Pūnaha Māori

Māori Systems

Healthy Families Hutt Valley has an explicit focus on improving equity and health and wellbeing outcomes for Māori. We work with Māori leaders and communities across Te Awa Kairangi to prioritise opportunities to create meaningful impact. 

We have had a large focus on building the internal capability of the Healthy Families Hutt Valley kaimahi by developing our understanding of Māori culture and values. This deepened understanding allows for a true, whanaungatanga-based relationship to foster between the Healthy Families Hutt Valley kaimahi and our hapori Māori. 

Our approach to Pūnaha Māori has a focus on:

Ka mua, ka muri  walking into the future with a secure knowledge of the past. This is our approach to discover, understand and connect with the rich history of Te Awa Kairangi and having the ability to connect our cultural history to modern day issues and opportunities.

Ngā pou kaupapa  is implemented so that every action in the Māori systems workstream has an explicit connection to whakaaro Māori (Māori thoughts and philosophies).

Kai ora Ko te kai he rongoā, ko te rongoā he kai! Food is medicine, medicine is food. Our Māori systems approach to the kai system including pātaka kai and maara kai.

Waiora our approach to bringing an understanding of the value of Waiora for our rohe. Ko te wai te ora o ngā mea katoa, water is the life-giver of all things.

Whakawhanake Mā te whiritahi, ka whakatutuki ai ngā pūmanawa ā tāngata. Together weaving the realisation of potential including through our own development.

We take a values-based approach and align our mahi to Whakamaua and the three key aims of He Korowai Oranga. Through developing our understanding of te ao Māori and learning kōrero tuku iho we’re building a connection to our kai, wai and whenua.

How we’re driving change

• Ka mua, ka muri: we’re building our capability and understanding of te ao Māori.

• We tautoko existing and evolving kaupapa by bringing our resource, connections and skills.

• We’re exploring wai mauri so we can effectively work to share the value and importance of wai with our communities.

• We play an active role in the Healthy Families NZ Kāhui Māori. A collective that supports the whole workforce to use the frameworks that sit within a Māori worldview, te ao Māori.

Through learning mātauranga Māori, our whole community has an opportunity to restore our natural relationship with te taiāo.