This article was first published by RNZ
A wahine says reclaiming her Māori identity has shaped the way she works with young people and she’s urging more Māori to pursue a career in social work.
Jean Milne (Ngāi Tūhoe) works in her “dream job”, as a social worker at Oranga Tamariki in a youth justice team.
“I would never have thought, when I was younger, that this is the journey that I would be taking, but it just so happened that my 40s became the best years of my life,” she said. “I believe that my tūpuna had a lot to do with that.”
Raised in te ao Pākehā with her father, Milne said she did not grow up identifying as Māori.
“I remember, as a child, people would say, ‘You’re Māori’, and my response was, ‘No, I’m not, I’m Pākehā’,” she told RNZ.
“I only knew Pākehā, I didn’t feel any different, I didn’t expect any different, because that was my world.”
When she enrolled in a social work programme at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa in 2020, she began what she calls her ‘ko wai au’ - who am I? - journey.
“On my first day, everyone stood in a circle and introduced themselves with their pepeha [affiliations],” she said. “It was beautiful, but when it came to me, what came out was just, ‘I am Jean’.”
She said this moment was an eye-opener.
“All this beautiful kōrero of where everyone’s from and I just came up with ‘I am Jean’. That was the turning point, where I felt that I needed to know myself and where my journey was going to go from there.”
Her studies not only prepared her for the job, but also encouraged her to learn more about her whakapapa.
“The holistic Māori worldview changed how I practise social work. It’s not so tick-box, not streamlined.”
Before entering social work, Milne worked in retail and hospitality into her 40s. A chance encounter at Te Rā o Te Raukura, where they had a stall promoting caregivers for Kōkiri marae, led her to caregiving for high-needs rangatahi.
“I became a caregiver, looking after high-complex needs teenagers in my home. From there, I felt like I could do more than just one-on-one.
“Someone said I’d make a good social worker, if I got my tohu, so I signed up for the Bicultural Social Work Certificate. That led on to the degree, which led me to where I am today.”
She said her haerenga (journey) of reclamation stemmed from a culmination of events.
At her koro’s tangi - her mother’s father - she was struck by what she had missed out on.
“Everyone knew me - cousins, aunties, siblings I didn’t even know about - but I didn’t know them,” she said. “That was daunting.
“It showed me there was this whole world I’d been disconnected from, even though it was still connected to me.”
Learning about the Māori worldview and core concepts, such as whanaungatanga (kinship) and manaakitanga (respect) made her realise she was “not just Jean”.
“I’m Jean, who comes from people, from tūpuna, even if I didn’t grow up knowing them.”
Milne said her ‘ko wai au’ haerenga has changed the way she sees herself and interacts with others - especially rangatahi Māori.
“Some of the decisions I make, don’t even think they come from me, if I’m going to be honest, I just believe my tūpuna are telling me, this is what you need to do, this is where you need to be.”
Unveiling a taonga: ‘A whole different world’
During her second year of study, Milne promised herself that, if she graduated, she would receive a taonga - her moko kauae (chin).
“At first, I questioned whether I was ‘too Pākehā’, but one of my friends that I was talking to about it, she looked at me and she says, ‘Are you Māori?’, and I said, ‘Yes, I was born Māori’, and she goes, ‘That’s all you need’.”
That kōrero gave her strength.
“This is my journey - it’s not my whakapapa journey, it’s my journey into who I am today.
“One of the biggest moments of my life was to walk across that stage and graduate. Not many of my whānau have.”
Milne chose to reveal her moko kauae at Oranga Tamariki’s Lower Hutt site, where she was on placement.
“Having it here at the office was probably the most controversial kind of conversations that I’ve ever had in my life.”
She said revealing her taonga marked the end of her studies and the beginning of her mahi as a social worker.
“When I started my journey, I knew I wanted to be in this space. I just knew that this is where I wanted to end up.”
Milne said she was surrounded by aroha and strength throughout the process.
“It felt like everybody was here, even though some whānau couldn’t make it,” she said. “I just felt like everyone who needed to be there was there and those who couldn’t were still there.”
She said whānau who had passed on were also present in spirit, as she unveiled her moko kauae.
“My nan, my whānau, they were all looking out for me, they were all there and you could feel it in the room.”
Milne said the wairua on that day was beautiful.
“Getting my moko kauae, it was a whole different world. I’m very emotional, but during that whole process, I was so calm.”
Now working in the youth justice team, Milne describes the role as rewarding and her “forever job”.
“At the start, many [rangatahi] don’t like me,” she said. “By the end, they’re hugging me, calling me auntie.
“That’s when I know my mahi has made a difference.”
Milne hopes her story encourages others to pursue their own journey of reclamation.
“It’s never too late to pursue who you are. Never be whakamā [ashamed] about yourself.
“Learn, grow and embrace it, no matter your age.
“My journey didn’t start until my 40s. If I can do it, so can you.”
She also hopes people can find inspiration in her story.
“It’s the most important job in the world. We need more Māori, wāhine and tāne, because we bring a different perspective.”
By Layla Bailey-McDowell of RNZ
