Being bilingual helps firefighter connect
As a child, Te Arohatai Matiaha remembers idolising a Ma¯ori firefighter who spoke at his school.
Now, Matiaha, a firefighter himself in Invercargill, wants to be that person, not only for the youngsters, but for his community, he said.
Matiaha believes being bilingual helps firefighters connect with people in the community, especially those who seek their support at their most vulnerable.
‘‘Diversity is being pushed a lot [within Fire and Emergency New Zealand] and being diverse.
‘‘Going into a community, there’s different walks of life and cultures so it’s good to understand how they work.’’
Being Ma¯ori, he believed he could not only communicate through te reo, but also understand the needs of people.
Matiaha also knew a lot of Ma¯ori people within the community, and although he has not attended a job where anyone he knew was involved, he was prepared, he said.
Fighting fires was just a small part of the job, and having empathy and people skills, was more important, he said.
Matiaha went to the former Rockdale Park School and has a fond memory of the time Crawford Morris, who now works as a volunteer support officer in Greymouth, came to visit. Te Arohatai Matiaha
The pair bonded over shared connections in their family tree, and Matiaha said he realised later Morris was his inspiration to becoming a firefighter himself in April last year.
Before starting his new role, he had let his te reo slip while pursuing other careers, including building.
However, he was pleased to be using the language again and having his cultural understanding valued in his workplace.
Firefighters attend a three-day course before becoming career firefighters, and part of the course included going to a marae and learning some te reo, he said.
‘‘I couldn’t believe it, I was getting back to my culture.’’
He was also studying the language at the Southern Institute of Technology .
Southland assistant area manager Deane Chalmers said it was important to have people like Matiaha as part of the crew, especially as the region becomes more culturally diverse.
The station was looking for new recruits, and someone who was bilingual could add extra value to the crew, Chalmers said.
Especially in a time of need, it was important for firefighters to support people in the community, so communication diversity was sought after, he said.
‘‘Going into a community, there’s different walks of life and cultures so it’s good to understand how they work.’’