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Kua raranga tahi tātou he whāriki mō ngā tangata mō apōpō Together we weave the mat for future generations |
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IPNANZ CONFERENCE Weaving The Strands 2007Master of Ceremonies and Keynote Speakers ~~ Pio Terei - Master of Ceremonies ~~ David Enwicht - Keynote Speaker ~~ Jim Tully - Keynote Speaker ~~ Mereana Pitman - Key Note Speaker ~~ Conference Programme ~~ The Conference Dinner ~~ More Conference Photos ~~ Conference Sponsorship Tēnā koutou katoa, Talofa lava, Fakalofa lahi atu, Kia orana, Malo e lelei, Bula vinaka, Greetings! We were delighted to hold the 2007 Weaving the Strands conference in Napier, Hawke's Bay. It was our first time out of Wellington, and we wanted this conference to be a place where we could explore issues and think outside the square, looking for solutions with fresh eyes. The conference was held from 29-31 October at the Napier War Memorial Conference Centre, and what a wonderful three days the city put on for us in terms of the weather! Bright sunshine and warmth helped accentuate the positive vibe felt by the 120 or so delegates, and the conference was enjoyed by all who attended. Master of Ceremonies and Keynote Speakers
Pio Terei - Master of CeremoniesPio, an accomplished film, television and theatre actor, comedian and host, was our Master of Ceremonies for the 2007 Conference. As we've come to expect, he used his genuine warmth and humour to introduce speakers, announce events, and generally keep everyone informed about what was going on and where and when. As such, he was an ideal counterpart to the often serious matters being discussed. As we all know, Pio can sing pretty well too, and he knocked out a couple of great songs at the conference dinner.  David Enwicht - Keynote Speaker"It seems counter-intuitive, but perceptions of danger can make people act more responsibly. Making things appear safer encourages them to take more risk." The co-founder of Creative Communities International, David was certainly willing to challenge his listeners around injury prevention issues. A large part of his social innovation work involves re-designing street layouts to return roadways to the social function they once provided. By removing traffic-calming objects such as white lines and caution signs, drivers tend naturally to move into a different frame of mind, where their perceptions of space and time are radically altered. The result is they automatically drive more slowly. He told the conference how, in an EU-funded ‘Shared Space Project', more than 30 villages in the Netherlands, and several other places in Europe, are actually removing traffic control devices to deliberately create driver uncertainty. As a result, speeds have reduced dramatically and there has been an increase in safety. Drivers are forced to look each other in the eye and negotiate their way through the space. David is currently working with the Wodonga City Council in Victoria, Australia, overseeing the transformation of the main street into a series of ‘lounges' furnished with sculpture, water features, landscaping, merchant carts and food stalls. He says that Australia, New Zealand and North America have a history of designing their streets as corridors, which have the primary function of moving people towards a destination. But before the Industrial Revolution, and even in some places today, Europeans treated their streets as 'outdoor lounges'; spaces that formed a range of social purposes. Being 'movement corridors' was only a secondary function. The New Zealand media took considerable interest in David and his presentation. He spoke numerous times to radio and newspaper reporters, and the Close Up team even travelled up to Napier to do a story on him while he attended the conference. The Close Up video is available online at the TVNZ site here. Click here for David's presentation (PDF 1Mb). Click here for the IPNANZ media release about David's presentation.  Jim Tully - Keynote SpeakerHead of Communication and Journalism "When people aren't outraged or concerned, how do you capture media attention?" Jim was the keynote speaker on the second day, and his presentation centred on outlining the state of New Zealand's media. If we want to get our message out about injury prevention (or for any other matter) it is vital for us to understand what makes the media tick, and what we can do to grab their attention. His first point was that almost all New Zealand newspapers are owned by two large Australian companies (Fairfax and APN). Magazines are mostly owned by ACP (Kerry Packer), and radio is mostly owned by either Radioworks or Radio Network (APN again). This has led to a great pooling of resources, and a reduction in the number of genuine outlets. Secondly, there has been an explosion of magazines, and particularly of community papers. People do read these as they are becoming increasingly concerned about their immediate context. There has also been a proliferation of Māori, Pacific, and Asian media. Thirdly, the media are extremely competitive, and are attempting to increase their geographical circulation. Interest from the media is in how they can personalise stories and touch on the human element, and they are less concerned about reporting "just the facts." Lastly, news is now coming via people's mobile phones, and through less official sources, such as blogs and websites. This sort of news evades many of the usual controls and means what we hear or read may often be suspect. Jim finished with some tips on how understanding these things can help in the preparation of messages for the media. Jim was a member of the first Canterbury diploma course in 1969, winning the Robert Bell Travelling Scholarship. While Pacific Affairs Writer for the Auckland Star he was the inaugural winner of the New Zealand Journalist of the Year Award for his coverage of the Cook Islands election scandal. He was Assistant Editor of the Auckland Star before moving to Canterbury. Jim was a UNESCO consultant on journalism in Western Samoa and the Cook Islands and the New Zealand Vice Chancellors' Committee representative on the National Advisory Committee on Media Studies. He is used frequently as a media commentator and has published widely.  Mereana Pitman - Key Note SpeakerNational Māori Chairperson of Women's Refuge "Of Paramount importance to the survival of Māori is the maintenance and sustainability of our relationships with each other." Whatarangi Winiata "If we cannot walk the talk, we will always have others walking it for us." The thrust of Mereana's address to the conference was that if Māori do not stand up and own family violence and do something concrete about it, they will always have others telling them what is needed. Mereana, along with other Māori violence prevention experts, academics and Tohunga, developed Mauri Ora - The Conceptual Framework on Whānau violence. Mauri Ora is a tool that restores practitoners to practice Tikanga-based violence prevention. It is designed as a tool to take ownership and responsibility for violence and enables practitioners to understand the historical context of violence. Violence has a whakapapa, a history, and has long term impacts and effects. Violence is learned behaviour and it is intergenerational. Mauri Ora is a holistic approach delivered in a series of modules to whānau, Iwi and roopu Māori by the organisation Te Korowhai Oranga. The modules are centered on Māori beliefs and values returning the practice of cultural constructs in Te Ao Hurihuri, the contemporary world where for Māori these have been undermined through the violence of colonisation, state, church and institutional sanctions. Approximately 400 practitioners have been trained in Mauri Ora to date. Mereana is also the co-ordinator of the Ngati Kahungunu Violence Free Iwi Strategy. She said parents' poverty, coupled with the impact of social dislocation and a lack of self worth, contributes to abuse, but that Māori can no longer allow the abuse to continue. Accepting responsibility is not the same as accepting blame but it is an act of courage. The strategy is centered around the Taonga called Whakamoe Patu, or to lay down your arms. The Ngati Kahungungu strategy dispels the notion that violence is normal and approaches whānau violence from an integrated and co-ordinated network of providers in Ngati Kahungungu. In this way Ngati Kahungungu develops standards of practice in whānau violence that are authentic to Ngati Kahungungu. Mereana was born and raised on the East Coast and has worked in the field of Family Violence for over 25 years; in the last twenty years more specifically with her own peoples. She has a passion for developing a Kaupapa Māori strategy within the field of Family Violence and has worked for many years as a counselor, lecturer, and educator in the field. Her qualifications are in the field of Māori Customary Law, History and working with Children. She resides in Napier where she has the pleasure of raising her 16 year old grandson Matuakore. Click here for Mereana's presentation (PPS 1.8Mb).  Conference ProgrammeAs well as the keynote speakers, a wide array of seminars and presentations were also made by other members of IPNANZ. Altogether many injury prevention matters were discussed. IPNANZ is grateful to all who took part and presented, and to all who contributed to the smooth-running nature of the conference. To get an idea of some of the other topics and presenters, the Conference Programme is still available online here. The Conference DinnerAs we were in Napier, we thought it appropriate to have an art deco theme for the dinner. Many of those who came along got into the spirit of things by hiring the appropriate costumery. Many a female participant sported a gorgeous flapper dress, while men came along in boaters and blazers. Some dressed up as gangsters, and some as porters from the 20s and 30s. The dinner was held at the Mission Estate Winery, where Te Manaia Award winner Alan Parsons spoke with great humour and compassion about his travels through Viet Nam, and his experiences with hospitals and injury hazards there. Pio sang a few songs, and people hit the dance floor (many even before they'd finished their dessert). A great local covers band, Naked Gun, rocked us into the late evening. A wonderful time was had by all, and thankfully, no one was injured in the conga line!
More Conference Photos
Conference SponsorshipIPNANZ acknowledges the generous conference sponsorship of these organisations: |
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