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 […]

Alcohol in urupā

Healthy Families Rotorua is looking into changes in behaviour with alcohol and urupā, beginning with bringing the issue to light and then talking about it as whānau, hapū/iwi. Systems innovator, Teteira Ormsby, says drinking alcohol at the urupā is not being talked about and there is a concern it will become a normalised practice if […]

Local wai system champion

Lorraine Hall (Ngāti Hūrungaterangi) has always believed that Māori women are great leaders and can achieve anything they set their minds to. She continues to validate this belief as the lead of Puna Ora, the care group tasked with restoring the Waitawa Stream in Rotorua. After her final years at high school, Lorraine made the […]

Local kai system champion

The man behind Rotorua’s kūmara revitalisation is Te Rangikaheke Bidois from Kai Rotorua. He says growing kai, particularly the kūmara, goes back to his whakapapa.