ko Gladys Reid raua ko Harry Hore oku kaumatua i te taha o toku whaea

Ko Eleanor Rolfe raua ko Tony Atwool oku kaumatua i te taha o toku matua

I whānau ahau ki Whanganui-a-Tara. Engari ka nekeneke toku whānau ki Horowhenua, ki Ōtepoti, ki Kirikiriroa, ki Waiharakeke

Ko Ōtepoti toku kainga inainei.

Ko Nicola Atwool ahau.

I have an extensive history in social work with children, young people and their families. Half my career was as a practitioner working in a variety of roles with what is now Oranga Tamariki before moving into an academic role with the Social and Community Work programme at the University of Otago. I took a break from my academic career and had six years working for the Office of the Children’s Commissioner before returning to the University in 2012. I left the University at the end of 2022 and am now an Independent Contractor providing supervision, training and consultation.

I have professional qualifications in social work and child psychotherapy and completed a PhD in 2008. Throughout my career I have been committed to working for transformative change for whānau and have had opportunities to reflect on the barriers created by the imposition of Eurocentric one-size-fits-all models of practice. The concept of partnership at the heart of Te Tiriti o Waitangi offers an opportunity to develop ways of working that acknowledge our colonial history and the inequity that derives from that.