Whānau Voice Grant Inaugural Funding Round Opens
Pitch Us Your Best Idea!
Today Te Taura Ora o Waiariki launches our very first Whānau Voice Grant kaupapa, a $50,000 community fund created to uplift whānau-led ideas that can transform health and wellbeing across our rohe.
We know whānau are the experts in their own lives. This grant is about supporting those who have ideas, experiences, and stories that can make a real difference.
“Got an idea that can make a difference to hauora? Now’s your chance to share your whakaaro, your way,” says Te Taura Ora o Waiariki General Manager Aroha Dorset. “We believe whānau are the experts in their own health journeys. This grant helps bring those lived experiences to the forefront of change.”
Whānau-led ideas that shape the future
Ten $5,000 grants are available in this first round. Whether your project is just beginning or already underway, it’s your opportunity to shine a light on what works for your people.
Your idea might take shape through hui, wānanga, workshops, surveys, storytelling, or creative projects like film, digital storytelling, or art. What matters most is that your kaupapa captures the voice of your whānau and helps influence how health services are designed in the future.
This isn’t about delivering services, it’s about sharing insights, inspiring change, and making sure Māori voices lead in the transformation of our health system.
Grounded in tikanga Māori
Te Taura Ora represents more than 32,000 Māori across the Waiariki rohe. This grant continues our commitment to Te Tiriti-led, iwi-driven health solutions that reflect our people and values.
“This isn’t just about funding it’s about using creative power with purpose,” says Dorset. “By sharing your stories and ideas, your whānau can help shape a health system that listens to our people and reflects our realities.”
Projects that uplift the voices of kaumātua, rangatahi, tāngata whaikaha, and rural communities are especially encouraged.
Apply now
The Whānau Voice Grant is open from 5 November to 27 November 2025, and all applicants will be contacted by 12 December 2025.
To find out more and apply, visit: tearawaimpb.co.nz/whanau-voice-grant-guidelines
Waiariki Health Realities in Māori Hands Thanks to Dedicated Data Dashboard
Te Taura Ora o Waiariki, the Iwi Māori Partnership Board (IMPB) has taken a major step toward transforming how Māori health data is accessed, understood, and used for decision-making, completing the first stage of training for a new Māori data platform that will empower iwi to see their own health trends clearly for the first time.
The training, held in Taupō alongside governance members and three neighbouring Iwi Māori Partnership Boards, marks the beginning of a significant shift toward Māori data sovereignty, ensuring information about our people is held, interpreted, and used by us, for us.
“This marks a pivotal moment for Māori leadership in health. This data platform allows us to see our people clearly. We can now identify exactly where needs exist, where gaps in the system are impacting whānau, and where opportunities lie to invest in solutions that will create real change,” said Hingatu Thompson, Chair of Te Taura Ora o Waiariki.
Until now, data relating to the Waiariki region was grouped within the wider Lakes District, which meant the true realities of our whānau were hidden within larger population sets. Now for the first time, Te Taura Ora o Waiariki will be able to access a dedicated dashboard populated with data specific to our rohe.
The initial dashboard draws on information currently provided by Te Whatu Ora on the government’s 5+5+5 health targets:
- Faster cancer treatment
- Improved immunisation
- Shorter stays in emergency departments
- Shorter wait times for first specialist assessment
- Shorter wait times for elective treatment
While this first iteration is modest, it represents a breakthrough in visibility and will provide a foundation on which a richer, more comprehensive dataset will be built over time.
Participants in the training explored data through a te ao Māori worldview. Rather than viewing data as numbers alone, kaimahi reflected on data as a living narrative that carries the voice, mana and aspirations of whānau, hapū and iwi. The training is designed to build capability and confidence so that data insights can be used to inform strategic planning, influence policy, and strengthen advocacy on behalf of Māori communities.
Te Taura Ora o Waiariki has also been gathering whānau voice independently through kōrero, surveys and hui. Although this qualitative data is not yet integrated into the dashboard, it remains central to interpreting the numbers and will be used alongside the platform to ensure decisions reflect lived reality, not just statistics.
The platform build and training are being led by Te Tihi o Ruahine, a respected whānau ora collective with deep expertise in Māori data systems and technical development. Seven more training modules will be delivered between now and June 2026, with one of these wānanga set to be hosted in Te Arawa in February 2026. As the platform matures, new data sources will be incorporated to build a more complete picture of community wellbeing.
“This kaupapa is not just about technology,” Thompson said. “It is about restoring mana motuhake, defining success on our own terms, and using evidence grounded in our worldview to uplift the wellbeing of our whānau.”
The training follows the key appointment of Urukahinga Rei (Ngāti Whakaue, Tūhourangi) as Kaitātari, a role that identifies, describes, and maps key datasets relevant to whānau hauora.
In the coming years, Te Taura Ora o Waiariki will share insights and stories emerging from the data platform with iwi partners, Māori providers and communities to support collective action toward improved health outcomes.
Media Liaison: Sarah Sparks Email: Sarah.sparks@sparksconsulting.co.nz Mobile: 021318813
New Pou Oranga for Te Arawa IMPB to Drive Whānau Wellbeing in Te Arawa
In a move to strengthen delivery on its strategic health priorities, Te Taura Ora o Waiariki, Iwi Māori Partnership Board has appointed Jeanette Te Ua-Hausman (Ngā Wairiki, Ngāti Apa) as Pou Oranga – Projects, a role focused on leading and coordinating kaupapa that advance the Board’s strategic priorities for hauora Māori across the rohe.
“We welcome Jeanette at a moment when the future of Māori health governance is at stake,” says Hingatu Thompson, Chair of Te Taura o Waiariki Iwi Māori Partnership Board. “Her appointment reflects our commitment to delivering Te Arawa-led solutions to the housing, health, and wellbeing challenges that are particularly acute in Rotorua.”
“Our whānau face complex social issues, from high housing stress and homelessness to the health inequities highlighted in the Waitangi Tribunal’s Hauora Report. In Waiariki, low cancer screening and immunisation rates show a public health system that too often falls short.”
“Jeanette brings expertise in housing strategy, community engagement, and multi-stakeholder coordination, enabling practical, culturally grounded solutions to overcrowding, damp homes, and the broader social determinants of health affecting Te Arawa whānau.”
The Board appreciates the value of Jeanette’s proven leadership in housing, project management, and iwi-led collaboration with a strong understanding of Tikanga Māori which strengthens the ability of Te Taura to deliver outcomes that are not only effective but mana-enhancing and grounded in Te ao Māori, reflecting the aspirations and realities of Te Arawa whānau.
Jeanette brings more than a decade of project and operational leadership across diverse sectors, housing advocacy, and iwi–Crown partnership work underpinned by a Bachelor of Applied Management in Project and Operations Management.
Most recently, as Housing Advisor for Whanganui District Council, she led strategic action plans for housing and homelessness, successfully managed complex projects addressing social determinants of wellbeing and facilitated housing action groups, coordinating multi-stakeholder initiatives with Iwi, hapū, and government agencies. Her career also spans leadership roles in real estate, manufacturing operations, and human resources, with a consistent focus on building kaupapa that improve community wellbeing.
As Pou Oranga, Jeanette will manage the delivery of key projects from the IMPB’s annual work programme, including initiatives addressing housing, poverty, and food security – critical social determinants of health. She will also strengthen partnerships across iwi, hapū, providers, and Crown agencies to ensure Te Arawa aspirations are at the centre of local system change.
Her appointment comes at a time when Rotorua is experiencing both a housing crisis and significant health reforms with the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill. With Te Whatu Ora restructuring frontline services, the role of IMPBs in shaping local solutions has become even more critical.
“Jeanette’s experience leading iwi–Crown partnerships in the housing space makes her uniquely placed to progress Te Arawa-led solutions,” says Thompson. “This appointment signals our determination to move beyond business-as-usual and deliver transformational change for our whānau.”
Media Liaison: Sarah Sparks Email: Sarah.sparks@sparksconsulting.co.nz Mobile: 021318813