Whānau Ora Lessons In Resilience Celebrated In The Rebuild Back From COVID & Cyclones

A contingent of Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency partners and up to 250 kaiārahi navigators from across the northern region are gathering in Kirikiriroa for a regional two-day wānanga at Te Whare Maui o Te Kōhao.

The partners attending include Te Ngira Whānau Ora Collective, Waikato Tainui Whānau Ora Collective, Te Tai Tokerau Whānau Ora Collective, and Te Pae Herenga o Tāmaki Whānau Ora Collective.

‘Titiro whakamuri kia anga whakamua’ – ‘Look to the past in order to move forward’ is the theme.

Lady Tureiti Moxon the Managing Director of Te Kōhao Health will give the opening address followed by Hauraki-Waikato Member of Parliament, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke. Member for Tāmaki Makaurau, Takutai Kemp also joins the speaker line-up.

“It is the first time that there has ever been a regional wānanga for the core collective to come together to share their innovation, creativity and celebrate the wonderful work that they’ve been doing throughout COVID, floods and Cyclone Gabrielle,’ says Lady Tureiti Moxon.

The Kaiārahi Whakanuia presentation of awards will be made tonight by Kiingi Tūheitia, Te Makau Ariki Atawhai, Her Worship Mayor Paula Southgate, and Whānau Ora Chair Merepeka Raukawa-Tait.

They will be determined by each of the collective and celebrate exemplar practice in specific regions.

“Those learnings by our partners have been enormous,” Lady Tureiti said. “What we’ve seen is our own people from Whānau Ora taking a leadership position in communities across the motu.”

“It shows the resilience of not only our team, but also of the people that they have been working with, our whānau. They’re at the centre of everything in terms of the mahi and how they’re rebuilding their own lives.”

Partner presentations will build capabilities and capacity through showcasing innovation, shared learnings, team building, data insights, techniques supporting whānau aspirations, and kōrero about Māori leadership.

On day two all lead partners will present their own inspiring TED Talks. Other invited guest speakers include Riana Manuel, Chief Executive of Te Aka Whaiora and John Tamihere, Chief Executive of Whānau Ora.

Lady Tureiti has been a longtime proponent of mana motuhake and tino rangatiratanga approaches by Māori providers. She believes the answers lie with the people in their rohe and Whānau Ora plays a pivotal role in bringing them into realisation.

“The Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency has enabled providers, whether they're big ones or little ones, situated in urban or rural areas, to respond in a way in a way that was relevant and meaningful in their own community,” she said.

Data from Whānau Ora shows that ‘the kaiārahi programme engaged with 13,978 whānau members across Te Ika a Maui (North Island) during the 2020/21 financial year (1st July 2020 to 30th June 2021).

Whānau Ora Commissiong Agency supports whānau to realise their own moemoeā dreams, to set and achieve their short, medium, and long-term goals, through the support of kaiārahi navigators who connect whānau to the relevant services and resources.

The wānanga starts with karakia mihi whakatau at 9am Tuesday 21 November and ends at 2.45pm on Wednesday 22 November at Te Whare Maui o Te Kōhao, 21 Maui Street, Te Rapa, Kirikiriroa Hamilton.

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