Rāpare 14 Ākuhata | Thursday 14th August

Nau mai hoki mai, e te whānau!

The team has had another busy Hōngongoi (July) supporting the community and kaupapa that are close to their ngākau, and Here-turi-kōkā is building up for another eventful month. 

Last week, we had fun celebrating ‘Epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki ‘Airani – Cook Islands Māori Language Week in our TOA-TRA office! 

Last month, we initiated something new: an Op-Ed by our Registrar, Dr. Nethmi Kearns. We hope you found it enjoyable, as we have another one this month. Please feel free to provide feedback on the idea of featuring these regularly in our e-pānui.

From Temporary Solutions to Sustainable Change: Porirua's ‘Community-Led’ Way Forward

Opinion Editorial written by Te Wāhi Tiaki Tātou

From Temporary Solutions to Sustainable Change: Porirua's 'Community-Led' Way Forward

If we want better outcomes for whānau in Porirua, we must work differently.

Through the Resilience to Organised Crime in Communities (ROCC) kaupapa, we’re trialling a new way of commissioning and delivery of support services - one that’s driven by community priorities, built on trust, and focused on prevention, as much as response.

It’s early days, and while we don’t yet have long-term data, we’re already seeing encouraging shifts: stronger collaboration between providers, more trust from whānau, and services beginning to align around shared goals.

For too long, responses to harm have been reactive and fragmented. Whānau are moved between disconnected services, trust erodes, and intergenerational cycles of harm remain unbroken.

The numbers speak for themselves:

• Methamphetamine – an average of 13,750 common doses consumed each week in Porirua, costing an estimated $288,258 in social harm.
   
• Family harm – 40% of all Police callouts in the city.
   
• Youth violence – increasing in both severity and frequency.

These are not isolated issues. These reflect symptoms of structural inequities, decades of short-term funding, and systems that respond to harm rather than prevent it.

Porirua is drawing a line.

We’re reimagining how transformation happens and who drives it.

A System Reimagined

Instead of disconnected agencies with competing priorities, we are bringing iwi, providers, community leaders, and government into one space with a shared kaupapa.

Our emphasis is on prevention, resilience, and solutions based on lived experiences, not just policy templates.

At the core of ROCC is the voice of lived experience. Those affected by harm every day are shaping where and how we invest to break these cycles.

Commissioning Differently – Good for Our Community

One of the most significant changes we've implemented is in the way services are commissioned.

Traditional contracts are often short-term, very specific, and created without input from the community. This approach restricts innovation, compels providers to compete rather than collaborate, and keeps services in a constant state of survival.

We have completely revamped our approach. In Porirua, the commissioning process begins with the aspirations outlined in the ROCC in Porirua—Building a Strong, Resilient, and Thriving Community plan. We trust and empower providers to collaboratively design solutions that are centred on whānau, culturally appropriate, and aimed at achieving long-term outcomes.

This approach:

• Centres lived experience – Solutions shaped by those who know the realities first-hand.
   
• Fosters collaboration – Funding for collective impact, not competing bids.
   
• Invests in prevention – Tackling root causes, not just symptoms.
   
• Builds capability – Reducing compliance burdens so providers can focus on impact.

Although this mahi is supported by short-term funding, it is already enhancing local capacity and demonstrating what’s possible when commissioning is done in partnership with the community.

 Why This Matters 

When we approach commissioning differently, we lead in new ways. We create opportunities for providers to innovate, adapt, and collaborate. We prioritise prevention alongside crisis response and integrate cultural approaches while breaking down silos.

We are in the early stages of development, and while we don't have long-term results yet, the initial signs are very encouraging. Providers are collaborating more closely than ever, and investments are supporting the community's identified priorities, addressing the most pressing issues effectively. These changes lay the groundwork for the deep and sustained change that Porirua requires.

Real change requires time and ongoing investment. Without such support, communities must repeatedly rebuild trust, relationships, and services every time funding cycles end.

A Call to Act Together

Porirua is showing that when the community's voice is at the forefront and stakeholders such as funders, government, iwi, and providers collaborate as partners, meaningful change can be achieved.

We need the courage to support this approach for the long term. 

Our children deserve better. Our communities deserve better.

If you’re ready to be part of this kaupapa, email us at: TeWahiTiakiTatou@ngatitoa.iwi.nz

#PoriruaCommunityPower#PoriruaThriving#ReimaginingPorirua #InvestInCommunities

Joel-Jakes Sheck, winner of the Variety Category 2024

Porirua Has Talent Returns - Get Your Tickets To The Finals!

We’re excited to be supporting Porirua Has Talent again – an event which brings the whole community together to celebrate everything good about Porirua and the talented tamariki and rangatahi living here.

Last year showcased everything from spectacular dancers to spine-chilling vocalists through to talented guitarists, pianists and a staunch young beat boxer.

Holy Family School came together to give a wonderful kapa haka performance, and Sage Ngatai Skipper wowed everyone with his hip hop animation.

Categories are vocal or musician, dancers, and groups and are split into two different age groupings: 5-12 and 13-25.

Judges this year include social media sensation, cultural comedian, actor and musician Pairama Wright; NZ Alt Country Singer/Songwriter Ainslie Allen, Fredwyn Kisona of Tomorrow People, talented dancer and choreographer Aroha Davidson.

The grand final is this Saturday 16 August 2025!!

Manaaki Māmā Wānanga

Tē Wāhi Tiaki Tātou is grateful to be working alongside Pēpe Ora in our shared commitment to bringing providers together to support māmā and pēpi.

With this month’s Pēpe Ora Networking Hui being held in Porirua, it was a fantastic opportunity for our Manaaki Māmā Collective Impact Rōpū to connect kanohi ki te kanohi.

Over the past year, we’ve worked together to bring a few young māmā-led initiatives to life, based on what they told us mattered most during the Manaaki Māmā Reimagining Session in 2024. Since then, we’ve increased referrals from Midwives to Wellhomes and are developing engaging social media reels to redesign antenatal resources so they’re more accessible and relevant.

We know this is only scratching the surface of what we can achieve to support young māmā, and we’re keen to expand the Collective Impact Rōpū membership to bring more of their moemoeā to life.

Please join us at our next Manaaki Māmā Wānanga, where we’ll be working together with a focus on supporting māmā in Titahi Bay and Cannons Creek.

Why focus here? The Social Investment Agency data shows:

• 65% of māmā in the Porirua cohort live in areas of high deprivation.
   
• Nearly half of these māmā live in Cannons Creek or Titahi Bay.
   
• Only 50% of Māori and Pacific māmā in these areas enrol with a midwife in the first trimester, missing out on early care opportunities.
   
• 28% present to Emergency Departments during pregnancy, signalling the need for earlier, trusted, and proactive support.

Together, we can change this story.

FREE, legal and confidential Drug Checking Clinic – Saturday 23^rd August 2025

Join us for a free, confidential, and 100% legal drug-checking clinic to help protect our community.

Te Wāhi Tiaki Tātou, in partnership with Know Your Stuff, is hosting a free and confidential drug-checking clinic on Saturday, 23^rd August 2025.

This kaupapa provides a safe, stigma-free space for individuals to test substances for harmful contaminants—supporting community well-being through harm reduction and manaakitanga.

Your safety matters. No judgment, just harm reduction!

• When: Saturday 23^rd August 2025, 11 am – 3 pm
   
• Where: Hei Oranga Ake, 4 Lydney Place, Porirua City Centre. (Access to the building is down the side street opposite this mural - image below)

He mahi aroha mō te hapori. Let’s walk this path together for a brighter, safer future. 

#HarmReduction #KnowYourStuff #Porirua

Recently, our Programme Lead for Te Wāhi Tiaki Tātou, Anita Taggart, proudly represented Aotearoa New Zealand as part of the NZ Black Dragons (Taniwha Pango) at the 17th IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in Brandenburg, Germany!

Read her inspiring story below.

Making Waves on the World Stage: NZ Black Dragons (Taniwha Pango) Shine in Germany 

"In July 2025, I had the privilege of representing Aotearoa New Zealand as part of the NZ Black Dragons (Taniwha Pango) at the 17th IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in Brandenburg, Germany. This year’s event brought together over 30 nations, including powerhouse teams from the USA (850), Canada (548), Australia (334), Germany (436) and China, many with hundreds of athletes. Against that backdrop, our squad of around 90 paddlers stood proud, delivering New Zealand’s most successful campaign ever at a World Championships.

The Black Dragons returned home with 12 medals—including 4 gold, 7 silver, and 1 bronze—and an 8th place overall ranking in the world. These results reflect not only world-class performance on the water but also the strength of our team spirit (Kotahitanga), preparation, and determination.

My Races and Medal Moments

I was fortunate to be part of five medal-winning crews:

• Mixed Small Boat, Senior B (50+) - 2000m | Gold Medal 
• Women's Small Boat - 500m | Gold Medal 
• Mixed Small Boat - 200m | Silver Medal 
• Women's Senior B Small Boat - 2000m | Silver Medal 
• Women's Senior B Small Boat - 200m | Silver Medal

One of the highlights for me was our opening day gold in the 2000 m Mixed race, where the crew’s precision, sticking to the race plan and trusting each other gave us a decisive victory. That set the tone for the week, and our other gold in the Women’s 500 m—a heart-stopping race decided by fractions of a second, beating both Canada and USA—was pure ‘kaha’, adrenaline and joy.

A Haka for the Ages

One of the most moving moments of the Championships was having our own Taniwha Pango haka performed for us after our gold medal wins. Standing together as a team, with our flag raised and medals around our necks, we shared a piece of our culture with the world—an expression of pride, kotahitanga, and connection to home that will stay with me forever.

More Than Medals

While the podium finishes are a highlight, what makes me most proud is how our relatively small team competed alongside—and often ahead of—some of the world’s largest and most resourced crews. The Black Dragons’ success shows that with dedication, strategic preparation, and the right spirit, Aotearoa can take on the best in the world and win.

I return home not just with medals, but with lots of fond memories, long-lasting friendships, and an even deeper respect for the sport. Most importantly, I hope our performance inspires others to pick up a paddle, join a crew, and experience the camaraderie and challenge that dragon boating offers."

Your feedback is important to us. If you have any questions, concerns or comments, please email us at tewahitiakitatou@ngatitoa.iwi.nz