Healthy Families Rotorua

03/11/2025

At the latest Te Hā o te Ora wānanga, participants explored the sacredness of breath and its connection to wellbeing. The session introduced the maramataka as a way to observe and reflect on daily life and personal wellbeing. Participants then took part in a hands-on workshop, creating their own ukutangi from clay as part of their learning journey, strengthening their understanding of breath through practice and creativity. Read more here:

The second Te Hā o te Ora wānanga built on the momentum of the first, helping participants explore the connection between breath, environment and wellbeing.

02/11/2025

At last week’s Te Hā o te Ora wānanga, participants explored the sacredness of breath and its connection to wellbeing. The session focused on the maramataka and the ways it can guide daily life, with participants receiving resources to make their own observations and record reflections.

They also took part in a hands-on workshop, creating their own ukutangi from clay as part of their learning journey.

21/10/2025

You've seen the pics, now read more about the first Te Hā o te Ora wānanga held at Te Kuirau Marae last week.

Our taonga pūoro facilitator, Mikaere Berryman-Kamp, says the connection between taonga pūoro and the breath is central to both the practice and the healing process.

“Most of our taonga pūoro have an element of breath involved, some more so than others. Through the relationship you develop with taonga pūoro, you begin to understand more about breath, something that we take for granted and often do completely subconsciously.

"Once you establish a baseline, you can track your progress with your taonga, both in terms of playing and breathing ability.”

He said this connection makes taonga pūoro a natural fit for a kaupapa focused on respiratory health and cessation.

The first Te Hā o te Ora wānanga was an inspiring start to the series, as participants connected through kōrero, te ao Māori, and taonga pūoro.

19/10/2025

We had an amazing day at our first Te Hā o te Ora wānanga at Te Kuirau Marae on Friday. The day was all about connection, kōrero and setting intentions for the kaupapa ahead. Together we explored how taonga pūoro and traditional knowledge can support wellbeing and help restore dignity through breath.

Our Rautaki Māori, Wharehuia Te Tokoihi, opened the day by sharing the whakapapa of Te Kuirau Marae and Ōhinemutu. We also heard from Sam Runga about what oranga means to him and his whānau, and Mikaere Berryman-Kamp shared and demonstrated a range of taonga pūoro, guiding everyone as they created their own instruments to take home.

It was a beautiful start to the Te Hā o te Ora series, and we can’t wait for the next wānanga 💚

09/10/2025

Today is World Mental Health Day 💚 We know that caring for our mental health looks different for everyone. From carving to climbing maunga, to hanging with friends and whānau, and connecting daily with the taio, here’s how our team members fill their cups.

08/10/2025

Our new six-part wānanga series is using the healing power of taonga pūoro to support smoking and va**ng cessation. While the kaupapa helps people on their quitting journey, its deeper focus is on strengthening respiratory health, offering a te ao Māori alternative to conventional cessation approaches.

Te Hā o te Ora is a prototype that explores taonga pūoro as both a cultural and clinical tool for healing. The kaupapa is a collaboration between Healthy Families Rotorua, Te Arawa Whānau Ora Collective, Manaaki Ora Trust, Tangata Ora (Ranolf Medical Centre), and kaupapa champion Sam Runga.

Participants for the Te Hā o te Ora prototype have been selected and will complete baseline clinical testing next week.

A new wānanga series in Rotorua is using the healing power of taonga pūoro to support smoking and va**ng cessation.

07/10/2025

On Saturday, some of our team spent a day immersed in kōrero and kai innovation.

In the morning, we were hosted by Professors Paora Tapsell and Merata Kawharu at their beautiful whare Tūrama Retreat in Rotorua. Paora generously shared treasured stories from his whānau about the kūmara — a crop central to manaakitanga. His kuia would ensure every whānau had kūmara for daily kai, while also setting aside special stores for significant occasions, so manuhiri could always be welcomed and cared for properly.

Today, Tūrama Retreat stands on whenua that has been in the whānau for 16 generations, on the very site of their māra kai. The retreat not only honours this legacy of kai and manaaki but continues the intergenerational connection between land, people, and the values of hospitality and care.

We also met PhD student Amelia Blundell and listened to her research about kūmara, alongside Te Rangikaheke, Joe McLeod, Mitai Matene of Tautoro, and Peter Blundell from Kaipara. The kōrero was rich, connecting mātauranga, history, and future opportunities.

In the afternoon, we all visited the Kai Rotorua site at Kaharoa. The progress since our last visit was inspiring. We watched a demonstration on biochar, a charcoal-like material that improves soil health, locks away carbon, reduces pollution, and turns organic waste into value — a true circular economy solution.

We also explored the thriving syntropic agroforest, a prototype hemp-brick whare (a modern-day rua kūmara), a new glasshouse full of seedlings and vegetables, an organic market garden, and the rows prepared for upcoming kūmara trials.

The day was both insightful and inspirational, and a reminder of the innovation and knowledge driving the future of our kai systems 💚💚

24/09/2025

We’ve heard from our community, and now we’re in the planning stages of a wānanga that will bring together whānau, hapū and iwi leaders, health advocates and community champions to look at alcohol harm in our community in a new way.

The focus is on moving away from deficit-based thinking and reframing the narrative around alcohol. This means creating space to share lived experiences, celebrate Māori identity and explore approaches that strengthen wellbeing.

Rūru Parirau: Rewriting Our Alcohol Story will be held in Rotorua on December 5, with more details to be shared in the coming weeks.

Read more here:
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Healthy Families Rotorua is in the planning stages of a wānanga that aims to change the way the community understands and responds to alcohol harm.

22/09/2025

It was great to meet Te Whare Wãnanga O Awanuiãrangi National Programme Coordinator - Waiora/Kai Oranga, Waiana Renata, to discuss how we can support the Kai Oranga Level 3 programme, to be delivered in Rotorua.

To fulfil a backbone function, we can support community engagement, help to build and connect critical relationships across the rohe, help to grow a strong cohort, and contribute resources and mātauranga where possible when needed.

We’re excited to be part of this important step in strengthening food knowledge, sovereignty, and wellbeing for our whānau and communities 💚

21/09/2025

Our Healthy Families Rotorua Strategic Leadership Group (SLG) is a collective of local leaders who guide and tautoko our mahi. They use their influence to open doors, share our stories, and help create positive change in the community.

At our quarterly hui last week, each SLG member shared about the kaupapa they’re currently involved in. It provided an opportunity to acknowledge their ongoing support, and we gifted them with maramataka rauemi as a small way of showing our appreciation 💚

18/09/2025

This week, we were excited to draft a plan for Hā o te Ora, a wānanga series centred on a taonga pūoro-based prototype for reducing smoking and va**ng harm. The kaupapa reflects an holistic approach, with the koauau supporting hauora through its connection to te ao Māori. The kaupapa is expected to launch with whānau in late October.

Hā o te Ora is a collaboration between Healthy Families Rotorua, Te Arawa Whānau Ora Collective, Manaaki Ora Trust, Tangata Ora (Ranolf Medical Centre), and koauau practitioner Sam Runga.

16/09/2025

Kīwaha o te rā 💚