CAREER PATHWAYS
Danae Etches received the 2021 LIANZA Ada Fache Grant to attend the LIANZA 2021 Conference. The presentation from Dany Miller-kareko and Sharnae Inu caught her attention on the programme. “Their vibrancy engaging with mana whenua and community from an indigenous, values-based approach, actively sharing power to reimagine and redefine what libraries might be, was very powerful. After hearing them, I asked if they might like to share more for Library Life.” Dany and Sharnae work at Te Paataka Koorero o Takaanini and shared their thoughts with Danae in this article.
DANY MILLER-KAREKO
Pouturuki, Community Hub Manager at Te Paataka Koorero o Takaanini
I tipu ake ahau I te tāwharau o Taranaki Mounga
Ko Ngāpuhi tōku iwi
Ko Ngāti Pakahi tōku hapū Ko Mangaiti tōku Marae E noho ana ahau ki Tāmaki Makaurau ināianei
Ko Dany Miller-kareko tōku ingoa
I was raised in beautiful Taranaki and after finishing school, moved briefly to Palmerston North to be with whānau. Unsure of exactly what I wanted to do going forward, I started work for Inland Revenue in a customer services role and eventually, seeking new challenges and opportunities, moved with my partner to Tāmaki Makaurau.
After shifting here, I moved into advisory mahi working mainly with Māori and Pasifika communities. Along the way,
I discovered my passion for people and eventually moved into a leadership role at Inland Revenue.
I knew I wanted to do something to broaden the scope of my work with communities and after seeing a position advertised at Auckland Council, realised libraries might fulfil these aspirations.
I have always loved libraries and my journey in the profession began as an extension of that keen interest. I have always found libraries to be safe, warm, inclusive spaces, so when I saw a role in library management, I knew it would be a great fit for me! I have been with Auckland Libraries for two years and most recently have the privilege of being the Pouturuki (Community Hub Manager) at Te Paataka Koorero o Takaanini.
The specifics of my career journey have been relatively unplanned, I have never had a strong sense of exactly which jobs I want to do. But I do have absolute certainty about what I want to achieve and contribute to my community.; That is the basis upon which I navigate my career.
What I love most about my role is that there is no such thing as a typical day. Nothing is out of scope for a library – whatever the community needs and wants, that’s what we do! Most of my time is spent planning and supporting my nine staff, but I also work in the hub, engaging with customers and running programmes.
The kind of work we do is hard to measure all at once.
It is the culmination of a lot of small impacts. We hope that when people interact with us, something about their life has improved. In that way, our work is a lot of small things adding up to a bigger picture.
SHARNAE INU
Poutiaki Taatou, Participation and Practice Lead at Te Paataka Koorero o Takaanini
Ko Pūhanga Tohora tōku maunga
Ko Mangatawa tōku Awa Ko Pukerata tōku Marae Ko Ngāitūteauru te Hapū
Ko Ngā puhi, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti hāmoa me Ngāti Airangi ōku iwi Ko Ngātokimatawhaorua tōku waka
I tipu au ki Tāmaki Makaurau
I’ve worked in libraries for three years and previously worked as a kaiako (teacher) in several kura (schools). My role at Te Paataka Koorero o Takaanini is Poutiaki Tātou, as the Participation and Practice Lead, is to guide and uplift the team to make meaningful connections with community.
Joining libraries wasn’t always in my plan. I left school early at 16 to study formally and I had a Bachelor of Education - Māori medium at the age of 20. I graduated and did three years teaching.
At the time I had my son, both my tāne and I were kaiako. The hours were demanding, and we didn’t want our boy to miss out. So when one of my whanaunga (family members) mentioned there was a job vacancy for a Māori specialist in Auckland libraries I jumped at it. It was always my goal to move into a space where I could be immersed in tikanga and Te Reo Māori, so Te Paataka Kooreo o Takaanini fit me perfectly.
You need to have a deep passion for our hapori in this role. Our mahi involves many days of planning, researching, talking, and connecting. The community lets us know what they need, and our programmes reflect that.
I feel so lucky to be doing this mahi, listening to the amazing kōrero of our mana whenua, sharing waiata (music), karakia (prayers) and supporting our people! It makes our job enjoyable and fulfils me personally in the knowledge that we are uplifting the mana of our whānau & our whenua!
While the perception of libraries remains limited to some, we would love our hapori to come into the whare and see the amazing things we have on offer! We are proud to be on the path to removing the stigma of libraries as quiet places only for studying or reading, we are so much more than that! Nau mai haere mai!