Hosting an Inclusive Workshop or Event

Hosting an inclusive workshop or event

Rugby environments should feel safe and welcoming for everyone. For many years they were built mainly for men. For some wāhine, walking into a room full of men takes real courage.

These steps help make sure our wāhine, and everyone else, feel they belong at your workshop or event. They’re grounded in the values that guide how we design learning in community rugby.

Whakawhanaungatanga: connect before content

Building relationships and connection. People learn best when they feel they belong. Start with people, not slides.

• Personalise invitations. Invite wāhine directly. A mass email or social media post may not get them through the door.
• Shoulder tap. Contact people individually and follow up with a phone call.
• Greet everyone and introduce yourself. Make a good first impression, and find out a little about people before they arrive.
• Open with connection. Give people time to meet each other before you get into the content.
• Keep connecting. Make sure no one is sitting on their own. Starting in a familiar group can help, then use activities that mix people into new groups.

Manaakitanga: care for every learner

Care, hospitality and uplifting others. Show people they matter, and make it safe to ask questions and get things wrong.

• Know your audience, so you can plan for them. If parents are coming, offer the option to bring children along. It can remove a big barrier.
• Consider wāhine-only events. They are an effective and safe way to engage wāhine in rugby.
• Plan with wāhine in mind. For example, if you’re handing out clothing, offer women’s sizes.
• Create a safe space where everyone feels comfortable asking questions, with no shame in not knowing.
• Share kai and make time to talk. Hospitality builds trust.

Kaitiakitanga: keep people safe

Guardianship and protection. As hosts, we look after the physical and emotional safety of everyone in the room.

• Ask first. Just as we expect from our coaches, always ask permission before any physical contact. “Given this is a practical session, is it okay to have physical contact?”
• Make it safe to opt out. “Opting out is okay if you don’t feel comfortable with contact in this demonstration.”
• Check the venue: a safe, well-lit carpark, stocked bathrooms with sanitary bins in women’s bathrooms, and changing rooms for both men and women.
• Plan for toilets. Use fields close to toilets, or build toilet breaks into the session.

Tikanga: the right way of doing things

Doing things properly, in a way that respects everyone. How you run the session shows who it’s for.

• Open and close well. Use a welcome, and karakia where appropriate, so people know how the session will run.
• Wāhine visibility. Have a wāhine up front leading, or co-leading with a male colleague. It shows leadership, unity and support.
• Use inclusive language. Use gender-neutral terms where you can, like “players” or “everyone”. Only use language you’d be comfortable using around your own tamariki or mokopuna.
• Avoid rugby jargon. Beginner coaches and new players may not know rugby terms, so explain them simply.
• Use content that reflects your audience: pictures, videos and examples that include women and girls.

Talanoa: make room for every voice

In many Pasifika communities, respect for leaders and elders can mean people hold back their questions. Use open, story-based conversation, small groups and quieter ways to ask questions, so everyone can contribute.