A new round of Whānau Voice Grants is set to empower whānau and hapori across the rohe to lead innovative hauora initiatives grounded in lived experience, mātauranga Māori, and community connection. The successful round two recipients will start their kaupapa from 1 May 2026.
The grants continue Te Taura Ora o Waiariki’s commitment to placing whānau at the centre of decision-making, recognising that those closest to the challenges are often best placed to design meaningful and sustainable solutions.
This latest funding round will support nine (9) kaupapa focused on a range of pressing health and wellbeing priorities identified by whānau and communities across the region.
The fund seeks to uplift initiatives that are locally led, culturally grounded, and designed to strengthen long-term whānau wellbeing.
The kaupapa areas identified for this round include:
- Community Health & Wellbeing
- Rangatahi Mental Health
- Whānau experiencing mental health and addictions duress
- Chronic disease prevention and equitable access to bariatric care
- Long-term whānau wellbeing initiatives
- Overall health and wellbeing of tamariki, mokopuna, and whānau in kaupapa Māori spaces
- Mental health and hauora initiatives
- Whānau Ora approaches
- Health and wellbeing of older people
The Whānau Voice Grants creates space for whānau voice, recognising the expertise that already exists within communities, and backing local leadership, lived experience, and kaupapa Māori solutions that strengthen hauora from the ground up, because whānau know what works best for their own communities.
Previous funding rounds highlighted the strength, creativity, and innovation of whānau-led approaches across the rohe, with initiatives spanning storytelling, digital engagement, rangatahi wellbeing, cultural revitalisation, mental health support, and community-led health education.
The Whānau Voice Grants demonstrates the importance of supporting grassroots leadership and ensuring communities who are often underrepresented in traditional funding systems have equitable opportunities to participate and lead.
Kaupapa grounded in tikanga māori and mātauranga māori continues to show strong alignment with Te Taura Ora o Waiariki values, while also delivering practical and innovative responses to local hauora challenges.
By investing directly into whānau-led initiatives, the grants aim to strengthen community capability, build whanaungatanga, and support long-term wellbeing outcomes that are shaped by whānau, for whānau.
The nine successful whanau voice grant initiatives are: (Not listed in any order)
| # | Organisation / Lead | Kaupapa Priority / Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ngāpuna Taiao Roopu (Amelia Hall) | Manaaki Whenua, Manaaki Tāngata, Haere Whakamua – Community Health & Wellbeing |
| 2 | Rīana Te Uira White-Haverkamp | Tapu NOT Taboo – Rangatahi Mental Health |
| 3 | Te Mauru Charitable Trust (Taratoa Ratema) | Tu Rangatira a Whānau – Mental Health / Addictions Duress |
| 4 | Digital Natives Academy (Matt Leef) | Te Whare Tūhono – Rangatahi Mental Health |
| 5 | Christine Corbett | RealTalk Bariatrics: Whānau insights to strengthen long-term success – Chronic disease prevention, equitable access to bariatric care, and long-term whānau wellbeing |
| 6 | Te Kōhanga Reo Ariki (Kahurangi Hodge) | Te Reo o te Whānau – Ariki Kōhanga Reo. Health & wellbeing of tamariki, mokopuna, and whānau in a kaupapa Māori space |
| 7 | Ellie O'Brien | Rongoā – The Podcast – Mental Health |
| 8 | Save Our Babies Charitable Trust (Verbena Anderson) | UnSilenced – Rangatahi Mental Health |
| 9 | John Hurihanganui | Ngā Reo o Te Pā Harakeke – Whānau Ora / Health of Older People |