Maintaining Momentum celebrates 15 years of disability mahi

On Tuesday 19 November, as the Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti rolled through Te- Whanganui-a-Tara, Te Pou hosted Maintaining Momentum, an event to reflect on 15 years of our role in advancing disability workforce development across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Unfortunately, funding from Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People finishes at the end of 2024. The result is that Te Pou will no longer be providing training, resources and support to the disability sector.

Maintaining Momentum was an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the milestones and achievements that Te Pou has been a part of, and to pay tribute to the late Sir Robert Martin, Poihaere Morris, and Maaka Tibble, each of whom made a profound impact on our work.

The event was also an opportunity to ensure the mahi from the past 15 years is not lost, and the momentum in workforce development for the disability sector will continue for years to come. The new kaitiaki for each piece of work was announced at the event. A gifting ceremony was held to hand some of our beloved taonga over to trusted sector providers and partners to carry on the mahi to maintain momentum.

Here is a list of the Te Pou workforce development programmes and their new home.

• Equitable Access to Wellbeing to People First
• Kia Noho Rangatira Ai Tātou to Disabled Persons Assembly
• Ātea Disability 101 to Blueprint for Learning
• Meaningful Mahi to Lisa Foster until a permanent home is found
• Autism and neurodiversity work including Te Tau Tītoki: A framework for supporting people on the autism spectrum to Altogether Autism.

The final part of the event, and a highlight, was the panel session, skilfully chaired by Rae Lamb, which sparked insightful kōrero and discussions - particularly from Peter Reynolds, who challenged funders with some important points.

“While we understand the tough decisions Whaikaha had to make with funding cuts, it's crucial to remember that workforce development may not always be frontline, but it is essential for maintaining growth, quality, and safety within any sector,” said Manase Lua, Te Pou National Manager – Kanorau.

“Lastly, we’re grateful that our significant contract for workforce development in Mental Health and Addictions is still ongoing and we maintain our commitment to this mahi.”

“It was a bittersweet afternoon today, celebrating 15 years of disability workforce development mahi at Te Pou while at the same time marking the end of our disability workforce contract and funding for this from December. I am so proud of all that the team - present and past- have achieved,” said Rab Lamb, Te Pou CEO.

“The disability consumer leadership grants and training grants have been life-changing. So too have our workshops [Atea Disability 101, Kia Noho Rangatira Ai Tātou] and the Equitable Access to Wellbeing Framework for working with people with intellectual and mental health disabilities, to name just a few.”