Moana

Strong, positive relationships sit at the heart of effective helping relationships. Research supports this observation and when we pause and think about it, we all know this is true. The Moana kete brings a Pasifika lens to these ideas. It builds on the concept of Tā-Vā - a Pasifika way of understanding the interconnectedness of people, place and time that prioritises relationships because of their centrality in wellbeing. But how do you build and sustain effective relationships, particularly when working with Pasifika young people? What simple and effective strategies can you use and what ideas can you draw on to support you to do this well, particularly if you do not know very much about the culture the young person you are supporting belongs to?

The Moana kete draws on Pasifika understandings of relationships and provides spaces for Pasifika lenses to be applied to research from Aotearoa with young people about how to create and sustain positive, effective support relationships. It was created by Te Aroha Noa Community Services in Palmerston North. It has been added to by the Propare Athlete Management Trust with a Samoan set of values that draw on the Moana metaphor created by Te Aroha Noa Community Services. It is in a process of growth and development as practitioners and Pasifika community members add new resources. Moana is one of three siblings (Moana, Tōu Ake Mana and PARTH) created by practitioners and researchers in Aotearoa to support effective relationship-based practice.

Moana is the newest sibling. It is a metaphor that draws from Oceania’s library – the stories, proverbs, words and images within Pasifika cultures. It brings contemporary ways of understanding and applying ancient knowing and ways of doing.