In our second staff profile of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, Sergeant Phil Rowden tells us about his life and mahi as pouwhakataki, in te Reo Māori and English.
Ko Haihana Philip Rowden – Pouwhakataki mō Te Matau-a-Māui
Ko te amorangi ki mua, ko te hāpai ō ki muri.
Ko Philip Rowden tōku ingoa. He uri ahau nō Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngā Rauru, Ngāi Tahu. Kia ora koutou.
Kei tēnei whakataukī ko te ataata o te tangata, ko taku momo kawe hoki i ngā mahi Pirihimana. Kei ō tātau marae, ka noho ngā rangatira ki te paepae whaikōrero mai ai, ka noho ngā kaimahi ki muri ko rātau kei te whāngai, kei te tautoko i te iwi.
Ki te kore tētahi, ka hē tētahi, ki te tūkotahi tētahi me tētahi, koia ko te reretau.
I puta au i te Kāreti Pirihimana i 1998, ka tīmata taku mahi pirihimana ki Ngāmotu i Taranaki. Ka pau te 11 tau e mahi ana ki Waitara, ki Kōhanga Moa, ki Hāwera hoki ki roto i ngā mahi urupare, tautoko hapori hoki. Nōku te whiwhi i taku noho ki tēnei wāhi ātaahua me ōna iwi whakahirahira.
I 2008 ka hoki mai au ki te kāinga ki Ahuriri nei, ka noho hei Haihana Mahi Hapori. E ngākaunui ana ana ki te mahi tahi ki te tangata, ā, mō te whā tau kua hori nei, kua mahi au ki te iwi kāinga me ngā iwi mātāwaka.
Ko te tino whāinga o taku mahi hei pouwhakataki, ko te tautoko i ngā tūmanako o Ngāi Māori, mā te mahi tahi ki ngā mana whenua ki te rapu whakataunga.
He momoho katoa tēnei tūranga, ko tētahi o ōna painga kei te ako haere, kei te whakawhanake pūmanawa mō ngā tino āhuatanga o Te Ao Maori.
Ko te ako me te kōrero i te reo Māori tētahi wāhi o ngā mahi whakawhanake nei, ā, ko te tino whāinga kia tika ngā mahi ki a Ngāi Māori, “kāore he mahi mō mātau ki te kore ko mātau” he tino kupu pai tēnei mō roto i ngā mahi Pirihimana.
Ko te waihanga i ngā mahinga ngātahi tūturu tētahi tino wāhanga o ngā mahi nei – he tino pou ka kitea i tā mātau rautaki Māori, ko Te Huringa O Te Tai.
Ko tētahi kaupapa i whāia, ko te mahi tahi ki tētahi kamupene hī ika o te takiwā, i tuku mai rātau i te ika, ngā upoko ika me ngā kōhiwi ika, arā he kai ka whiua ki te pae parapara i te nuinga o te wā. I rite tonu te koha mai o ēnei kai ki ngā Pirihimana, nā mātau i toha atu ki ngā whānau e noho taimaha ana. He kaupapa māmā i tino whai hua mō te whakapiki whakapono, māia hoki ki waenga i te iwi.
Mōku ake, kei te tino aro au ki te whānau me te hauora, pēnei i a tātau katoa, ā, ka pau te nui o te wā ki ngā mahi whakaako, mātakitaki hākinakina. Ko ōku tūmanako mōku tonu, kia hauora, kia hiwa, kia whai wāhi ki te iwi ki roto i āku mahi Pirihimana.
Mauri Ora
My name is Philip Rowden. I'm from Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngā Rauru, Ngāi Tahu. Kia ora koutou.
This whakataukī reflects the person and in some sense my policing style. Just like on our marae, while leadership will always be out front in whaikōrero, it is our workers at the back who are making sure that our people are fed and supported.
One however cannot survive without the other and harmony is created when both are in sync.
Having graduated from Police College in 1998, I started my Policing in Ngamotu, Taranaki. For the next 11 years, I worked in Waitara, Inglewood, and Hawera, primarily in response and community roles. I’m extremely privileged to have lived in such a beautiful place working with fantastic people.
In 2008 I moved back home to Ahuriri, where I took up a position as the community sergeant. My passion has always been around working closely with the people and for the past four years, I have been working in the iwi and ethnic space.
My role as pouwhakataki is to support the aspirations of Māori, by making sure that we work in partnership with mana whenua in sourcing solutions.
The role is extremely rewarding in the sense that you’re constantly learning and developing a range of skills that are bedrock in Te Ao Māori.
Learning and speaking te reo Māori is part of that development but it's the understanding in making sure that we are doing things correctly by Māori - “it’s not about us without us” is always a good leveller to use whenever we are policing.
Formulating true partnerships is crucial - a priority pou that is appropriately reflected in Te Huringa O Te Tai, our Māori strategy.
One initiative was when we partnered with a local seafood company, who provided us fish, fish heads and fish frames, kai which ordinarily would’ve been thrown out.
This was regularly provided to Police which would then be gifted to whānau in need. A simple but extremely effective initiative, especially in terms of building trust and confidence with our people.
On a personal level, family and health, like all of us, is everything, with most of my spent time spent coaching or watching sport. My aspirations are to stay healthy and to stay present and connected, especially in my role in policing.
Mauri Ora.