Mama Taiau Nicholas shares traditional Cook Island game

   Mama Taiau Nicholas is a respected figure in the Cook Island community and has been a tutor of the Tangaroa Cook Islands group for over 20 years. Proud of her Aitutaki roots, she has a deep knowledge and passion for the Cook Island language and culture including dance, music, and fashion, and has been […]

PM visits an alternative model for food resilience

The Papatoetoe Food Hub, a successful social enterprise business supported by Healthy Families South Auckland, hosted Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on July 17 to share their kaupapa around good food and improving South Auckland’s food system. Joining the Prime Minister were South Auckland MPs Hon Aupito William Sio and Hon Jenny Salesa. The trio were […]

Supporting kaiako hauora (wellbeing) in the workplace: a prevention approach

Te Kura Māori o Nga Tapuwae in Mangere has taken a proactive approach mobilising key health champions within the school to maintain wellbeing in the workplace. The COVID-19 pandemic had an unprecedented impact, particularly on teachers who were under pressure to adapt to virtual classrooms throughout lockdown. Transitioning back to pre-COVID-19 routines has the potential […]

Celebrating Kiribati Language Week with Village Games

  Healthy Families South Auckland joined the local Kiribati community to celebrate their first-ever Kiribati Language Week in New Zealand at Ngati Otara Marae. The celebration was an opportunity for local Kiribati to play their traditional games alongside Healthy Families South Auckland’s new Village Games initiative. “The Village Games movement is a platform for Māori […]

Word on the street: What is Matariki?

What is Matariki?

  The Matariki constellation is a cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades. According to the Maramataka (Māori lunar calendar), the reappearance of Matariki brings the old lunar year to a close and marks the beginning of the new year.  “Matariki is a time to gather with whānau and friends to reflect on the […]

Celebrating Matariki at local maunga

Matariki is a cluster of stars that reveal themselves in the mid-winter sky just before dawn which signals the start of the Māori new year (Te Tau Hou Māori). According to the Maramataka (Māori lunar calendar), the reappearance of Matariki brings the old lunar year to a close and marks the beginning of the new […]

Food distributed to whanau via network of community groups

The food packs include nutritional kai as well as nappies and other soft foods for children Over 600 food boxes were distributed by Mataatua Marae and community groups to vulnerable families in Papakura during Level two. Sports clubs and churches helped pack and distribute the food boxes, which included essential items such as nappies and […]

AUT researchers experience Māori systems approach in South Auckland

(Left – Right) Mason Ngawhika, Professor Grant Schofield, Professor Erica Hinckson (HOD), Robert Hogg, Lisa McKay, Alex Whitecombe. South Auckland is host to nearly 300,000 residents with a relatively large Maori and Polynesian population. The land was once a vast, fertile and prosperous place for Māori. Now it is commonly viewed as one the most […]