Ko Wai Mātou?
About Us
Mai Te Awa o Te Atua ki Pūtauaki — Tūwharetoa ki Kawerau Hauora has been the cornerstone of Kaupapa Māori health, education, and social services across the Eastern Bay of Plenty since 1996.
Tō Mātou Kōrero
Grounded in Kawerau
On 18 June 1996 — nearly 30 years ago — the Trust was officially registered as the Board of Incorporation of the Tūwharetoa ki Kawerau Hauora Trust. The original trustees included Adelaide Savage, alongside her pioneering contemporaries: Jacqueline MacPherson, Steve Morrison, Popata Renata, Dennis Hohepa, Wayne Peters, Erueti Patikura, and Maryann Rua.
Today, in 2026, many of our kaimahi carry strong whakapapa connections to these pioneers. Their legacy lives on not only through the organisation they established, but through the whānau, leadership, and commitment that continue to shape our mahi for future generations.
Kawerau herenga waka, Kawerau herenga tāngata — many peoples have arrived here, and all belong. Our kaupapa and strategy exist to ensure the systems shaping wellbeing reflect that shared responsibility—now and into the future.
Tō Mātou Kaupapa
Our Kaupapa
Tūwharetoa ki Kawerau Hauora operates with a clear strategic kaupapa grounded in local knowledge, lived experience, and whānau leadership. Our Mahere Rautaki 2025–2030 sets a five-year direction for transformation—moving beyond survival within fragmented systems toward whānau-led, place-based solutions that strengthen wellbeing across Kawerau.
The strategy responds directly to the realities faced by whānau and communities: persistent inequity, intergenerational harm, and systems that have too often failed to deliver equitable outcomes. While Māori continue to carry the greatest burden of these inequities—later affirmed by the Waitangi Tribunal through the Health Services and Outcomes Kaupapa Inquiry (Wai 2575) and its Hauora: Report on Stage One—hauora in Kawerau is shared. The wellbeing of the community is collective, extending across whānau, communities, and generations.
This strategy is both a response and a repositioning. It centres whānau voice, strengthens local leadership, and asserts that culturally grounded approaches are essential to achieving lasting change.
Ō Mātou Tāngata
Our People
The kaimahi who lead and deliver our mahi — grounded in kaupapa, committed to whānau.
Meet Our PeopleMahere Rautaki 2025–2030
Our Strategic Direction
Moemoea (Vision): A future where mana motuhake, mātauranga, and aroha shape a system of wellbeing grounded in whakapapa and whenua.
Rautaki Matua (Mission): Quality services to the people throughout the rohe of Tūwharetoa ki Kawerau and the Eastern Bay of Plenty that reflect te taha tinana, te taha hinengaro, te taha wairua me te taha whānau.
This five-year strategy positions us for transformation, not mere survival. Faced with unprecedented challenges, we choose strategic conviction — grounded in the leadership of our tūpuna and the commitment of our kaimahi and hapori. We will emerge stronger through purposeful action grounded in mana motuhake.
Ō Mātou Wāhi
Our Locations
Five dedicated sites across Kawerau, each serving a specific area of whānau wellbeing.
Hōkai Ake Nei
Education & social services
Te Whare Whakaoraora
Mental health & addiction services
Te Whare Haumanu
Kaupapa Māori Nurse-Led Clinic
Te Whare Kōtukutuku
Mātauranga Māori & whānau programmes
Matatu
Housing support & advocacy