Manukura | Joseph Tyro

Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tuohu koe, me he maunga teitei  

Seek the treasure that you value most dearly, if you bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain.

This Ngāi Tahu whakataukī speaks of perseverance and endurance, refusing to let obstacles get in your way while striving to reach your goals.

 

Ko wai ahau

Re-Indigenising myself and reclaiming my identity and place in this world as Māori, have been central to providing a purpose for everything I do. Motivated by our amazing atua, tīpuna, whakapapa, mātauranga, hapori, and whānau. Much of my professional and community mahi focusses on transformational change through education, active partnerships, early intervention/prevention, upstream thinking and whakarangatirahia to be the best you can be.

 

Taku pepeha

Ko tēnei tōku whakapapa

I te taha o tōku pōua ko Hori Briggs
Ko Te Poho o Tamatea Pokai Whenua tōku maunga
Ko Whakaraupo tōku moana
Ko Te Omaru tōku awa
Ko Tākitimu rātou ko Uruao ko Makawhiu ōku waka
Ko Ngāi Tahu tōku Iwi
Ko Ngāti Wheke tōku hapū
Ko Rapaki tōku marae

I te taha o tōku tāua ko Mekura Tuatini-Taiaroa
Ko Aoraki rāua ko Ruapehu ōku maunga
Ko Te Kete Ika o Rakaihautū tōku moana
Ko Te Omaru rāua ko Wanganui ōku awa
Ko Tākitimu rāua ko Aotea ōku waka
Ko Ngāi Tahu rātou ko Te Atihaunui-A-Paparangi ko Ngāti Rangi ōku Iwi
Ko Ngāti Moki rāua ko Ngāti Uenuku-Manawa-Wiri ōku hapu
Ko Ngāti Moki rāua ko Te Whakaaro Tahi ki te Whakapono ōku Wharenui

Ko Pani Maumahara Briggs rāua ko Graham Tyro ōku mātua
Ko Ninon Kirchner tōku whaiāipo
Ko Mekura rāua ko Malia āku tamariki
Ko Joseph Tyro tōku ingoa

 

My journey into the health workforce began when I was a toddler, where my mother worked in the laundry department at Hillmorton Hospital. Then when I was around 7-8, our whānau supported our taua (grandmother) through her cervical cancer journey. Then in my teenage years at 16-years-old, I was involved in the setting up the Lyttelton Youth Centre, as a member of the Banks Peninsula Youth Council and Ngāti Wheke marae. This was in response to the high suicide rate at the time, and many of my close friends passing away. I learnt about the importance of collaboration and community action through local council, runaka, volunteers, Kia Piki te Ora and Project Mana. Today I am still involved in the Lyttelton Youth Programme as a volunteer and board member.

Some of the mahi that I am recently proud of has been with Te Whatu Ora – South Canterbury. Through facilitating a Māori Leadership programme for all Māori health staff and including our wider Māori community and other government Departments. This programme helped grow leadership capability and capacity within our Māori community and hospital services. Also, the creation of our 3-day mandatory (built into monthly orientation) cultural education programme Kia Tika Te Ara – Correcting the path. This has helped transform our hospital culture into privileging Te Ao Māori, normalising te reo Māori and connecting our health workforce to our Māori community.

Early Intervention, prevention, innovation and upstream thinking have all been important in my thinking and health planning. Te Hā o Aoraki has been an amazing tooth brushing programme first implemented in Arowhenua Māori school and He Manu Hou ECE, based on international research and methodology. This programme was in response to some of the highest oral health inequities for Māori tamariki, in our community. The development of this programme included amazing partnerships and collaborations with hospital staff, Māori provider Arowhenua Whānau Services and community. My thinking at the time was that our Māori tamariki will lead us and our community will follow. Now this programme has been rolled out to other schools within this region.

 

Waewae taua

After dropping out of school with no formal qualifications, in 2000 I decided to enrol at University for an education and to honour and follow my taua Mekura Tuatini Taiaroa, into the health and social service sectors. With the support of Ministry of Social Development, I was fortunate to have received a scholarship to complete my Masters in Social Work. Education helped transform my life, to see the world differently and helped me to grow into a better person. I have worked in multiple social work areas through youth work, NGO sector, residential care, CDHB clinical social work, care and protection social work Oranga Tamariki, CDHB clinical social work specialist, CDHB Pūkenga Atawhai, Acting Clinical manager, Integrated Safety Response, Kaiārahi Matua, Social Work Lecturer, executive leadership with Te Whatu Ora and now Principal Advisor Te Aka Whai Ora.