Hamilton, Aotearoa New Zealand – Saturday, 17 May 2025.
Beneath the crisp light of a sunny winter’s day, amidst the lush greenery of Hamilton Gardens, Parents of Vision Impaired NZ (PVI) and Kāpō Māori Aotearoa (KMA) came together to celebrate the formal signing of Tatau Pounamu – a Memorandum of Understanding symbolising our partnership, shared purpose, and collective hope for our shared futures.
With board members from both organisations in attendance, the signing ceremony reflected the warmth and shared support at the heart of the MOU. Laughter, conversation, and chocolate cake was shared. We reflected on our respective organisational goals and strategic plans, identifying areas where we could ‘share the load’ and support each other. The conversations continued over a delicious meal; it wouldn’t be a formal signing if it didn’t include plenty of food to share!
The Tatau Pounamu represents our mutual respect and shared collaboration in a formal way. Both organisations bring strengths to the table. Together, we are forging a path to uplift our families and children who are blind, low vision, deafblind or vision-impaired.
Justine Edwards, current PVI Board Chair, shared the following whakatauki in her speech:
Naau te rourou, naaku to rourou. Kia ora ai te iwi. With your basket and our basket our people will thrive.
Justine has been part of PVI for nearly two decades. Joining when her daughter was very young, PVI has walked alongside Justine as she has navigated all the complexities of parenting a blind child. As Justine takes PVI forwards in the future, she is excited about the “coming together of a beautiful partnership between two organisations to strengthen the path forward for our whaanau.”
Reflecting the same sentiment, Judith Hyslop, immediate past PVI Chair, shared “This agreement represents the values that underpin our organisations – manaakitanga, kaitiakitanga, and a deep sense of shared responsibility for our communities. It’s a privilege to walk together.”
This formal agreement between us acknowledges that we see merit in working collaboratively to achieve our shared goals. Importantly, it records our mutual and ongoing commitment to build a positive and enduring partnership with each other.
Our shared focus for the next three years is on improving outcomes for children and for Māori. We aim to do this through the following identified goals:
- Expedite early engagement, access and uptake of eye health services and support.
- Build Māori-specific and child-specific eye health data.
- Influencing Government to prioritise, embed in policy, and invest into Māori and child eye health services and supports
- Build capacity and capability of our workforces
- Embed Te Ao Māori cultural competency across PVI operational and governance functions.
“This is more than an agreement – it’s a door opened wide to opportunity, understanding, and shared advocacy,” said Rebekah Graham, Executive Officer of PVI. “Together, we will uplift the voices of our whānau and work towards the flourishing and thriving of all.”
Board members unable to attend shared reflections underscoring the depth of connection and meaning:
“Whanaungatanga is so important in everything we do. I believe that this is the beginning of an exciting journey ahead for PVI, KMA, and our beautiful children.” – Stacey, PVI Board Member, Upper North Island representative
“My father was profoundly Deaf and suffered much hardship and exclusion due to his disability. I know he would be proud that his moko Tobias will never have to experience such barriers. I am proud to tautoko the work we formalise today, forging a pathway so that our tamariki, our taonga, can be proud to be kāpō Māori and thrive despite their vision impairment.” – William, PVI Board Member, Upper North Island representative
The Tatau Pounamu will guide joint activity for an initial term of three years, including annual reporting, mutual participation in events, and ongoing dialogue between leadership. The agreement reflects not only intent, but action – rooted in aroha, equity, and transformation.
For media enquiries or more information, please contact:
Rebekah Graham
Executive Officer, Parents of Vision Impaired NZ
📧 rgraham@pvi.org.nz
📍 PO Box 5629, Frankton, Hamilton 3242
