After a number of years talking about the possibility and usefulness of holding our own Writing Retreats, we have finally made the dream come true!
Between the 25th and 28th of October, after a highly successful hui with our Kia Puāwai Programme team, four members of WRS staff (Tanya, Tom, Utiku and Amohia) and one of our PhD students, Aneta Cram, headed away for three and a bit days of writing at the amazingly peaceful Mākōura Lodge.
Guided by the whakatauki Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tuohu koe me te maunga teitei, each person set their own goals and developed their own plan for the time, outlining what they would be working on, and what they hoped to achieve by the end of the retreat. These plans were then shared with the other participants as a way of ensuring accountability and keeping us focused. Retreat outputs ranged from first drafts of journal articles through to sections of a thesis, and even the development of pūrākau.
Highlights from the writing retreat, aside from the time and space to dedicate to thinking and writing included whakawhanaungatanga and getting to know our colleagues better, learning a bit more about the local history, opportunities to participate in yoga and giving archery a go, as well as finding out a little bit more about everyone's mahi.
In reflecting on the experience, participants observed:
What a privilege to get an opportunity to be with a r?p? of inspiring Māori scholars and PhD students. We had deep kōrero, focused time for writing, and time for whakawhanaungatanga in te taiao.
I really appreciated the opportunity to go away with team members, get to know them better and get completely immersed in a range of writing tasks, with only a few distractions!
The retreat gave me space and time to deeply engage with the thinking required to finish a very difficult section of our article….I was also able to use that time constructively to review and support vital student projects.
Thank you to our Business and Administration team for organising the retreat. Mākōura Lodge was a slice of paradise away from many of the distractions that prevent us from getting some deep-thinking time. We luxuriated in being surrounded by nature's flora (and some fauna) and definitely made the most of our time in the rural heartland! We all look forward to the next retreat and to others from the team joining us!
