Our Values
Te Taupunga
Anchor
Whakatō te kākano, ko wai au, Mirimiri 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.
Te Huarahi
Mission
Mai i te Taupunga, ka hanga huarahi, hei whai mā tātou. Ka whāngaia te kaupapa, ka puāwaitia te tangata.
From the anchor stone of our founding proverb, we build the road we shall travel, so that the kaupapa is taught and the individual flourishes.
Te Whainga
Vision
Ka tū pakari au me tōku kiri, ki te taha o tōku iwi
I will stand proud in my own skin with my own people.
Our vision is for every whānau member we walk alongside to stand grounded in who they are, with their people around them. We hold tika, pono, and aroha at the heart of this work.
Whakapapa
Kia ū, kia mau
Holding and owning our history, our roots and our connections
Rangatiratanga
Kia tū pakari tātou
Being chiefly in our thoughts and actions.
Ihi o te Rā
Whāia te iti kahurangi
Embracing possibilities that energise and challenge.
Kotahitanga
Kia kotahi te whakaaro
Moving together, weaving together our kaupapa and people.
Awhi means to embrace. Taea means it can be done. Awhi Taea is how our kaupapa shows up in practice. It is the model we have built over three decades of walking alongside whānau, drawn from kaupapa Māori principles, Enabling Good Lives, and peer leadership.
The Awhi Taea principles guide how kaimahi walk alongside whānau day to day:
- Tino rangatiratanga. Tū Whānau lead their own journey. We walk alongside.
- Mana motuhake. Self-determination is the goal of every plan, not a side benefit.
- Manaakitanga. Care, respect, and hospitality are non-negotiable, every day.
- Te reo me ōna tikanga. Te reo Māori and tikanga are woven through the mahi, not added on top.
- Kaitiakitanga. We hold responsibility for the people, the whenua, and the resources entrusted to us.
