Te Kawa a Tāne alliance is making moves to protect forestry kaimahi in Te Tairawhiti
A clever mana enhancing initiative is putting kaimahi at the centre of health and safety practice on the East Coast, and it is already making a world of difference.
Te Kawa a Tāne alliance was launched in October 2023 to facilitate and ensure that kaimahi are a part of the machinery of decision-making preventing harm to the community through death and injury. The kaupapa is being led by Te Runanganui o Ngāti Porou, Te Runanga o Turanganui a Kiwa and their partners Worksafe, Eastland Wood Council in association with Safetree and FISC (Forestry Industry Safety Council), New Zealand Police, Ministry for Social Development, ACC and others.
On the East Coast one in four jobs involve forestry. Of great concern to the community and government agencies, has been the death of 18 forestry kaimahi in the region between 2003 and 2022. A high proportion were Māori. Worksafe deputy chief executive Paula Collins says, “This is an example of jointly delivering a collective response with an iwi group to address the equity gap between Māori and non-Māori forestry workers in Te Tairāwhiti.” The kaupapa sits under WorkSafe’s Maruiti 2027 strategy.
Co-Chair of the Mauri Tū Alliance (kaimahi collective) Abby Waru-Atkinson says it’s the first time that kaimahi have had a voice on East Coast forestry sites, which means workers can take greater ownership of the decisions that are made on an operation in the bush.
Given the high percentage of Māori forestry workers in the region, the outcomes kaimahi want to see naturally reflect a Māori worldview. They include better training, more women in the industry, putting kaimahi first, and building on the relationships between kaimahi, contractors and forest management.
Actions put in place by the kaimahi so far include whanau open days hosted onsite by management companies, regular (share and inform) meetings between members of the kaimahi collective, and fun fitness challenges between crews.
As a national rollout of Te Kawa a Tāne is being considered Ngā Pou a Tāne is talking to the alliance about alignments with Areas of Focus in the national Māori forestry strategy Tū Mai Rā! te Whānau o Tāne such as how forestry training is developed and delivered in the future and building on the strengths of natural Māori style leadership and collective awareness to improve outcomes in safety and health, forest productivity and worksite satisfaction.
More information about the work of the alliance here:
https://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/news/te-kawa-a-tane-alliance-to-protect-forestry-workers#1
