Kaitiaki o Ara - Introduction and Blessing Ceremony
SADD has been on a journey for a while now with our Māori Engagement Strategy, and an important step in this journey has been getting a Māori name. It was crucial to us that this process involved rangatahi every step of the way, and that we took steps to ensure that it all came from a genuine place and we went about things the right way. We have had some amazing young people and members of the community involved in this journey and the purpose of this blog is to share the story of our new Māori name Kaitiaki o Ara, and the blessing of this name on 10th of February.
On 9th of February Donna, Ash and Sterling made their way up to Kaitaia, the Far North. Ash and Sterling are both heavily engaged in merging their two passions - SADD and Te Reo Māori.
The journey started off with a few hiccups and flight changes, but with team effort we managed to get everything sorted. Ash got to spend an extra two days in beautiful Orewa, where she was able to meet up with Mia and Donna. Mia interviewed Ash and Sterling before and after the Blessing ceremony. Read here what they have to say:
The engagement with our Māori communities has been a big focus for SADD the past few years. “The idea of having a Māori name has been in the organisation for a long time just floating around. But nothing came from it really until a couple of years ago when Skylah Holmes, who was a National Leader the same year that I was, did a research project with other organisations and their engagement with te rangatahi Māori.” Sterling says. The seeds were planted and the process started.
There were a lot of meetings, hui, and mahi to get to this point. We worked closely with Mareea Paitai, former guidance counsellor at Kaitaia College, to bless our new name. The kaumatua involved in the blessing were - Eru Harawira, Matiu.Kingi and John Paitai - represent the five iwi of Te Hiku o Te Ika: Ngati Kuri, Te Aupouri, Ngai Takatoa, Ngati Kahu and Te Rarawa. Clare Hubbard, the current guidance counsellor at Kaitaia College, helped us hugely to organise the space and the food, and welcomed us so warmly into the community.
Our event at Kaitaia College started off during the first interval mid morning, where Ash and Sterling engaged with the students by running the Focus or Fail activity. Followed by the Blessing Ceremony and closing off with a social lunch gathering. Everyone who was part of the event said it was a fantastic experience.
Prior to the blessing was a phase of finding the right name, a meaning that captures the essence of SADD, but also describes the journey that our rangatahi take when growing up. Eventually, we all agreed to the name Kaitiaki o Ara. The literal translation is - Guardians of our road/path/Journey. A kaitiaki is a person, group or being that acts as a carer, guardian, protector and conserver. Ara in this name means - Road/Pathway/Journey
Ash explains: “The name's meaning is really up for interpretation, as we always say, Te reo Māori has so many different meanings for different words. On the surface the meaning of Kaitiaki o Ara means guardians of the road. That refers to us youth, the rangatahi, the national leaders, and everybody who is part of SADD and contributes to the activities. The deeper meaning is guardians of the path. We wanted it to reflect not only our core purpose around road safety but also about the rangatahi perspective, the youth voice and supporting our leaders. We want to make sure they are uplifted, this is where Kaitiaki comes in. Everyone who is part of SADD is Kaitiaki of the road”. Sterling adds “It is more about the rangatahi themselves and how they can protect their own journey as they grow up”.
Below is the video of our interview with Sterling and Ash, that explains in detail how the name Kaitiaki o Ara came about and the meaning behind it.
Looking into the future the doors have opened for us to collaborate and strengthen the connection within the Māori community, especially up North. “In general, I think it will help the Māori rangatahi to have an inclusive say. It’s important to get the engagement of a lot of diverse communities so that we can ensure to reach as many as possible. This will help to get more people interested in the SADD kaupapa. As far as the community goes, having it up North was significant. It showed that we are invested in creating a relationship up here and that we are looking at different ways to work with the high Māori population in Northland and Far North. We want to ensure that every community throughout Aotearoa feels acknowledged and equally looked after” says Ash.
Sterling adds: “Moving forward is all about making sure that we continue with this and don’t stop here. So we can overcome the next few hurdles. It’s all about making baby steps as long as we maintain the work that we do now and go further with it. In that way we will be able to push it out to the community more and make it accessible for everyone.”
It was great talking to Ash and Sterling about their experience. It has been a pleasure being part of this journey, organising the event and we are truly looking forward to what is coming next.
