Feature stories, media statements, speeches and more.
Preparing for Omicron in Te Tau Ihu (top of the South Island)
“When Omicron hits, we will need to be ready to support our whānau in the community,” says Dr Lorraine Eade, operations manager at Te Kotahi o Te Tauihu Charitable Trust which covers the Nelson, Marlborough, and Tasman region.
Locals invited to Haumaru Hard Ōtara Celebration
A competition launched last month for Ōtara rangatahi is set to showcase the winning slogan, image and waiata this Saturday December 18 in a bid to celebrate local pride and engage taitamariki. The Haumaru Hard Ōtara competition asked for creative expressions of how tikanga Māori connects with vaccination.
Waikato land owners have big dreams for their whenua Māori
Nestled in the Waikato foothills of Waitetuna, sits Aramiro Ahu Whenua Trust, who are looking to develop their ancestral lands into an agricultural enterprise in the hopes to own their supply chain.
Biggest intake of Māori advertising and design panellists announced
Twelve Māori or Pasifika businesses were announced on the All of Government (AoG) panel for advertising and design service contracts last week. The group is the biggest intake of Māori or Pasifika owned businesses to those two panels.
Double celebration for Māori financial tech company
Māori digital payments company BlinkPay is celebrating two major achievements.
It has just become the first Māori financial technology company awarded ISO 27001 Security certification and has also signed its first Application Programming Interface (API) bilateral agreement, with Bank of New Zealand.
Vax Vegas – It's your choice, coz you're choice!
Rangatahi insights and knowledge have been key to the success of the Vax Vegas campaign.
Out of kōrero comes understanding – the power of iwi radio
Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson recently described iwi radio kaimahi as the “unsung heroes” of the drive to promote good information about the COVID-19 vaccine.
Māori landowners band together for collective impact
The rohe of Harataunga lies on the eastern tip of the Coromandel Peninsula and is largely home to Ngāti Porou ki Harataunga ngā Hapū e Toru.
Getting the South Island vaccinated
Te Waipounamu kaimahi are working hard to help Māori get immunised.
Sharing stories to inspire and empower rangatahi
More than 300 rangatahi gathered in Whakatū in June for the final Real Talk Mō Ngā Rangatahi 2021 event.
Ngāti Rangatahi Drive Thru Movie Max-Vax Event at Hopuhopu
That’s Us nicely sums up the success of the rangatahi-organised Drive Thru Movie Vax Event at Hopuhopu recently.
Gang leaders urge whānau to get vaccinated
Motivated by protecting their whānau, gang leaders throughout Aotearoa are encouraging their members to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Shining a light on future wellbeing
The talking and listening is now underway as part of developing a Māori-led approach to wellbeing for the first Te Puni Kōkiri Long-Term Insights Briefing.
Doing the vaccine mahi in Murupara
Before September 9, residents of Murupara couldn’t get a COVID-19 vaccination in the local town. Whānau had to travel 45 minutes to an hour to neighbouring Rotorua, Whakatāne or Taupō.
Waipareira the driving force behind vaccinating West Auckland
Waitemata DHB is just days away from reaching the milestone 90 per cent double dose vaccination target. Whānau Waipareira has been at the forefront of vaccinating whānau in West Auckland, and beyond.
Cadetship: Working together to protect hapori
Trusted relationships and good local knowledge have enabled Te Puni Kōkiri regional staff to help increase Māori vaccination rates in their communities and efforts of Joeline Takai from Ikaroa Rāwhiti are a great example.
Takitimu Māori Wardens out and about protecting whānau
Māori Wardens in Hawke's Bay are used to being out on the beat, looking after the safety of their communities – making them ideal ambassadors for a Covid-19 vaccination drive.
Rangatahi Māori stepping on the Asia-Pacific stage
Four rangatahi Māori have taken their place at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2021 Voices of the Future youth conference, thanks to support from Te Puni Kōkiri.
Tō Uru Raumati, Have Yours?
More than 20 of our top performers have come together in empty venues across Aotearoa to deliver one message - Tō Uru Raumati (Your Summer Pass), Have Yours?
Taitamariki event hopes to lift youth vaccination rates in Tāmaki Makaurau
A “for taitamariki by taitamariki” vaccination event is running tomorrow in a bid to curb vaccine hesitation amongst young people in South Auckland.
Iwi driven Māori vaccination campaign reaches Te Tau Ihu whānau
Partnership and kōrero have been key to the success of Te Kotahi o Te Tauihu o Te Waka-a-Māui’s vaccination campaign for local Māori communities in Te Tau Ihu (top of the South Island).
Online webinar supports whenua Māori
Te Puni Kōkiri Te Tai Tokerau (our Northland office) is set to launch their Whenua Roadshow webinar next week in collaboration with Te Kooti Whenua Māori - Māori Land Court.
Working effectively with Māori – case studies
We are always working at Te Puni Kōkiri to better understand and share how effective public sector services are delivered to Māori, and how to improve them.
Wāhine Māori trans-tasman company 1Centre flourishing post-COVID
Miriana Lowrie’s trans-Tasman tech company 1Centre Ltd, is one of more than a hundred employers, who used Te Puni Kōkiri Cadetships programme in 20/21 to improve their business and grow the careers of Māori cadets.
Local rangatahi are doing it “for the whānau”
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern praised local rangatahi for getting vaccinated and “looking after their whānau”, during her visit to a vaccine clinic at Wainuiomata marae today (Oct 1).
Breathing new life into iconic Ōtautahi building to house Rehua Marae whānau
Memories of living at the old trade training hostel at Rehua Marae are vivid in Ash Leatherby’s mind.
The marae responding to food insecurity in Tāmaki Makaurau
Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae, located in Māngere, has been on the frontline of food insecurity in south Auckland for almost 30 years.
Local faces in local places support Māori vaccine campaigns
Thanks to a generous koha from Māori-owned company Go Media, Karawhiua has created a beautiful gallery of digital billboards which encourage whānau and Māori communities around the country to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
COVID-19: Taking the vax to the people in Hauraki
When the Delta outbreak hit Aotearoa, Te Korowai Hauora o Hauraki knew the way to get their whānau and iwi tested and vaccinated was to take the clinics to them.
Getting vaccinated with a mate on campus at the University of Waikato
Rangatahi took advantage of a vaccination event at the University of Waikato last week and were encouraged to bring their mates along.
Whānau resilience to COVID-19 increased in Kaiaua
When the second Aotearoa-wide lockdown was announced, the Wharekawa Marae Reservation Trust in Whakatiwai, Kaiaua (near the Coromandel) was able to better respond swiftly to the needs of their whānau and community.
Papakāinga: Whenua blessing in Whāingaroa marks start of construction
Whenua Māori near Whāingaroa (Raglan) that has been sitting idle for decades will soon be home to local Waikato whānau and bring those from afar who are yet to experience living on their ancestral whenua.
Waka Kōkiri mobilised in Te Arawa vaccination effort
A drive-through vaccination clinic established in Rotorua is set to be a permanent fixture until December, with the iwi determined to get whānau protected against COVID-19.
Papakāinga: Bringing whānau back to Maungatautari Maunga
Under the gaze of Maungatautari maunga near Cambridge lies a 10-home papakāinga that has been years in the making for Ngāti Korokī Kahukura iwi.
COVID-19: Drive-thru clinic sees hundreds of whānau vaccinated in Gisborne
As Tāmaki Makaurau continues to stay safe at home and the rest of the country moves to COVID-19 Alert Level 2, the vaccination mahi continues in Tūranga-nui-a-kiwa.
Find the best vaccine centre for you with new mapping tool
A new digital tool to support Māori communities get vaccinated against COVID-19 is now available as part of the “Be a doer! Karawhiua” campaign. Whānau can find the most suitable COVID-19 vaccine centre in their area.
Support for Māori businesses through uncertain time
Minister for Māori Development Minister Jackson attended a webinar for Māori businesses hosted by NZ Māori Tourism last week to show his support during a difficult time for businesses.
Te Tairāwhiti whānau pull together to keep COVID-19 out
A predominantly Māori community on the East Coast hopes to inspire others to get vaccinated against COVID-19 with their story of achieving community immunity.
Empowering taitamariki to make informed decisions about vaccine
Māori-led youth organisation, Mā Te Huruhuru Charitable Trust has been empowering and educating rangatahi in Tāmaki Makaurau to make informed decisions about the COVID-19 vaccine.
Papakāinga benefits amplified in COVID-19 lockdown
Tucked away in a quiet cul-de-sac in Waipatu Hawkes Bay, the Apatu-Wilson whānau are happy and safe spending lockdown in their whare that lies within their whānau papakāinga.
Ngā Tini Whetū: Lessons Learnt
Ngā Tini Whetū is an innovative prototype using the Whānau Ora commissioning model to decentralise early support. AIKO, the evaluation provider, has worked with the four partners to develop an evaluation plan. The first step is the Lessons Learnt report.
Drive for Māori businesses to get bid-ready
Māori businesses from across the motu are gathering in towns from Kerikeri to Dunedin to hear what progressive procurement is and what it might mean for them.
High-tech industrial futures for Māori Cadetship leaders
Gisborne’s Pultron Composites is an industrial technology firm and exporter, which has found Te Puni Kōkiri Cadetships to be a ‘game changer’ for business growth.
Embedding Whānau Ora
Whānau ora continues to grow, as Te Puni Kōkiri works alongside other government agencies to invest in the kaupapa.
New Frontier for Māori leadership in the public service
Te Puni Kōkiri has partnered with the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission to deliver the first Ngā Ara Whakatupuranga- New Frontiers programme, a pathway to get NZDF Māori leaders into public sector roles.
Kirikiriroa office officially opens
The relationship between Te Puni Kōkiri and the Ministry for Pacific Peoples was strengthened when both Hamilton offices recently co-located. Associate Minister for Māori Development, Hon Nanaia Mahuta, and Minister for Pacific Peoples, Hon Aupito William Sio, opened the new shared office space on July 22.
New Māori Wardens Qualification to be offered next year
The mahi Ngā Wātene Māori do to support whānau in the community is on track to be recognised by a new tohu in mid-2022. The nationally approved qualifications could also open doors for new career opportunities.
Wardens History project underway
Springbok tour protests, the occupation of Bastion Point and the Queen’s visits to Waitangi. Throughout the decades, Māori Wardens have been first-hand witnesses to major events in the history of Aotearoa. However now it is the turn of Ngā Watene Māori to have their own history recorded.
Paiheretia Launched in Te Tai Tokerau
Tāne from Northland Regional Corrections Facility (NRCF) welcomed manuhiri and challenged officials in Te Tai Tokerau at the Māori Pathways programme announcement.
Conference updates Wardens on Modernisation progress
Over 400 Wātene Māori from around the motu gathered in Te Papaioea (Palmerston North) at the end of May for the 2021 National Māori Wardens Conference.
Ngāti Toa Cadets are helping to empower their iwi
Ngāti Toa Rangatira have partnered with Te Puni Kōkiri to deliver a successful Cadetships programme for 38 cadets that focuses on developing the iwi and the skills of its people.
Re-shaping the future of Māori housing
Māori housing received a major boost in this year's Budget. The Whai Kāinga Whai Oranga $380 million investment allows iwi and Government to expand existing programmes and look at new models for delivering Māori housing.
Te ao Māori gardening book for communities launched ahead of Matariki
As part of community resilience building, Te Puni Kōkiri has supported the publication of a book for whānau Māori about growing food by Dr Nick Roskruge.
Working their way to the top with Cadetships
In a smoko room in Hawkes Bay hang a series of framed staff achievements. Plenty more certificates have been proudly added to the walls of this Māori owned contracting firm in the past year, due to the Te Puni Kōkiri Cadetships programme.
KiwiRail’s leadership programme just the ticket for kaimahi Māori
A Māori leadership course run by KiwiRail is just the ticket for both the company and its employees. It’s so successful that it has been fast tracked to become KiwiRail’s number one development programme.
Te Hononga: Connecting NZ Post’s Māori leaders through Cadetships
NZ Post is known for connecting people with what they care about. But it’s also connecting Māori staff with their full potential thanks to a partnership with Te Puni Kōkiri.
Young whānau writing their own narrative on home ownership
As a young person today, Aaliyah Armstrong says you don’t have to listen too hard to hear a recurring narrative about the housing market.
Te taiao (nature) inspires young Ngāti Toa hearts and minds
Porirua rangatahi are sitting in a class clapping each other’s achievements – one has passed their license, another’s in final year nursing, a 15-year-old’s returning to college and someone else is off to polytech.
Working ‘on’ the business instead of ‘in’ it
‘Making gains in the gym’ is the challenging goal set by the owners of a holistic health centre in Waikato. But the ‘new year, new you' goal isn’t just for clients, it is also for the business itself and staff. To grow into their future, the team joined up with Te Puni Kōkiri Cadetships.
Government supports Bros for Change
Dozens of rangatahi will build positive futures thanks to a major government contract awarded to the Bros for Change charitable trust, which is supported by Whānau Ora commissioning agency Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu.
Iwi radio station grows homegrown media production
The South Island’s only iwi radio station has had to adapt to new ways of telling stories online, on-air and on the ground. To support the upskilling of its kaimahi, Tahu FM has reached out to the Cadetships programme run by Te Puni Kōkiri.
Turuki Whānau Ora provider leads vaccine roll out
Staff at South Auckland Māori health provider Turuki Health Care were the first in Aotearoa to receive and administer a COVID-19 vaccine.
Papakāinga hīkoi showcases whānau aspirations
Streams of people filed off busses, into the heat and on to the whenua of the Kurupo-Kaukau whānau in Moteo, Heretaunga. It was the third stop on the papakāinga hīkoi that showcased local papakāinga developments Te Puni Kōkiri has supported since 2015, as a warm up to the National Māori Housing Conference 2021.
Fixing up the whare for a further 50 years
Sitting outside the house her grandfather bought more than 50 years ago, Muri Rata smiles in the morning sun.
Te Ōhanga Māori contributes to wellbeing data
A new report on the size and scope of the Māori economy will contribute to Māori wellbeing by continuing to build the picture of Māori employment, economic activity and assets.
Housing and hope in the future of Taumarunui
Five new emergency and transitional homes in Taumarunui are ready to welcome whānau who need a chance to find their feet again.