Down and Dirty with the Treaty

Down and Dirty with the Treaty
Piki Diamond, AUT University
Piki Diamond’s workshop Down and Dirty with the Treaty has had more impact on me as an educator than anything I’ve engaged with in the past 10 years, so much so that I have attended the session four times. It worked for me because of the richness of the engagement. While the process remains largely the same, each experience has been meaningfully different. For example, a room full of chefs responds differently to a group of tourism lecturers or a bunch of event managers. Point is, it works for everyone, and the impact is both immediate and long-lasting.
I’d not seen ketso used before. Hands-on learning is powerful and engaging, no one sits back. Everyone leans in. I can happily say there are colleagues I’ve encouraged to attend who could never be considered a natural audience for bi-cultural content. They responded to my ‘persistence’ and the results have been astounding. One is joining me for te reo classes in the new year. We’ve encouraged the school to buy a kit and I use it for two additional papers where it has proved to be most valuable.
The learning has been profound. Using the ketso tool has enriched the way I engage with students, not a lot, but in a deep way. I take every opportunity to use my reo both in the classroom, in my everyday life and I empower students to do the same. Knowing Piki has made me more confident with my pepeha as I ground myself more deeply in the concepts learned.
Ti Tiriti is really important to me and this workshop enabled me to see how it can work in every aspect of my life. It enhanced my Equity work and impacted my relationships with colleagues, students and my communities.
I am a passionate advocate for this workshop and its facilitator – and I’m a talker! I believe personal connection is critical and friendship is a gift Piki’s given me. I can sit with Piki, have a coffee, triple my knowledge and have my practice enriched, all in the space of one café latte.
Pretty good, that.