Kia Ora – Greetings to you all -I recently had my birthday – and throughout day I was blessed to be in the midst of experiences and people who brought more kindness warmth and joy to my being. So I felt the need to pen my thoughts on events , experiences and people who add to our wellness journey ….

I realise that each of us are a sum total of all of our experiences that we have had at different times….. The people and experiences once so close to me are far removed from how I live my life today. The current context of living in Aotearoa ( NZ in Maori) and then going through numerous changes has brought into my life – new ways of thinking and being – new people and myriads of experiences that has gone into the making of who I am today

I am grateful for what I had then and will cherish forever all that was imparted to me ….. I am twice as grateful that my cross cultural journey has seen me evolve to how I think- speak and live life today.
Speaking of the cross cultural journey …… having chosen NZ as my home, working within the educational realm, I realise the responsibility I have in embracing the bicultural component of this country. I am richer for that – and have been most fortunate to gain insight into Maoridom –through various personal and professional experiences .

My dear readers –and we in NZ also jsut celebrated Maori language week – so what I wish to share here are some Maori values that advocate for everyday wellness. It has a strong framework around connectedness….that is fundamental to wellness.

Manaakitanga – Connectedness with the self – is about nurturing the sense of self / mana and the also nurturing the mana in others –what is important to each of us …. how do we look after ourselves and how we demonstrate care for ourselves and for others …. the words we use to communicate

Whanaungatanga –Connectedness with whanau/ family – is about preserving the values of the families – how much do we each know of our family– what does family mean to us …..

Whakawhanaungatanga – Connectedness with community – is about preserving and contributing what is important for community wellness –

Rangatiratanga – value of ownership is about taking ownership and responsibility – it is to with skill building

So coming back to where I started – here is a wellbeing task for you …
Have a go at saying the Maori words…
Enjoy the richness that comes in using a value based language
Add an experience to each of the values
Take a count of the people that you meet/ met – include family and friends
Write down the learning that came with it
Count the people who helped us internalise those values at different times…..
Practice gratitude all over again !!!

Here is a gem that I came across in my learning in the past month-“ Education does not transform the world – education changes people – people change the world.” Paulo Freire

What is the most important thing in the world – He tangata – he tangata – he tangata – it is the people , the people the people ….a Maori whakaitauki / saying

For those of you , who connect to my work … nga mihi – thank you – much love and my namaskaarams