Opinion: Whānau Voice Grant doubles engagement as Te Arawa leads health change
Rawiri Bhana, from the Te Taura Ora o Waiariki Iwi Māori Partnership Board, reflects on an extraordinary response to a health initiative.
Over the past two weeks, something remarkable has happened across Te Arawa.
Our new Whānau Voice Grant, a $50,000 fund that empowers local whānau to shape health and wellbeing, has sparked a level of engagement that has been overwhelming and inspiring.
And it proves one thing: when you listen to whānau, they respond with energy, insight and solutions.
I’ll be honest: we weren’t sure how the community would engage.
But after our first radio interview on The Heat, my phone lit up with calls from all corners of the rohe. Whānau were saying, “We saw you on the morning show, how can we apply?”
From hapū māmā and natural birthing advocates, to rangatahi, Takatāpui, and even local gang communities, all sorts wanted to step forward.
Whānau from the Block reached out, excited to activate their own initiatives. The response has been extraordinary.
Registrations have doubled.
Traffic to our registration page has increased by 87%, and visits to the application page are up 62%.
The highest-viewed page on our website is the Whānau Voice Grant Guidelines & Criteria.
On social media, our top posts to date include Applications Now Open (5132 views) and Pitch Your Best Idea (5849 views).
This grant is designed to be inclusive and accessible.
Rangatahi, for example, can submit a simple video, tell a story, or express their ideas in a medium that suits them, not a 20-page application form.
We want whānau to engage in their own language, style, and way. It’s not about fitting into the system; it’s about reshaping the system to reflect whānau realities.
For too long, our national health system has operated like a one-size-fits-all model.
Communities that don’t fit the usual parameters like remote or rural whānau, tāngata whaikaha, gang whānau, takatāpui, young parents, often go unheard. This grant flips that dynamic on its head.
Instead of asking whānau to conform, we are adapting the system to capture their expertise, creativity, and insight.
Already, stories are emerging that wouldn’t appear in standard reporting cycles.
Rangatahi sharing what wellbeing truly feels like, hapū māmā highlighting gaps in birthing and postpartum support, takatāpui whānau surfacing health challenges and solutions that are invisible in traditional data.
These are insights that decision-makers in our Te Manawa Taki region and in Wellington need to hear and they come directly from our people living the experiences.
Our Te Taura Board sees success not just as awarding the 10 $5000 grants available in this first round, but as receiving an abundance of applications.
Every story, every idea is valuable, and the more whānau contribute, the more we can support and scale solutions, not just this year, but in future tranches of funding.
This kaupapa is about making mokopuna decisions, those long-view choices whose benefits may only be seen by future generations.
It’s about ensuring the health system we build today is culturally grounded, relational, and responsive to the real needs of our people.
If the past two weeks are any indication, our whānau are rising. They are speaking. They are shaping their own future. Our job is simple: listen, honour their kōrero, and act.
Applications close at Thursday, November 27. Whānau can apply via our website tearawaimpb.co.nz/whanau-voice-grant-guidelines or through our social media channels.
It’s quick, simple, and your voice can make a real difference.
This is only the beginning. Whānau are leading the way and we are listening.
Original Article Source: https://www.teaonews.co.nz/2025/11/25/opinion-whanau-voice-grant-doubles-engagement-as-te-arawa-leads-health-change/
Listening to Whānau Is Changing the Future of Our Health System
Over the past two weeks, something remarkable has happened across Te Arawa. Our new Whānau Voice Grant, a $50,000 fund empowering local whānau to shape health and wellbeing, has sparked a level of engagement that has been overwhelming and inspiring. And it proves one thing: when you listen to whānau, they respond with energy, insight, and solutions.
I’ll be honest: we weren’t sure how the community would engage. But after our first radio interview on The Heat, my phone lit up with calls from all corners of the rohe. Whānau were saying, “We saw you on the morning show, how can we apply?”
From hapū māmā and natural birthing advocates, to rangatahi, Takatāpui, and even local gang communities, all sorts wanted to step forward. Whānau from the Block reached out, excited to activate their own initiatives. The response has been extraordinary.
Registrations have doubled. Traffic to our registration page has increased by 87%, and visits to the application page are up 62%. The highest-viewed page on our website is the Whānau Voice Grant Guidelines & Criteria. On social media, our top posts to date include ‘Applications Now Open’ (5,132 views) and ‘Pitch Your Best Idea’ (5,849 views).
This grant is designed to be inclusive and accessible. Rangatahi, for example, can submit a simple video, tell a story, or express their ideas in a medium that suits them, not a 20-page application form. We want whānau to engage in their own language, style, and way. It’s not about fitting into the system; it’s about reshaping the system to reflect whānau realities.
For too long, our national health system has operated like a one-size-fits-all model. Communities that don’t fit the usual parameters like remote or rural whānau, tāngata whaikaha, gang whānau, Takatāpui, young parents, often go unheard. This grant flips that dynamic. On its head. Instead of asking whānau to conform, we are adapting the system to capture their expertise, creativity, and insight.
Already, stories are emerging that wouldn’t appear in standard reporting cycles. Rangatahi sharing what wellbeing truly feels like, hapū māmā highlighting gaps in birthing and postpartum support, Takatāpui whānau surfacing health challenges and solutions that are invisible in traditional data.
These are insights that decision-makers in our Te Manawa Taki region and in Wellington need to hear and they come directly from our people living the experiences.
Our Te Taura Board sees success not just as awarding the ten $5,000 grants available in this first round, but as receiving an abundance of applications. Every story, every idea is valuable, and the more whānau contribute, the more we can support and scale solutions, not just this year, but in future tranches of funding.
This kaupapa is about making mokopuna decisions, those long-view choices whose benefits may only be seen by future generations. It’s about ensuring the health system we build today is culturally grounded, relational, and responsive to the real needs of our people.
If the past two weeks are any indication, our whānau are rising. They are speaking. They are shaping their own future. Our job is simple: listen, honour their kōrero, and act.
Applications close at COB Thursday, 27 November. Whānau can apply via our website tearawaimpb.co.nz/whanau-voice-grant-guidelines or through our social media channels.
It’s quick, simple, and your voice can make a real difference.
This is only the beginning. Whānau are leading the way and we are listening.
Kōrero with Sheena Waerea part of Te Taura Ora o Waiariki - Te Arawa IMPB
Kōrero with Sheena Waerea part of Te Taura Ora o Waiariki - Te Arawa IMPB in to talk about Whānau Voice grants that close off this week.
Sheena covers Purpose of the grants, Reminder of Closing Date, How easy it is to apply, Encouraging Last-Minute Entries.Applications are now open — click here to learn more. Applications close November 27.
REMINDER: Whānau Voice Grants Close This Thursday!
He wā tēnei kia rangona te reo o te whānau.
Now is the time for your voice to be heard.
If you’ve been thinking about applying for a Whānau Voice Grant, this is your gentle reminder - applications close this Thursday 27 November.
Watch the short video below to see how you and your whānau can share your stories, ideas, and experiences to help shape the future of health and wellbeing in our rohe.
Let your voice guide the way forward.
Kia kaha, kia māia, kia manawanui.
Now is the time for your voice to be heard.
Kia kaha, kia māia, kia manawanui.
Kōrero with Rawiri Bhana of Te Taura Ora o Waiariki - Te Arawa IMPB
Kōrero with Rawiri Bhana part of Te Taura Ora o Waiariki - Te Arawa IMPB in to talk about Whānau Voice Grants, 10 grants of $5,000 total pool $50,000.
Applications are now open — click here to learn more. Applications close November 27.
Rangatahi, It’s Your Time to Lead – Whānau Voice Grants Open
Hear from one of our own rangatahi about why your voice matters in shaping the future of hauora in our rohe. If you’ve got ideas, stories, or dreams for how we can strengthen whānau wellbeing, this is your time to lead.
Your whakaaro today can change the future for our tamariki and mokopuna.
Applications are open until 27 November, you can apply here – https://tearawaimpb.co.nz/whanau-voice-grant-guidelines/
Kōrero with Aroha Dorset the General Manager of Te Taura Ora o Waiariki - Te Arawa IMPB
Aroha Dorset, General Manager of Te Taura Ora o Waiariki – Te Arawa IMPB, recently joined the kōrero to discuss the newly launched Whānau Voice Grant. She shared valuable insights into how this kaupapa will empower whānau-led projects, uplift local voices, and enhance hauora throughout our Te Arawa communities.
Applications are now open — click here to learn more. Applications close November 27.
Whānau Voice Grants - Now Open!
He wā tēnei kia rangona te reo o te whānau.
Watch this short video to see how you and your whānau can share your stories and ideas to shape health and wellbeing in our rohe.
We have 10 grants of $5,000 available for whānau, hapū, iwi, and kaupapa Māori entities to lead projects that reflect your needs, values, and tikanga. Share your kōrero through hui, workshops, surveys, storytelling, film, or creative projects – the choice is yours!
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