Te Rito
Current Users & Testimonials
“Te Rito continues to be one of our most popular courses – in fact it is becoming a useful extension to our customer service and leadership programmes. Congratulations on producing such a valuable product.”
Our foundational (courses 1-4) Te Rito E-Learning Bicultural Competency Modules were released in April 2015 and updated most recently in 2023. Thirty new modules were developed and released in 2022/23. To date, the modules are licensed to be used in the Ministry of Health, New Zealand Police, Oranga Tamariki, the Tertiary Education Commission, the Ministry of Justice, Education New Zealand, the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, ACC, ERO, Maritime New Zealand, Wellington City Council, Hawkes Bay Regional Council, Barnardos, New Zealand Riding for the Disabled, the Ministry of Social Development, Jasmax Architects, the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet, The Reserve Bank of New Zealand, Manatū Wāhine, Fire & Emergency New Zealand, the University of Otago, Whakarongorau Aotearoa, the New Zealand Rugby Union, the Office of the Auditor General, the Occupational Therapy Board of New Zealand (all registered occupational therapists), Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, the Department of Conservation, Age Concern New Zealand, The Psychology Group, Toi Mahana, New Zealand Speech-language Therapists Association, Ripresa Limited and Stats NZ. Here are some examples of the feedback we have received recently from users about the modules:
“I loved the imagery, elements and explanations. Not overly aggressive in the text style but also not holding back either. I love that. Confronting without being confrontational. Perfect.”
“Absolutely brilliant training course, one of the best I have had the pleasure to be involved with. A very courageous and effective approach, celebrating differences, highlighting the facts and reasons for these differences, and acknowledging the areas where people feel comfortable, and uncomfortable, about Te Ao Māori. Ka rawe! My gratitude goes to the course writers, and also to my employer for the opportunity to participate in this course, and I feel encouraged that it will make a difference to the way we approach our mahi from now on.”
“Nga mihi. I feel more grounded and at peace with my own ethnicity and culture after completing this course. I am also more confident about communicating with Maori and looking to ask and learn from and with them.“
“I loved how interactive the modules were – opportunities to pause and practice my pronunciation, quizzes to test my learning. I really enjoyed how it covered a wide range of topics, both historical and current. They were interesting, eye-opening, confronting and really valuable learning opportunities. I found the modules really easy to navigate. Thank you very much!!”
“Love the kōrero about pōwhiri and mihi whakatau – this is a hot and current topic that people struggle with. I really also like the way that putting together your own kawa is suggested, and the reinforcement that the purpose is to involve and value everyone, as well as the gentle but clear point about cultural appropriation… I like these modules a lot.”
“What I found best was being able to listen to words ..and practicing them. The more you listen to the way words are said and the flow of the language the less scared I am of mucking something up. I am now introducing myself and saying goodbye after treatment to my Māori patients with confidence (and sometimes a smile from my patients). What has happened is that because I am trying, we are talking more during treatments…I am learning more about the local culture but also I have found that the patients are more willing to do the home programs/treatments plan…guess it is all about trust and building relationships..thanks :)”
“The “Information Needs” page and the following value-based and communication preferences and communications channels is fabulous, actually the best of its sort that I have seen. You guys being communications professionals probably take this stuff for granted but believe me, many of my clients will find this really helpful – well done!”
“I have learned loads more about Te Tiriti in the last week than I have ever in my entire existence.”
“Comprehensive and included a mix of reading, listening and quiz activity. It was also phased so it provided an end to end picture, so the reader got a much better overall view of how things have evolved over time. This is the best resource I have come across in terms of providing an end to end view of Te Ao Maori and importantly the essence of bi-culturalism. It has raised my awareness and enabled me to pause and reflect. Nice work“
“I found the modules really engaging and easy to use. The instruction in pronunciation was particularly helpful for me as were the protocols for marae visits. I also feel my NZ history is more rounded now. As an OT student I think the modules were enormously helpful and I am looking forward to being able to use some of my new learning to help build relationships with my future Māori clients and their whānau.”
“I found all the modules extremely interesting. I have done a little Te Reo and cultural training and have found this course the most user friendly, interesting, informative, non threatening or judgmental of anything I have participated in. I have talked about this course to many friends and colleagues (I am a nurse). I think there are many work places that would benefit greatly from doing this course. I would love to be able to download this so that I can look over it again and again. There is so much interesting information that I feel will be useful for a long time to come. Thank you to all who contributed to these modules. I am truly grateful.”
Learner
“I absolutely loved the different interactive and engaging formats – reading, listening, multiple choice tests, matching, ordering. Most of all, I liked the people and their stories – and I liked seeing the same people throughout the modules – it gave a sense of virtual rapport. I really valued hearing their different viewpoints (from a diverse group of individuals) as it seemed to better reflect real world realities. I also really enjoyed having to identify my own viewpoints which made the activity quite reflective. and made me listen more closely and helped integrate my own values and attitudes with the knowledge that I was learning.”
Learner