Use this space to note any additional information about your escape plan, i.e. who will assist
Smoke is poisonous and more deadly than flames.
If you breathe smoke for more than a few breaths it can kill you.
A house fire can kill you in less than three minutes.
Don't spend time trying to save possessions.
A closed door buys you time.
It slows down the spread of fire, giving you more time to get to safety.
People have died by going back into a fire.
Don't leave the meeting place to go back inside for any reason.
On behalf of Te Ratonga Ahi me ngā Ohotata i Aotearoa (Fire and Emergency New Zealand), we are pleased to present our Rautaki Māori, (Māori Strategy).
Our Rautaki Māori aims to create safer and more resilient hapori Māori (Māori communities). It outlines the work we will do to achieve this, why it’s important and most importantly what will be different.
The above whakataukī (proverb) speaks to Māori perspectives of time, where the past, the present and the future are viewed as intertwined. This is a fitting way of looking at the development and aspirations of our Rautaki Māori.
The rautaki (strategy) is underpinned by our values, our organisation’s strategic direction, our Chief Executive’s areas of strategic focus, and our published commitment to work with Māori as tangata whenua. On these foundations we have built our Rautaki Māori based on what we need for the future.
Māori are disproportionately impacted by unwanted fires and emergencies, and with almost half of their asset base invested in “climate sensitive” industries (forestry, agriculture, fishing, and tourism) they are also highly impacted by climate change related fires. Therefore, the need to strengthen our service to deliver better outcomes for Māori is compelling. By building the support across hapori Māori this rautaki will have a positive flow on effect for other communities, building a safer Aotearoa for all.
Two of the four pou (pillars) of the Rautaki Māori are externally focused and allow us to see a future where we’re able to build relationships with any community due to the experience we have with Māori, where our hapori Māori are safe and resilient from fire.
The other two pou are internally focused and allows us to see a future where our leaders support and drive the kaupapa (initiatives) and our people feel they have the appropriate levels of cultural capability to do this in their job.
While the Rautaki Māori outlines the success we strive for, it purposefully doesn’t point to a date or time frame when our work will be “done”. Just like our commitment to working with Māori as tangata whenua, this rautaki is enduring and will guide the pathway that we are travelling as an organisation. It is a signal to hapori Māori that Fire and Emergency New Zealand strives to be more capable and do better by them, and to our people that we strive to improve the culture of our organisation and in turn their safety, health, and wellbeing.
It is the responsibility of everyone who belongs to our organisation now and in the future to realise the intentions of this rautaki.
Ko te pae tawhiti whaia kia tata, ko te pae tata whakamaua kia tina. Haumi ē, hui ē! Taiki ē!
Seek out the distant horizons, while cherishing,those achievements at hand.
