The phrase Hā-i-mano was developed by Whaea Terehia, Mere Hibbs, and former Academy Manager, Julian Verkaaik, during the formation of the Burwood Academy Trust in 2006/2007.
Hā refers to ‘the voice(s)’, and i mano refers to ‘of the many’ (the voice of the thousands).
In the context of the Burwood Academy, this refers to hearing and giving breath to the voice(s) of people with the lived experience of impairment and disability. This includes the value of hearing the voice of the many, legitimising the voice of the many, validating and respecting the voice of the many, including the voice of the many, passing on the voice of the many, respecting the journey of the many, and acknowledging the past and the future of the voice of the many.