Creating sustainable change
Kai Rotorua’s Te Rangikaheke Kiripatea (centre) with Kaharoa Community Maara kaitiaki, Amir and Astrid Namdari.
Community food forest
Healthy Families Rotorua is in the early stages of forming a collective with local iwi to spearhead the cultivation of food forests at marae, kura, and kohanga reo. Not only will this increase kai security within the community utilising a kai sovereignty approach, but it also has the potential to utilise local mātauranga in the […]
Healing through kūmara
Healthy Families Rotorua has embarked on a transformative journey of kai sovereignty, digging into the traditional cultivation and preservation of kūmara. After successfully propagating over 1,000 kūmara shoots, the team helped distribute the tupu throughout Te Arawa. Among the recipients was, *Haki, whose life was poised for a significant shift. Estranged from his whānau for […]
Volunteering for Kaumātua
Healthy Families Rotorua leveraged its network to help ensure the triumphant execution of this year’s Te Arawa Kaumātua Olympics, drawing on the collective power of community support. Lead systems innovator, Pirihira Whata, says when the call came out from kaumātua group Oranga Tinana o Ue leader, Dr Laurie Morrison, for volunteers for the Kaumātua Olympics, […]
Year of impact and collaboration
Healthy Families Rotorua’s year was marked by two distinctive phases: zoning in on our impact strategy for the first six months, followed by building team capability over the next six months. Manager, Jenny Kaka-Scott, says a highlight of 2023 was working across every key focus area of the Healthy Families NZ contract. “This year was […]
Kai survey results
In an effort to understand the kai experiences of our community, Healthy Families Rotorua conducted a survey among Rotorua residents.
Planting at puna
Rotorua’s eastern suburbs recently became the focal point for a transformative environmental initiative as part of the Waitawa Restoration Project. Twenty-five volunteers spent over five hours in the rain planting 1,500 riparian plants at the Waitawa Puna. Species included toitoi, harakeke, mānuka, carex, taratara, akeake, and black matipo. Puna Ora lead, Lorraine Hall, orchestrated the […]
Building systems tools
Healthy Families Rotorua is delving deeper into systems thinking to further enhance community health solutions. Over the past few weeks, the team has been shining a spotlight on systems thinking principles, concepts, and tools. This strategic approach aims to reshape community engagement and problem-solving when addressing health challenges. Manager, Jenny Kaka-Scott, shares insights on the […]
Building te reo capability
Healthy Families Rotorua’s newest addition, lead enabler/project coordinator Te Raipine McLeod (Te Arawa, Tūhoe) is quickly making an impact by creating and delivering Te Awhero – a uniquely designed te reo Māori programme to the team. The seeds of Te Awhero were sewn last year. As part of our performance appraisal process, we identified and […]
Matariki ignites ancient ways
Healthy Families Rotorua is part of a mātauranga Māori revitalisation kaupapa to celebrate Matariki. In 2022, the team helped Kai Rotorua plant and harvest kūmara at Te Puea Orchard for Matariki ceremonies. This year, the team participated in the revival of an ana kūmara to store our produce, including two ancient varieties. At this month’s […]
