Who we are
At Te Hou Ora Whānau Services, our work with tamariki (children) aged 0–6 is grounded in kaupapa Māori (Māori values and philosophy) and shaped by mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge), te taiao (the natural world), and deep relational practice. Our programmes are not just services – they are spaces of reconnection, healing, identity-building and play, designed to honour pēpi (babies) and tamariki (children) as taonga (treasures) with their own mauri (life force), guided by the wisdom of their tūpuna (ancestors).
Our Work with SPIRIT
Two of our primary programmes that serve children 0–6 are Hākuitaka Hākorotaka and Poipoia te Mokopuna (Nurture the Grandchild). Both focus on empowering mātua (parents) and whānau (extended families) as the first and most important teachers in a child’s life. Through pūrākau (ancestral stories), whakapapa (genealogy), and nature-based learning, these programmes support whānau (families) to build strong, loving relationships with their tamariki (children) and create nurturing environments that reflect both ancestral knowledge and contemporary realities.
Strengthening Intergenerational Play and Identity-Building
SPIRIT has helped us move beyond serving tamariki (children) and rangatahi (young people) in separate streams, and instead has supported us to intentionally create shared spaces for pēpi (babies), tamariki, rangatahi, ma ma (mothers), and wider whānau to come together. Through our work with Poipoia te Mokopuna and Mauri Mahi, Mauri Ora, we now regularly see pēpi in the same room as rangatahi. It’s natural. It’s beautiful. It’s profound.
Prioritising Tākaro Māori (Māori Play)
The support from SPIRIT has also given us permission and encouragement to centre tākaro Māori—not as an activity, but as a worldview. Tākaro Māori is play grounded in whakapapa (genealogy), atua (spiritual archetypes), pu ra kau (ancestral stories), and te taiao (the natural world). It reconnects our tamariki to the land, to each other, and to themselves. With SPIRIT’s support, we’ve had the time and resource to embed this practice across our programmes—telling pūrākau in the forest, observing maramataka (lunar cycles), using natural materials, and spending more time outside, where play can be expansive, relational, and identity-affirming.
Reframing Evaluation Through Storytelling and Connection
Through SPIRIT, we’ve started to think differently about how we demonstrate impact. Beyond numbers and reports, we’ve embraced creative and cultural storytelling—using pūrākau, visual media, and whānau narratives to show the lived experience of our work. As part of the collective vision emerging from this project, we’re contributing to the development of annual narrative-based reports, cultural expressions (such as art, books, and audio), and shared digital platforms that reflect our collective journey across time. This approach allows us to honour both our uniqueness and our unity—celebrating the differences that shape us while standing together for the wellbeing of our tamariki.
Community-driven systems change
Our work recognises that supporting a child means supporting the entire pa harakeke (flax bush metaphor for family structure)—the full whānau (family) ecosystem. We don’t just serve children. We serve the aunties who raise them, the koro (grandfathers) who pass down stories, the older cousins who model resilience, and the māma (mothers) rediscovering her power. Together, we walk alongside whānau (families) so our pēpi (babies) can grow up rooted, connected, and free.
What SPIRIT means to us
We believe in the healing and developmental power of play—seen through a Māori lens—as central to the growth of our pēpi (babies). Through Lego SPIRIT, we are expanding our understanding and application of play as a powerful, culturally grounded tool for nurturing curiosity, wellbeing, and connection across generations. Our participation in this project, including wānanga (learning gatherings) with other Indigenous communities, has reaffirmed our belief that tamariki (children) thrive when their environments are rich in aroha (love), freedom, stories, and collective care.
"Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takimano – My strength is not mine alone but the strength of many."
We are no longer one organisation working alone in Ōtepoti. We are part of a global Indigenous movement—braided together through shared values and distinct cultural expressions. Through this network, we are learning not just how to deliver better programmes, but how to tell our stories, build international understanding, and create conditions for sustainable, scalable, generational change