Our Kaupapa and Tikanga
The Union bases its campaign mahi on collective tikanga from Te Ao Māori (the Māori world) that can be implemented cross-culturally so as to honour both Māori representation in the hospitality sector and the wide range of cultural backgrounds across the industry.
Collective tikanga (guiding values):
Whakapapa connects us to people both living and dead. Everyone has ancestors, and everyone has a history. Whakapapa is about understanding what other people have done in the mahi you are undertaking and recognising this in everything you do.
Rangatiratanga is about leadership and weaving and sowing ideas, people and kaupapa together and recognising that people have agency over their own lives. Our members should have agency over decisions that impact them and their whānau and communities. People and communities (in this case the hospitality industry) are experts in their own lives as such their voices should always be centered in our union.
Manaakitanga means to welcome people with respect and to engage in continuous efforts to be open and generous. Manaakitanga is also about mana and utu which, in part, is fostered by creating tools for people to collectively uplift themselves and others.
Wairuatanga is about looking after ourselves and nourishing the mauri (spirit) so that we can continue the organising mahi we are undertaking. By engaging in wairuatanga/self-care, we ensure that we come to our mahi safely and healthily.
Our Mission
Our mission at RBHU is to ensure that hospo workers can access free employment and legal support from hospo advocates and employment law experts. Hospo workers have a basic human right to equality before the law. This is why nearly all of our support services are free and easily accessible.
When you engage in our support services you’ll also learn about your employment rights and how to build collective power in the hospo industry. We can you teach how to practically apply sections of the Employment Relations Act 2000. How to raise and file a Personal Grievance and other legal letters such as a Wage Arrears Claim. We can also tautoko you to bargain for better pay and working conditions.
One of our core focuses at RBHU is education: we want as many hospo workers in Aotearoa to understand their legal rights and how to self advocate and advocate for other hospo workers.
Do you think we are missing something? Let us know about any support services you’d like to see at RBHU. Maybe you’d like us to help you get a Collective Agreement in your workplace? This is your union! Let us know how you’d like us to shape it:
