About Us
We are a kaupapa Māori organisation providing mental health and addictions support, walking alongside whānau across Kirikiriroa and Whangārei since 1994.
Te Awhi Whānau Charitable Trust was established to ensure whānau in our rohe had access to a kaupapa Māori option for mental health and addictions support.
More than thirty years later, that purpose remains at the heart of who we are.
We walk alongside Tū Whānau in ways that honour their mana, language, and tikanga, for as long as support is needed.
We are a kaupapa Māori organisation comprising Tū Mahi (staff) across Kirikiriroa and Whangārei. Our team includes Clinicians, Peer Leads, and Tū Awhina, each bringing their own skills, experience, and whakapapa to the same kaupapa.
Today, we are around 89 kaimahi, working across two rohe and seven service pathways, and walking alongside Tū Whānau wherever they are on their journey.
89 kaimahi • 2 offices • 7 pathways • 8 houses
Two rohe, one kaupapa
Our head office is in Kirikiriroa, and our northern base is in Whangārei. Across both Rohes, we provide residential, respite, community, and outreach services, supported by a property base of five owned houses.
The kaupapa remains the same across all rohe, while the way it is delivered reflects the people and communities of each rohe.
Our History
Te Awhi was founded in Kirikiriroa in 1994 to provide a kaupapa Māori option for whānau needing mental health support. Our founding intention was simple: to walk alongside whānau in ways that honour their mana, language, and tikanga, for as long as they needed.
In 1996, the mahi grew north into Whangārei because the need was there. Today, our Whangārei team carries forward the same intention, walking alongside Tū Whānau in Te Tai Tokerau with the same commitment to mana, connection, and kaupapa.
Over the three decades since, we have added services as the need has grown. We started with Awhi Whānau (residential support), so whānau had a safe place to live. We added Tiaki Mai (respite) so people had a place to step back from pressure, rest, restore balance, and gather themselves in safety. We added Awhi Atu (community support) and outreach so the tu mahi could meet people in their own homes and neighbourhoods.
We also grew peer-led support through Rarangatahi Kirikiriroa, where shared experience helps build confidence, connection, and hope. Alongside this, we added an acute community alternative and programmes such as Tipu Ora and Kāinga Rua to support community participation and the steady step back into everyday life.
Another important step in our journey has been the growth of Te Pae Tata, our Tū Whānau council. Now three years old, Te Pae Tata creates a space for Tū Whānau voice, leadership, and collective whakaaro within Te Awhi. In early 2025, it held its first election, marking an important milestone in strengthening representation and shared decision-making.
What has kept us steady through it all is not just strategy, but people: the kaupapa that grounds us, the kaimahi who have chosen this mahi, the Tū Whānau who have trusted us with their stories, and the communities that have made room for us.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼
Te Awhi provides community, residential, respite, and acute alternative support for whānau experiencing mental distress and addictions. We walk alongside people in ways that are practical, relational, and grounded in hope, creating space for healing, stability, and forward movement.
Awhi Tāea, our practice model, is about embracing possibilities, while Te Whare Tapa Whā shapes our understanding of wellbeing as a balance of whānau, wairua, hinengaro, taiao, and tinana. Everything we do is guided by the Awhi Tāea principles of tino rangatiratanga, mana motuhake, manaakitanga, te reo me ōna tikanga, and kaitiakitanga.
Whakatōngia te kākano, ko wai au,
Mirimiringia ki te aroha tipua te ngākau Māori,
i roto i te Wairua Tapu.
Plant the seed, who am I, nourish it with love, nurtured with our ancestral gifts, encompassed in the Holy Spirit.
