The TRC has produced this guide, in consultation with other Treaty educators, to help people get the most appropriate type of Treaty workshop for their group or organisation. This guide focuses on working with Tauiwi and mixed groups, as working with Maori may raise different issues.

Workshop planning
Rights and responsibilities

Choosing a facilitator

This is the most important step. Take the time to find the right facilitators for your group and to negotiate the workshop’s outcomes, content and process.  This will help you to get the maximum benefits from something that has the potential to be both a challenging and a rewarding experience for everyone involved.

You need to be able to trust your facilitator; so it is a good idea to meet before you make a commitment.  Feel free to ask for references from groups similar to your own or to see summaries of evaluations from previous workshops.

Here are some specific questions that you might discuss; there are no right or wrong answers to each, but the discussion should help to clarify whether you feel comfortable with each other:

• How did the facilitator/s learn to do Treaty education?
• How long have they been doing Treaty education work?
• How often do they do Treaty workshops?
• How do they keep their knowledge up to date?
• What is their philosophical approach?
• To whom are they accountable?
• To whom can you make a complaint if necessary and what is the facilitator’s relationship with this person or group; what is the complaint process?
• How are any profits from Treaty work used?

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Workshop planning

There are several points that should be discussed.

Background

The facilitator will need some information about your group, such as its purpose, the characteristics of the membership, any previous Treaty education experiences, any Treaty-related policy, structure or practices, and relationships with Māori groups.

Objectives/learning outcomes/content

What can be achieved in a workshop is directly linked to two other factors:

• The current attitudes and knowledge of the participants; and
• The time available for the workshop.

With these two factors in mind, the facilitator should be able to indicate what is realistic for your group.

Tauiwi or Māori facilitators

We believe that generally it is best for Tauiwi to work with predominantly Tauiwi groups and for Māori with Māori; however, there are exceptions, and if your budget will extend to having one of each, this may be the best option.

Mixed groups

If there are Māori people in your group, their interests may be different from others’ because they may be standing in different places in relation to the Treaty.  You should discuss options with them and the facilitator, as they may prefer to remain with the others or to have a separate workshop or to work separately part of the time. The facilitator should be able to suggest ways to manage whatever option is chosen.

Size of group

The types of activities you can do vary with the size of the group. Because of the complexity of the issues, some facilitators will not work with large groups. In this case be sure to verify participant numbers early in the discussion with the facilitator, especially if you have more than 25 people.

Compulsory attendance

In some groups it is possible to make attendance compulsory, but this is not necessarily a good idea – it can generate resistance even among people who would have otherwise have come by choice. On the other hand, many people would not come by choice, but afterwards are glad they that they did. It may be a good idea to state that attendance at the workshops is 'expected' to reduce feelings of compulsion.

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Format

It is good to have time between sessions so that people have time to absorb the new information and discuss it with other participants.

Suitable venues

Factors such as the size of the group and the types of group activities used by the facilitator will affect the choice of venue. Usually a marae is not appropriate (because of issues of protocol for Tauiwi and demands on tangata whenua), although there are exceptions.

Costs

Depending on the group and the purpose of the workshop, facilitator fees may be none, by donation or by a fixed charge. Costs will be greater if there is more than one facilitator.  Be sure to check who is responsible for arranging and paying for the venue, hand-outs, food, and travel by the facilitator. 

Rights and responsibilities

Discussing the rights and responsibilities of all parties involved in developing a Treaty workshop helps to make it an appropriate and ethically sound process.  We suggest you negotiate the following before beginning:      

Your rights, which may include

• To have a facilitator who is competent in managing group process effectively for the participants
• To have a facilitator who is knowledgeable about the material being presented
• To have reliable service, value for money and to be informed of any changes to the agreed programme
• To have a facilitator who will address any concerns that you or your group raise.

Your responsibilities, which may include

• To provide the facilitator with appropriate and accurate information; for example, the group’s expectations, the preferences of Māori people in your group, and your group protocols. If you’re not sure about something, it is better to say so rather than to assume it will be “okay on the day”
• To ensure that participants have been accurately informed about the workshop’s purpose and length
• To request that participants come with an open mind and be prepared to respect other participants’ perspectives
• To raise any concerns or fears you or the group may have; to communicate pro-actively with the facilitator
• To make practical suggestions to the facilitator/s for programme changes if the group process is not working well.

Dealing with complaints

• Initially always inform the facilitator/s – if they do not know there is a problem then they will not be able to address it. 
• There should be an evaluation form at the end of any workshop longer than three hours where you can put your comments anonymously; otherwise you could speak or write to the facilitator/s directly. 
• If this does not achieve a satisfactory outcome, you may want to contact the people or groups to whom the facilitator/s are accountable.  It is also useful to contact those who referred you to the particular facilitator/s.
• If this is unsuccessful, then you can recommend to others that they do not use the facilitator/s; in the end this is the most effective way of ensuring that incompetent facilitators do not continue with this kind of work. 

The TRC is surveying Treaty education groups and will list those that are committed to these practices on the Groups page.

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