Phew! From one big kaupapa to another big kaupapa, we now find ourselves in response mode to the current COVID-19 lockdown happening across the nation for our whānau, hapū, iwi and hapori. We recognise the timing of this and want to wish you all safe and well wishes during this time.
Reflecting on the National Training Forum, it was overall an amazing three days. I was speaking with one of the participants towards the end of the forum and we were commenting on the state of tiredness that we expected to be feeling vs what we were feeling, which surprised us both that we weren't feeling our usual type of tired after a big conference.
Day one opened with a pōwhiri, a traditional Māori welcoming for visitors to a new marae or area. It was amazing to see us all show up to participate in the pōwhiri. Like true Matua Rangi styles, he welcomed you to be active participants in this process and loved seeing those who did karanga, korero or waiata take the lead to represent their rohe.
Hosting the National Training Forum in Rotorua was intentional, with a theme like self-care and wellbeing we wanted to ensure that the environment we hosted in represented the them. Rotorua is known for it's natural beauty and geo-thermal hotsprings throughout the town, therefore creating a instrinsic connection to looking at the beauty of nature as an initial step to self-care.
Day two was the main focus of training, with different streams of clinical and public health training. It was awesome to see and hear everyone enjoying their training. This day ended with the sector dinner at Te Puia, where we also launched the new He Taumata website, which includes a 'My He Taumata Hub' portal for the sector to stay connected, especially during lockdown. If you haven't registered yet, you can do so here.
The final day was all about mana enhancing practices and self-care. Presentations from Te Hiringa Hauora, Asian Family Services and Mapu Maia were informative and presented some examples of case studies for the different Asian and Pasifika communities. Last trainings for the forum were workplace wellbeing practices and maramataka in practice, hopefully giving you tools and knowledge to practice self-care for you, and some that can be incorporated into your practice.
Thank you to everyone who attended and helped organise an amazing three days. It was awesome to reconnect and meet you all face to face. We hope that you enjoyed this year's forum and have lots of ideas ready for the planning of the next National Training Forum.
Please take some time over the next few weeks, to check-in with your self and implement some little practices into your lockdown bubble.
Stay safe and stay well e te whānau!