He aha te mea nui o te ao. He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata

He aha te mea nui o te ao. He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata

What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.

Te Reo Hāpai, our Māori language glossary for use in the mental health, addiction and disability sectors, acknowledges the power of words. In doing so, it acknowledges that words can have a great effect on people. At its heart, Te Reo Hāpai is about the people it serves: it’s about enriching language, including ‘words of great power’ in te reo from a strengths base and a mana enhancing Māori worldview for the benefit of tāngata whai ora.

Wherever possible, Te Reo Hāpai combines the lived experience of tāngata whai ora and tāngata whaikaha with clinician and practitioner input. Feedback, information and guidance has also been provided by an expert advisory panel in creating over 200 interpretations for the unique terminology used by the mental health, addiction and disability sectors.

Te Reo Hāpai is by no means a comprehensive word list. More te reo research and creation in these sectors is urgently needed to continue to enhance language used. Space is available in this resource for readers to note iwi, rohe and kaumātua variations and contribute to future growth of Te Reo Hāpai – The Language of Enrichment.

Te Reo Hāpai is now available online. Visit the glossary's website here: www.tereohapai.nz.