Mauri! This week we are celebrating Kiribati Language Week! The theme this year is 'Ribanan, karikirakean ao kateimatoan ara katei ma ara taetae ni Tungaru.' This highlights the importance of nurturing, enhancing, and sustaining their Tungaru language and culture.
Tungaru, the name given by their ancestors, plays a significant role in shaping their identity and well-being.
Along with celebrating Kiribati Language Week, the island nation also commemorated their Independence Day on Wednesday (12 July).
Although there is a small population of almost 3,500 Kiribati people in New Zealand, their community is developing a growing number of registered nurses and health professionals. This increase led to a Kiribati Nurses and Health Professionals Association being formed last April.
Dr Teramira Schutz, who worked as a nurse in the hospital setting in the remote islands of Kiribati, and a nurse educator in the Kiribati School of Nursing for 16 years before migrating to New Zealand, is a co-founder of the Association.
Bwenaua Biiri, who is vice-secretary of the Association, is a PHD student researching metabolic disease in the Kiribati community.
We spoke to both about their language and culture, along with the purpose of the Kiribati Nurses and Health Professionals Association.
How important is it to celebrate Kiribati Language Week?
Bwenaua: “I think it’s really important. It gives I-Kiribati who live in Aotearoa an opportunity to celebrate something that is significant to us. It’s also an opportunity to promote and advocate for our language through public events, which is great when we are so far away from our home country.
“The culture we have brings me closer to my people. To have that connection and to be able to communicate with my people, celebrate it, and the hospitality my people bring to the table, is something I love.”
Teramira: “Speaking my Kiribati language is important because it gives us a sense of who we are, our identity and our existence in Aotearoa New Zealand, the land that we now call our home. We must keep our language so it does not get lost, particularly as we live in a place where English is the dominant language. We are the minority of the Pacific ethnic group in New Zealand, and so I believe that our identity and existence will be lost if we don’t speak it and celebrate it. We are so grateful for the Government of New Zealand for acknowledging the Kiribati language week which falls on the second week of July each year. The language week is important for the Kiribati communities across New Zealand to connect with each other in their own language and cultural practices like dancing, singing and chanting.
How does speaking the Kiribati language help in the health sector?
Bwenaua: “Health literacy can be difficult to understand at times, especially if English is a second language. So when you have people from your own country working within the health sector who are able to help with those medical terms is amazing. It can actually motivate our people to go seek the health help they need knowing they can consult someone who can speak the Kiribati language.”
Teramira: “It's very important to have Kiribati people working in the health sector with a growing number of Kiribati people who are now nurses or choosing a career in the health sector. It’s also important that our people see that we have our people in the health workforce because there will be people whose first language will be Kiribati and for them to see a nurse for example who can speak the language, it’s quite relieving for them. “
“Health literacy can be difficult to understand for some people at times so having someone who can translate and break down those health terms in their own language is something we value and it can also encourage our people to access health services here.”
Tell us about the Kiribati Nurses and Health Professional Association you recently formed.
Teramira: “We established a Kiribati Nurses and Health Professionals Association in April after we started to see an increase in the number of nurses, social workers working with allied health, and midwives who are Kiribati, come into health. We realised we needed to set something up to keep us talking amongst each other and helping each other out. We wanted to be part of helping Te Whatu Ora and bring what we can to meet the needs of Kiribati working in health.”
“We staged our first conference in April and it was great to see more than 30 people turn up. Due to that success we are now planning our second one,” Teramira said.
She added the Association’s main objective is supporting Kiribati people in health or those wanting to take up that career pathway, while also acknowledging, honouring and celebrating the Kiribati language and culture practises in Aotearoa. The Association wants to also work in partnership with organisations such as Te Whatu Ora and the Ministry of Health to help where they can.
“We want to maximise our members’ professional development and to cater for them. We will do that by identifying our learning needs and look for ways to help them achieve what they need when upskilling.”
“As a nurse and a migrant I feel it’s my role to work with my Kiribati community, particularly those working in the health sector here in New Zealand. I’m also passionate about getting our people into the health sector, so we will encourage them, particularly the youth, to look at health as a career. But at the same time teaching them to learn the language, sustain the culture, nurture our culture practises like looking after our elderly people. That’s what my passion is.”
Stay connected online by visiting the official NZ Kiribati Language Week Facebook page.
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