WHĀNAU | TEAM

KAUMĀTUA - ELDER

Born in Waikato, I am of the Tainui Waka of the Hapuu Ngaati Tamainupoo and Ngaati Maniapoto heritage. My experiences have come through my personal and whānau life and my work locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

Since those early days, I have added significant experience, professional training and qualifications. I have built on my strong foundations with professional training and national experience in leadership, professional and cultural supervision, counselling, and group facilitation. I have continued my indigenous spiritual energy healing practice. In this basket of resources, I have added internationally renowned, advanced-level training in Appreciative Inquiry, Presentation and Story-Telling, and Aotearoa-based tertiary qualifications in Mātauranga Maori and Bi-Cultural Supervision. In my experience, these resources and approaches combine powerfully and positively to mobilise and achieve personal, professional and organisational change and development.

KUIA - ELDER

Ko Mataatua raaua ko Ngaatokimatawhaorua ooku Waka
Ko Pou e rua toku Maunga
Ko Waitangi tooku Awa
Ko Te Pewhairangi tooku Moana
Ko Te Tiriti o Waitangi tooku Marae
E noho ana au ki Papakaaianga ki Waitangi
Ko Kiingi Taurua raaua ko Mate Horomoana Ashby ooku Maatua
Ko Haami Peihopa tooku Hoa Rangatira
Ko Tui Taurua ahau

My first psychiatric admission was in 1977. I have been working in the mental health sector for 30 years. I hold firm to the voices of my tuupuna; they are my guides. My hapuu is the mental health lived experience haapori.

My work integrates the principles of Hinengaro (mental wellbeing), Oranga (health) and Toa (resilience) to advance Maaori mental health equity. This cultural framework strengthens my ability to represent the indigenous perspective in numerous forums.

Governance roles include Chair, Te Hiringa Hauora/Noku Te Ao, and Deputy Chair for both the Health and Disability Commission & Medical Council Whakawaha Community Advisory Group., Co-Chair Collaborative Lived Experience Advisory Roopu and Trustee for the Collaborative Aotearoa Charitable Trust.

I graduated from Te Wananga o Aotearoa Post Graduate Diploma Kaitiaki Professional Supervision and have begun my Masters of Applied Indigenous Studies, Te Waka Hiringa for Te Wananga o Aotearoa.

POURURUKU - HEAD TRAINER, TARAHITĪ - TRUSTEE, POUTIAKI PUĀWAI PODCAST SEASON 2

Iwi: Ngāti Apa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Ruanui

Ko Jase Te Patu ahau. He kaihāpai pūmau mō te hauora hinengaro, me te kaiwhakarongo i ngā reo o te rangatahi. With over 33 years of dedication, I bring a uniquely grounded perspective, weaving the wisdom of Māori mātauranga into everything I do to uplift the hauora of young people across Aotearoa.

As a TED Talk speaker, Edmund Hillary Fellow, and the founder of Hauora Aotearoa, my mission is clear: to ignite generational change through mental health education. My passion for this mahi comes from the deep desire to see my nephews, nieces, and future generations equipped with the tools they need to thrive when life gets tough.

I am inspired by Io, guided by our tūpuna, and wholly focused on the wellbeing of our mokopuna. Together, we can build a future where every young person stands strong, connected, and resilient. 

TARAHITĪ - TRUSTEE

Iwi: Ngāti Rangiwewehi

MANA INCORPORATED - KAIWAIHANGA | TUMU WHAKARAE - FOUNDER and CO-CEO

He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata he tangata he tangata.

Kelly is a māmā of 3 beautiful tamariki and a nanny. She was born and raised in Gore and moved to Tamaki Makarau in 2005. Kelly is the CEO of Mana Incorporated, an organisation based in South Auckland committed to inspiring, enhancing and empowering rangatahi (youth), whānau, and the wider community.

TARAHITĪ - TRUSTEE

Iwi: Ngāti Apa, Ngā Wairiki, Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Kauwhata, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Paoa, Kai Tahu, and Tumatakōkiri

Mikaere Paki is a Trustee at Hauora Aotearoa with over 20 years of experience in education and Māori strategy. Mikaere brings a deep cultural perspective to his work. As Tumu Ā Tikanga at Te Arawhiti, he led the integration of tikanga Māori into government practice. He is known for his guiding belief that understanding who we are must come before what we do. Mikaere is also a skilled facilitator, welcoming and orienting diverse groups to te ao Māori.

POURURUKU - HEAD TRAINER, KAITIAKI MŌ TE KAUPAPA - PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT LEAD, KAIWHAKAWHITI KŌRERO - SUPERVISOR

Iwi: Ngaati Maniapoto, Ngaati Apakura

Ko Kylie Paekau ahau. Over the past 15 years, I have worked in hauora, primarily as a Kairongoā Honohono and Wairua Practitioner, supporting many whānau in their mental health and hauora journeys using a holistic Māori approach. From my lived experience, I bring a special interest in both Neurodivergence and trauma recovery to my mahi. My earlier background in Business Management and Early Childhood Education allows me to utilise various skills in my role.

As a Māmā of five and an Aunty to many, I am often surrounded by rangatahi and aware of their challenges. I believe our rangatahi hold their own wisdom. With the right nurturing, guidance, and advocacy, they can be supported to connect deeply with their own innate sense of self and develop the resilience needed to thrive in today’s world. Seeing the positive effects hauora practices have had on my own rangatahi has inspired me to share this mātauranga more widely so all our mokopuna have a better chance to live well, learn well, and lead well.

He oranga ngākau, he pikinga waiora.

POU MATUA | GENERAL MANAGER

Bio to come

POURURUKU - TEAM LEAD

Iwi: Te Whakatōhea, Ngāti Whātua ki Kaipara, Ngā Puhi

I have worked with rangatahi Maori and Pasifika for many years supporting their leadership journey and pathwaying them into the workplace. My passion will always be to help our rangatahi recognise the greatness that already exists within them, and give them the tools and encouragement to step fully into it.

I’ve been a gardener and beekeeper for many years, carrying mātauranga that has been passed down from those who came before. For me, the maara is a place where I find deep healing and connection. One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is how closely our actions impact the taiao, and how, in turn, the taiao impacts our hauora. I see it as a responsibility to share this mātauranga with our future leaders and to encourage them to recognise that, despite all the technology in the world, there is magic that exists within the taiao.

My hope is that all rangatahi in Aotearoa have access to the tools and knowledge they need to nurture and strengthen their hauora.

POUAKO - FACILITATOR - TE WHANGANUI-A-TARA

Iwi: Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Porou, Ethiopia

Tēnā tātou katoa,

He uri ahau nō Ngāti Porou, nō Ethiopia. He whāngai ahau nō Ngāti Maru. Ko Honestly Aroha Watene tōku ingoa. I live my life alongside my tamariki who inspire me every day to share my pūkenga with our rangatahi. Having grown up and overcome hardships while disconnected from te ao Māori, I now have the opportunity to support our rangatahi in strengthening their connection to te ao Māori and Hauora. I consider this mahi a privilege. I bring a background in hākinakina, representing Aotearoa in taekwondo and leading youth athlete development spaces for over 10 years. I’m most passionate about reconnecting our rangatahi with te reo me ōna tikanga, elevating the strengths of diversity and supporting them to be their best selves, however that may look for them. With our collective strengths, I believe we can build stronger connections to have an Aotearoa where all people, especially our rangatahi, can face life’s challenges with strength, courage and resilience. 

Kia ora katoa! 

POUAKO - FACILITATOR - TE WHANGANUI-A-TARA

Iwi: Ngāti Rangi, Ngāpuhi, Te Ātihaunui a Paparangi, Te Āitanga-a-Mahaki, Cornwall 

Tēnā tātau, Ko Maarie Mareikura-Ellery tōku ingoa! I was born and raised in Whanganui and now currently live and study in Pōneke with my siblings. 

I am a passionate young Māori wāhine who loves to op shop, sing waiata, be in the gym or playing sports with my hāpori and swimming in the awa or moana. I am deeply grateful to work in Rangatahi spaces, supporting rangatahi into their rangatiratanga and being amazing tūpana mō ngā uri e heke mai nei. 

I love youth development and I love that we as kaimahi get to learn and unlearn alongside them - showing them that their experiences, their feelings are all valid and we can be the reality we dream of. 

Ko tātou tērā e te iwi - we got this! 

POUAKO - FACILITATOR - TE WHANGANUI-A-TARA

Iwi: Ngāti Hāmoa

Ko Yanah Partsch ahau. I’m a Pouako and Facilitator with Hauora Aotearoa. 

As a Samoan wahine, I bring a mix of lived experience, Pasifika heritage and work experience into this space. My mahi experience spans people leadership, facilitation, and business operations. Those experiences have helped me understand how systems work, but more importantly, how they impact people in real life. I try to carry that awareness into my mahi in a way that stays people-first.

As a māmā, an aunty, and someone who is proudly Pasifika, I’m often surrounded by rangatahi. This has made me really aware of the pressures our rangatahi are under and how important it is to have spaces where you can just be yourself, feel supported, free of judgement  

I don’t believe anyone needs fixing. I believe our rangatahi already carry their own knowledge and strength, even when it’s hard to see. My hope in this mahi is simply to help create safe, caring spaces where our rangatahi can reconnect with themselves, with each other, and with what matters to them. 

POUAKO - FACILITATOR – TĀMAKI MAKAURAU

Iwi: Te Rarawa (Ngāi Tūpoto me Ngāti Here), Ngāpuhi, Rarotonga (Ruatonga, Ngantangiia), Rakahanga, Manihiki, Aitutaki

Born and raised in South Auckland, I bring this kaupapa, grounded in my communities, whakapapa, and wairuatanga. My journey into Hauora has grown over the years through working alongside rangatahi, whānau, and communities as a facilitator, lecturer, youth worker, educator and advocate for healing and restoration.

I am passionate, especially when it comes to helping others connect with who they are, where they come from, and the strengths already within them. Through reclaiming Te Reo Māori, telling our stories, and centring matauranga, I believe we create spaces where we can all stand tall and thrive as who we are. 

As a dad to three young tamaiti, I understand the everyday realities our whānau navigate. I bring a strengths-based, relational, inclusive, and culturally grounded approach to life, walking alongside rather than from the front. For me, our hauora is collective. When our rangatahi flourish, our whole community flourishes.  

Mā te kahukura ka rere te manu

POUAKO - FACILITATOR - TĀMAKI MAKAURAU

Kia ora! Kō Esther Bruning ahau. I've spent most of my adult life working with young people and am passionate about them having the support they need to thrive. I recognised from a young age that school doesn't serve everyone well, and found my purpose in life skills education, empowering rangatahi with, what really matters. I'm a māmā of two teenage boys, a keen basketball player, and as I big kid myself, I just love to play. 

It's a privilege to be part of the vital mahi of Hauora Aotearoa, creating an environment of safety and fun for our more vulnerable rangatahi to reconnect with their mauri ora.

PUĀWAI COORDINATOR, KAIĀWHINA - ADMIN

Iwi: Ngāti Whātua, Ngā Puhi, Tūhoe.

Kia ora! Ko Ashleigh Putt-Fallows ahau. I’m currently a student at Te Herenga Waka. My passion has been in advocacy since I was 15 working in environmental activism and since then I have been privileged enough to be a part of mahi in rangatahi and Te Ao Māori spaces. A lot of my mahi centres around rangatahi voice, leadership and issues as well as equity, human rights and Te Ao Māori. I have been lucky enough to work in a variety of spaces from policy makers to communities and everything in between.

I want to see rangatahi now and the next generation be safe and heard, a major part of that is supporting mental health and hauora and so I am led here.

Tukua kia tū takitahi ngā whetū o te rangi. Ehara ahau i te rangatira mō āpōpō, engari he rangatira ahau mō tēnei rā.