Heather Came & Associates is a bicultural consultancy specialising in racial justice established in 2023. We provide training, research, peer review, mentoring, strategic planning, facilitation around Te Tiriti application and antiracism.

It has been getting chilly in Te Whanganui-a-Tara at all sorts of levels. Heather Came & Associates are pleased to be doing constructive positive work supporting organisations and kaimahi in their Tiriti and

racial justice journeys. We are currently working with several Crown agencies, a regulatory body, a union

and within the tertiary education sector on a range of projects from developing ethical guidelines, Tiriti (and

racial justice) organisational and policy frameworks, a systems change antiracism project, doing Tiriti

audits and being a critical friend alongside our regular training workshops.

Heather was pleased to have an outing to the gorgeous Te Rau Karamu Marae at Massey University to

deliver a guest lecture on Te Tiriti o Waitangi to post graduate public health students. She also did a virtual

public lecture at Menzies School of Health Research in Australia on institutional racism and popped into a Wellington MindMeet for psychologists.

It is heartening to see the levels of interest in Tiriti and racial justice, but our team certainly appreciated the

opportunity to take a breath and celebrate Matariki with whānau and friends.

Culturally safe nursing staffing ratio justice project

One of the privileges of being an activist scholar is getting to help organisations advance their advocacy goals. I was pleased to recently tautoko some research for Te Rūnanga o Aotearoa NZNO entitled - Rongomaiwhiti - with Māori nursing leaders around developing culturally safe staffing ratios. It seems nowhere in the world have legislated staffing ratios considered culture.  Inspired by the work of Irihapeti Ramsden the study recommended Māori nurses lead this mahi, kaumātua and kuia need to be involved to ensure tikanga is upheld. Whānau and hapū need to define what is culturally safe practice. We need more Māori nurses, and all nurses need to have base-line cultural and political competences. Decision making about staffing levels needs to be based on consideration of both clinical and cultural factors. A recent Ministry of Health commissioned report (2022) found the existing Care Capacity Demand Management programme – that manages staffing ratios within Te Whatu Ora - does not recognise Te Tiriti responsibilities towards Māori in its design, implementation or outcomes.
See full article in Kaitiaki by Mary Longman

Photo: Marty Melville

New writing

Teaching practice from dazzling white to deliberately decolonised

It is a rare treat when you are an activist scholar to carve out time to publish work with friends. This paper published in Whiteness and Education - was a labour of love with Vicki Kerrigan from Australia, Kem Gambrell from USA and locals Trevor Simpson and Moahuia Goza. Inspired by the teaching of a former colleague this paper proposes a spiral (see hue ipu whenua below) of teaching practice capturing dazzling white, off-white aspirations, culturally safe, intentionally anti-racist, and deliberately decolonised practices. We drew on our lived experiences of teaching and learning and relevant literature to illustrate what one might see, hear and feel in each type of classroom. Lots of fodder for reflecting on one’s teaching practice and a compelling case for Indigenous-led universities. 

Download this open access paper here 
 

For those of you wanting to have a discussion about this new paper, or indeed potentially meet some of the authors, join He Hōmiromiro - a decolonisation reading group.
Unravelling colonial education: from Dazzling White to Deliberately Decolonised and supporting the case for Indigenous universities

Next group: 1pm (NZST), 16th August 2024 - Please click here for the link to the discussion

Hue ipu whenua. Photo & design: Trevor Simpson

Becoming Tāngata Tiriti
Call me old-fashioned, but there is something special about a physical book in your hand with pages that turn and have that distinctive new book smell. Dr Averil Bell is a Pākehā sociologist who has built her academic career around exploring Pākehā identity, the legacy of colonisation, cross-cultural relationships and the role of Tāngata Tiriti as allies. Her new book - due to launch in early August showcases twelve Tāngata Tiriti including our own Heather Came. 

Bell expertly explores what it means to be a good ally to Māori in contemporary times. To call it a ‘how-to manual’ would be too reductive but it does offer a pragmatic set of tools for those willing to do the work… the book offers an invitation to Pākehā and, in fact, all non-Māori to be part of the conversation around what makes us New Zealanders – and how we might move forward in ways that are just and that enhance the mana of Māori and non-Māori alike.’ — Rebecca Kiddle, Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa
 

Order your copy here: Becoming Tāngata Tiriti: Working with Māori, Honouring the Treaty  

Photo: Paul Bushnell

Meeting Dame Claudia Orange

Sometimes in the middle of winter you just have to wrap up warm, grab your knitting and actually leave the house. Denis and I were recently lucky enough to recently hear Dame Claudia Orange speak at the National Library. Once we navigated the strict security measures, it was a stellar talk which filled in some of her backstory – her dad spoke te reo and worked for Te Puni Kōkiri. Her kōrero was filled with interesting side-stories including the story of lashings of Pākehā settlers in Tāmaki back in the day who organised a petition to advocate for the retention of Te Tiriti when it was under threat. It was special to meet someone who has been so important in terms of helping Pākehā understand our colonial history. I was ruthless in cornering her post-speech and got my full collection of her books signed.  I love that she was wearing her signature orange outfit. Her PhD which became the classic1987 text The Treaty of Waitangi is still in-print for those keen for a romp through history.

Learning from Prof Elisa Loncón
Denis and I ventured out again last week to a public lecture at Te Herenga Waka with Professor Elisa Loncón from the University of Santiago in Chile. I have been challenged lately to think more about the global south and the voices of activist scholars from Africa, Asian and Central and South America. Anyone that has read my writing knows that my scholarship is very local. Elisa is a Mapuche linguist and Indigenous rights activist. In 2021 she was elected President for the Chilean Constitutional Convention and led the development of a visionary, inclusive emancipatory constitution that recognised the rights of all the citizens of Chile and nature herself. Her constitution was rejected by referendum as Chile turned to the conservative right, but it remains an important people-powered vision of an alternative to capitalism and growth. Go that good woman.

Flurry of Heather Came & Associates Outreach trainings

We have been doing some planning at HC&A headquarters and have pulled together a range of training options for Auckland and Wellington peeps and on-line folks.
To book any of these workshop please contact  joyaratima@gmail.com or use the fancy QR code.
More information and the full fliers are on our website under public workshops.
Apologies but I suspect we all knew this newsletter was an infomercial delivery device.

Speaking of comfort food...here is one of Heather’s fav recipes:

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