Healthy Families Rotorua is exploring ways to better understand how to support the mental health and wellbeing of rangatahi Māori.

Practice & Development Lead Pirihira Whata is in the early stages of a new kaupapa focused on mental wellness, working alongside an ecosystem of local organisations and experts committed to rangatahi wellbeing.

“We know that when rangatahi feel a strong sense of belonging to their whānau, culture, and whenua, they’re more likely to thrive. This kaupapa is about ensuring those connections are recognised as fundamental to wellbeing, rather than an afterthought,” she says.

Pirihira is engaging with rangatahi, whānau, and community leaders to gather insights into what strengthens wellbeing, what creates barriers, and what is most needed first.

“By focusing on lived experience, we can ensure rangatahi and whānau voices drive the conversation. Our role is to listen deeply and bring forward their insights to inform more effective, whānau-centred approaches,” says Pirihira.

She says prevention is key to creating environments where rangatahi feel safe, connected, and valued before they reach crisis point.

“Strengthening wellbeing starts with identity, whānau, and kaupapa Māori approaches that build resilience before challenges escalate. If we wait until rangatahi are in distress, we’ve already missed an opportunity.”

Pirihira says while there is still much to learn, sustainable, long-term change must be grounded in the knowledge and experiences of whānau.

“Their insights, resilience, and collective wisdom are essential in shaping spaces where rangatahi feel valued, supported, and empowered. Our focus is on gathering these insights and ensuring they help shape future approaches — ones that are responsive, proactive, and grounded in Māori-led ways of being and belonging,” she says.