Ma¯ori theme for new St John ambulances
New St John ambulances will receive a different look over the summer to incorporate a kaupapa Māori design and display the te reo Māori translation for the ambulance operator: Hato Hone.
Hato Hone St John ambulances will keep the yellow-and-green colour scheme, but will now operate with a design depicting the ancient deities Manaia and Tāwhirimātea, rauponga and Manawa patterns and a carved taurapa (canoe stern post).
St John New Zealand believes it is the first ambulance operator in the world to visually incorporate emergency vehicle safety standards while embracing cultural designs that acknowledge tangata whenua.
The design, set to be applied to 50 new vehicles this year, includes more-reflective material on the rear of the vehicle to maximise visibility, and highlights St John’s commitment to serving all people Kiwis.
St John deputy chief executive of ambulance operations Dan Ohs says the new Waka Manaaki design connects with New Zealand communities in a “uniquely Kiwi” way.
“Waka means transport method, and manaaki means to take care of. If we break manaaki down, mana is one’s power and aki means to encourage or empower — which is essential for our patients.”
The design is centred on three main concepts of care for all New Zealanders: manaaki tangata (care for individuals), manaaki whānau (care for families, communities and staff), and manaaki hauora (care for collective health and wellbeing). Every part of the design has a deeper meaning. The manaia in the design functions as a kaitiaki (guardian), protecting patients and staff within. The rauponga pattern illustrates the treasured care and protection of patients and the community.
Hato Hone St John ambulance national equity manager Dan Spearing says the new design and use of kaupapa Māori comes with great responsibility.
“The responsibility to ensure we whakamana [empower] and continue to make a tangible difference for the health outcomes of Māori,” Spearing says.
“The new design also acknowledges tangata whenua (people of the land) and connects us all to te ao Māori (the Mā ori world). Furthermore, this design represents us, a distinctive ambulance service within Aotearoa, and reflects our journey to achieving better health outcomes for all, especially where health inequity is most prevalent.”
The design has been developed in co-operation with Māori design agency Haumi and strategic brand agency Origami. The focus was to develop a design that is inclusive and which represents all peoples and cultures who have made their own journey on waka to arrive in New Zealand, to pay homage to the heritage and history of Aotearoa.
Eventually, the entire St John vehicle fleet will have the new design, but it won’t be applied to existing vehicles.