Purapura Whetū

09/11/2025

📢 Measles Immunisation Event – This Thursday!

Kia ora e te whānau! 💛
Join us for free MMR vaccinations — no booking needed, just come along!

🗓 Thursday 13 November
🕒 3 PM – 6 PM
📍 41 Essex Street, Phillipstown

Measles spreads faster than almost any other illness and can make you very unwell. Symptoms include: fever, cough, runny nose, sore watery eyes, and a rash — but it’s preventable! 💉

Protect yourself and your whānau — come for vaccination, kai, waiata, and connection.

As a kaupapa Māori provider, we combine clinical, cultural and community support into services that embrace the Māori view of wellbeing.

06/11/2025

As Measles Immunisation Week continues, we want to let you know about the opportunity to protect you and your whānau! Te Oriori and Pūmotomoto have free MMR immunisations from Mon-Fri!

Measles Immunisation Clinic
📍 Te Oriori, 41 Essex Street, Phillipstown
🕘 Mon–Thurs 9:30 am–4 pm | Fri 9:30 am–1 pm
🚗 Street parking available
💬 For more info, contact Siobhan on 027 266 3796

05/11/2025

Tupuranga Attendance and Engagement Service 📚🎓

Tupuranga walks alongside tamariki and whānau who have disengaged from education, helping them reconnect through whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, and culturally grounded support. The service empowers whānau to lead their own journey back to learning, wellbeing, and confidence.

For Shanelle and her son Jaedyn, the path back to learning wasn’t easy.
After moving between schools and programmes that didn’t quite fit, they were exhausted, trying everything but still feeling lost.

Then they met Nicole Parry, kaimahi with Tupuranga Attendance and Engagement Service. Through gentle, whānau-led support, Nicole helped them rediscover hope.
“She didn’t try to ‘fix’ him,” said Shanelle. “She listened, understood his wairua and whakapapa, and helped us find the right path together.”

With Tupuranga’s guidance, Jaedyn found confidence to speak up about his goals at a hui with a tertiary course provider, a turning point for both him and his whānau.

“At that hui, we saw our son grow right in front of us,” said Shanelle. “He was confident, open, and genuinely engaged.”

Today, Jaedyn is moving forward with renewed belief in himself, surrounded by aroha, structure, and the support of his whānau.

As Nicole says, “Sometimes success looks like re-enrolment and sometimes it’s just helping a young person believe in themselves again.” ❤

03/11/2025

Kia ora whānau!
It’s Measles Immunisation Week

Measles is no joke — it spreads quickly and can make both adults and tamariki really unwell. Te Oriori and Pūmotomoto are offering free immunisations to those in need.

Common symptoms include:
🤒 Fever (38°C or higher)
😷 Cough and runny nose
👀 Sore, red eyes
🌸 A rash that appears 3–5 days after the other symptoms

Why getting immunised matters:
If you’re fully protected, you’re not just looking after yourself — you’re helping to protect your whānau and community too. Plus, if you’ve had your two MMR shots, you won’t need to stay home or isolate if you come into contact with someone who has measles.

How to get protected:
✅ You’re immune if you’ve had measles before, or
✅ You’ve had two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine after 12 months of age.

If you’re not sure about your immunisation status or want to get protected, come and kōrero with us — we’re here to help and it’s free!

Contact: Siobhan 027 266 3796

29/10/2025

🎨 Kaimahi Spotlight | Jonny Waters

As a Kaitautoko in our Te Waharoa team, Jonny brings creativity, connection, and care into everything he does. Through initiatives like Toi Ora (Art for Wellbeing) and Rangatahi Open Group, he helps tangata whaiora explore self-expression, confidence, and hauora in meaningful ways.

✨ “Cultivating safe, playful spaces where people feel comfortable to share — that’s one of the most rewarding parts of my mahi,” says Jonny.

27/10/2025

Purapura Whetū was proud to be part of Ruawhetū — the University of Canterbury’s celebration of Māori wellbeing, connection, and culture. 🌿

Our kaimahi Joy, Kate, and Molly represented Te Huinga Kōtuku, one of many Purapura Whetū services dedicated to supporting individuals and whānau affected by gambling and gaming harm. They created a welcoming space for ākonga Māori to kōrero, connect, and learn about the wider kaupapa and services that sit under the Purapura Whetū korowai.

Ruawhetū brought together hauora providers, Māori businesses, and community initiatives — strengthening relationships that promote Māori approaches to wellbeing. For Purapura Whetū, it was a beautiful opportunity to share our mahi and stand alongside others championing Māori health and whanaungatanga.

Learn more about Te Huinga Kōtuku and our services: pw.maori.nz/te-huinga-kotuku

23/10/2025

Te Tumu Waiora x Dr Lara Briden: Supporting Wāhine Through Change

We were honoured to welcome Dr Lara Briden, a renowned naturopathic doctor and bestselling author, to our Te Tumu Waiora event at Halswell Library. With over 20 years of experience in women’s health, Dr Briden shared empowering kōrero about perimenopause and menopause — helping us deepen our understanding of hormonal wellbeing and how it impacts the lives of wāhine in our hapori.

✨ This learning supports our kaimahi to strengthen the quality of care and understanding offered to whaiora, ensuring our approach remains grounded in compassion, knowledge, and holistic wellbeing.

23/10/2025

Update: On Friday 24th October, all Purapura Whetū sites will be open and operating as normal.

22/10/2025

Kia ora e te whānau,

Our physical sites are temporarily closed to the public, but please know we’re still here for you. Our kaimahi continue to support the community as usual.

If you need support, please call 0800 4 WHETU (0800 4 94388)

Helpful links for public service notices, Stay Informed:

- MetService updates: [www.metservice.com/warnings/home](http://www.metservice.com/warnings/home)

- Civil Defence Canterbury: [www.cdemcanterbury.govt.nz](http://www.cdemcanterbury.govt.nz/)

- Canterbury Emergency Management (Facebook): [www.facebook.com/CanterburyEM](http://www.facebook.com/CanterburyEM)

- Christchurch City Council Updates: [www.newsline.ccc.govt.nz](http://www.newsline.ccc.govt.nz/) and [www.facebook.com/ChristchurchCityCouncil](http://www.facebook.com/ChristchurchCityCouncil)

- What to do in a storm: [www.getready.govt.nz/emergency/storms](http://www.getready.govt.nz/emergency/storms)

- Local media: [www.chrislynchmedia.com](http://www.chrislynchmedia.com/) and local radio stations for live updates

15/10/2025

Recently, we joined Te Whatu Ora and Ara Poutama at the University of Canterbury’s Employers Meeting for Clinical Psychology students. 🌿

It was great to connect with future psychologists and share more about Purapura Whetū’s kaupapa and the role of an intern within our services. There was lots of interest and great pātai from tauira keen to learn more about kaupapa Māori approaches to wellbeing.

We look forward to welcoming the next group of interns in March 2026, with spaces available within Te Whakaruruhau.

13/10/2025

This week at Purapura Whetū, we’re reflecting on a powerful value — Ūkaipō (oo-kai-paw), the place of belonging, nourishment, and home. 🏡

Ūkaipō is more than a physical place — it’s the feeling of being rooted, known, and held. It’s where we return to restore ourselves. For some, it’s the whenua where they were born; for others, it’s the people, spaces, or moments that bring them home to who they truly are. 🤍

Spending time in our ūkaipō — however that looks — helps us to rest, reconnect, and realign with what matters. It reminds us that we don’t have to carry everything alone.

"Whatungarongaro te tangata, toitū te whenua."
People pass on, but the land remains.

Let’s honour our ūkaipō — the people, places, and memories that fill us with strength and a sense of tūrangawaewae. 🌺

09/10/2025

Meet Samantha and hear her gentle reminder that you’re stronger than you feel — even if it doesn’t always show. 💛

Sometimes our inner struggle is invisible to others, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t making progress.

“We might feel horrible all the time, but someone from the outside probably doesn’t see you like that; you’re doing better than you think you are.”

As Mental Health Week comes to a close, we hope you take heed of the messages that our rangatahi have bravely shared and reflect on how you can look after your own hauora.