We are the Whānau Ora commissioning agency for Te Waipounamu.

We work on behalf of eight Te Waipounamu iwi to determine the best ways to support whānau development.

Our approach aims to create social impact by investing directly in initiatives developed by whānau or community groups. We also support a significant workforce of Whānau Ora Navigators who work directly with whānau to support them to develop their own pathway plans.

All our mahi is centred on the philosophy that whānau must be placed at the centre of service design and delivery, supporting them to realise their own solutions.

Our Funds

Ā mātou pūtea

We have funding streams available for whānau living in Te Waipounamu, Rakiura, and Wharekauri

Wave

Wave

Our Wave funding is a social innovation model that gives whānau the agency to realise their own aspirations

Ruia

Ruia

This is a contestable fund which supports rangatahi wellbeing, intergenerational leadership, succession planning and cultural development

Te Kīwai

Te Kīwai

This fund has been designed to support tamariki and rangatahi wellbeing through play, active recreation and sport

Kōanga Kai

Kōanga Kai

Kōanga Kai provides physical resources and coaching so that whānau can create gardens in their homes and communities

Tama Ora

Tama Ora

Tama Ora can help you create an event, project or programme targeted at keeping tamariki and rangatahi active

Latest articles

Karere o te wā

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A brighter tomorrow

This week we reflect upon the power of second chances, and the importance that everyone be offered the same opportunity to grow. We hear from rangatahi about their memories of māra kai, learn about P.A.T.H and showcase a fabulous wānanga.
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A brighter tomorrow

This week we reflect upon the power of second chances, and the importance that everyone be offered the same opportunity to grow. We hear from rangatahi about their memories of māra kai, learn about P.A.T.H and showcase a fabulous wānanga.
Read article now

Ka kōrero ahau i te reo Māori

This week we join the rest of the country in acknowledging Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori and the progress made over the past 50 years. We travel to Te Whanganui a Tara for a wānanga on emergency management, and celebrate the launch of Little Romax.
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Waikawa Shuttle

After returning to New Zealand after 14 years in Australia, David and Ruby Thomas are loving being home on their whenua and serving their community through Waikawa Shuttle.
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Te Kai a Te Rangatira

Te Kai a Te Rangatira is a kaupapa Māori initiative that is supporting Rakiura Māori to reconnect with their identity, culture and language.
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“In Whānau Ora we are looking at the positive things, that the whānau we are working with have to contribute, and using the things that make them feel good and that they are good at to help whānau shift from one space to the next.”

Navenger, Kylie-Jane

Nā te pūtea tautoko

Watch these previously funded kaupapa

Wāhine Māori, It is time to make your health a priority and book a cervical screening test today! If you’re overdue for your smear, take this video as inspiration to make an appointment and get checked for you and your whānau.

Since the 1990s, the team at Attitude has been visiting schools across Aotearoa, driven by a passion to inform, inspire and educate our rangatahi. Recently, Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu has been proud to fund Attitude as part of our Aroā workstream, to create a sexual health workshop with a kaupapa Māori lens.

Richelle Schaper, project manager of the Kōanga Kai initiative at Te Hā o Kawatiri, says recent floods interrupted power supplies, made many homes unliveable and cut road access to the town. Some residents had lost everything. “That has highlighted the need for food security for our whānau. I’ve always been a strong advocate for establishing māra kai – we’ve had one for the past four years – but recent events have really shown that we need to be prepared for disasters, that we need to learn the skills that will make us self-sufficient,” she says.