Florence Tamehana, Student Engagement Advisor at MIT | Te Pūkenga, has been awarded the Tangata-ō te whenua Practice Award at the Social Work Awards 2023.

Florence Tamehana always wanted to work with youth. So, after spending many years in the military, she retrained as a social worker. Since then, she’s worked with some of New Zealand’s most at-risk young people. Today, she is a Student Engagement Advisor at MIT | Te Pūkenga in the School of Secondary-Tertiary Studies (SSTS), supporting students completing their NCEA qualifications and University Entrance. Recently, she won the Tangata-ō te whenua Practice Award at the Social Work Awards 2023.

And the winner is…

The Tangata-ō te whenua Practice Award is part of the annual Social Work Conference of the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW). Each year, it is awarded to a social worker for contribution to the Tangata-ō te whenua body of knowledge, models of practice and improved outcomes for Māori.

In 2023, the theme for the Social Work Conference was Rangatiratanga: Empowering Whānau and Social Work Leadership, and the Social Work Awards gala evening was held on Wednesday, 20 September 2023, in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

Florence was nominated by two of her SSTS colleagues. She was shocked when the ANZASW called her to tell her she was a finalist. At the awards ceremony, when the MC started reading out the credentials for the winner, she thought, “There’s no way it’s going to be me.”

She was once again left speechless when her name was called.

“Even though they’d told us to have a speech prepared, I honestly didn’t think I’d win,” Florence laughs.

“But, after thanking the ANZASW, I said I didn’t get this award on my own – it takes a roopu to do this work, so the award was really for all of us at SSTS.”

“Youth are our future.”

Florence’s role as Student Engagement Advisor is an important one. Alongside Toe Pune, Principal of the MIT Tertiary High School, she provides pastoral care for all SSTS students. She draws on her many years of experience working with some of the country’s most at-risk children to provide support for students who are disengaged or not thriving in conventional education.

“It’s about walking beside them, not in front or behind,” says Florence.

It’s that ‘grassroots approach’ that really stood out to the Social Work Award judges.

“Sometimes, it’s best to go back to basics. We do everything we can to keep our students committed to their mahi. Usually, they’re transitioning from another school, which comes with its own challenges, so it’s about understanding who they are, what they need, and working at the same level as them.”

Florence says she feels both humbled and honoured and appreciates the opportunity to reconnect with her peers at the awards ceremony.

“It was really good to get down there and mingle with other social workers in other fields.”