Rangatahi Mental Wellbeing
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 […]
Sound of smokefree future
Healthy Families Rotorua is leading a smoking and vaping cessation kaupapa, using the koauau (traditional Māori wind instrument) as a central tool. The koauau-based smoking and vaping cessation prototype combines mātauranga Māori, pūrakau, maramataka, and tikanga-based practices to create a holistic approach to improving respiratory health. Integrating hands-on learning with taonga pūoro, this innovative model […]
Saving Seeds, Growing Futures
Iti noa, he pito mataA small seed can sustain many. This whakataukī refers to replanting a small amount of uncooked kumara to produce many more. It speaks to the relationship between people and whenua (land). The final Nau Mai e Ngā Hua workshop focused on seed saving, a key practice in building self-sustaining gardens and […]
Trip along State Highway 35
Healthy Families Rotorua with the Te Raukumara Pae Maunga Team based in Te Kaha.
Year of Growth & Development
A year of growth and development has been the driving force for Healthy Families Rotorua. Manager Jenny Kaka-Scott says that by taking a broad, aerial view of the local prevention system, the team has improved its systems thinking approach and deepened its understanding of social issues. “We’ve explored multiple solutions and are now better at […]
Our Kai Māori Legacy
Healthy Families Rotorua was thrilled to co-facilitate the Rongoā Waitawhara: E Kai! wānanga this month, bringing together whānau and community members for a hands-on experience in integrating rongoā Māori and traditional Māori cooking. Led by chef Joe McLeod and his dedicated team from E Kai Māori, the three-day wānanga at Kearoa Marae focused on revitalising […]
Rūru Parirau
From Insight to Action – Tikanga Māori illuminating the way forward According to the Rotorua Healthy Families community survey (2023) 64% of people surveyed said that alcohol consumption in urupā (burial sites) is common, while 67% expressed a desire to return urupā to being waipiro kore or alcohol-free places. Some kaupapa stir up strong emotions […]
Growing Sustainable Practices
Healthy Families Rotorua’s Nau Mai e Ngā Hua sustainable gardening workshops are connecting people with the whenua through practical, hands-on learning. In a world of increasingly pressing environmental challenges, these workshops offer timely solutions by blending mātauranga Māori with sustainable gardening techniques. Held at Maraeroa Mahinga Kai in Ōhinemutu, the series provides valuable skills in […]
Matariki Heri Kai
This year’s Matariki theme is Matariki Heri Kai – or the Feast of Matariki. Kai being a connector of people helps to bring us together and what we have gathered for our shared feast speaks volumes about the unique places we come from. With Matariki Heri Kai in mind, Healthy Families Rotorua dived into its […]
Tukutuku strengthening unity
While creating a tukutuku panel to celebrate Matariki and Rotorua, the Healthy Families Rotorua team connected with their tīpuna and reinforced unity within themselves. Last week, the team participated in a tukutuku wānanga, as part of its Te Awhero programme designed to strengthen staff te reo Māori and tikanga competency. Master weaver and Te Arawa […]
