Pause Breathe Smile trainings for Kura Kauapapa Māori and Māori Immersion Settings

12/12/2022

Pause Breathe Smile has always been deeply rooted in Aotearoa’s bicultural identity, but this year we’ve taken some big steps toward ensuring that it is fully accessible for kaiako and ākonga who teach and learn in Māori immersion settings.

Within the pilot phase, we’ve developed a whole new suite of te reo resources, including an updated handbook for educators, audio practices, and video resources for mindful movements in te reo!

The training workshop for Māori medium is delivered in English and Te Reo Māori and follows the procedures of tikanga Māori, for example, starting with whakatau, karakia, and mihimihi.

“A huge part of being culturally responsive in regard to the delivery of the training resides in our courage to step into Te Ao Māori (however that may look) and to listen and be open to different ways of being,” explains Rawiri Hindle, a Pause Breathe Smile facilitator and Kaiako at Te Kura Māori o Porirua. “The relationships we are creating in the moment are what drives our teaching and our learning.”

We are harikoa to be rolling out even more bilingual workshops in 2023.

For more information, stay tuned.