NGĀ KŌRERO

“Language matters.” This is a catchphrase I first heard from my Practice Leader, Fiona Harkness, within the Te Tai Tokerau ki te Tonga RTLB Cluster 2 and one which I soon came to adopt and use myself. It is also an idea that Fiona subsequently explored in her Master’s thesis, Language Matters: Developing Inclusive, Strengths-Based Practice in an RTLB Cluster (2019), and in the article, “Language Matters: Developing Inclusive, Strengths-Based Practice in a Cluster of Resource

# The Importance of Partnership in RTLB Practice ## Understanding the Concept of Partnership If you had said to me at work, five to ten years ago, “Do you want to partner up?” I would have taken a step back, blushed, and left wondering whether you wanted my company outside of work! I would have worried and gone home to my wife, saying something like: I need to tell you something, dear. I think I got propositioned at work today. Just letting you know. This is what happened...

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini My strength is not that of a single warrior, but that of many This whakataukī...

In the world of wellbeing and trauma-informed practice, calm is a word we hear often. It’s a destination in many classrooms and a goal for behaviour plans and emotional check-ins. Students are asked what they need to do to “get back to calm.” What coping strategies will they use? Their teachers have noticed signs of dysregulation and want to help. There’s a lot of good mahi happening in our classrooms. Understanding Calm in a New Light But I’ve been thinking differently about

In every interaction—whether we're leading a team meeting, teaching a class, or navigating a tough conversation—we're constantly sending...

Here I sit listening to my mokopuna mimic his father’s words and I ponder about the language we use. I listened to the RTLB Realities...