“Kia tū tika ai te whare tapu o Ngāpuhi”
Ka Tika te Kōrero
Tēnā koutou katoa,
This will be a monthly pānui to share with you what we do to serve Ngāpuhi whānau and the wider community within the boundaries of Te Whare Tapu o Ngāpuhi and beyond.
You will find the following in this pānui:
- Team updates
- Service updates
- Upcoming kaupapa
We would love to receive your feedback on the future of local hauora services. Do you have any suggestions on how Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi can work alongside other services to better provide for the community?
Whānau voice is important to us! Do you have any feedback you can share? Please make sure to scroll down to the end, subscribe to this pānui, share your whakaaro, and/or submit feedback.
We look forward to staying connected with you.
Team Updates
⭐️ A Special Visit from the Governor-General
In March, we had the honour of welcoming the Governor-General of New Zealand, Dame Cindy Kiro, and Dr Richard Davies to Kaikohekohe. Their visit concluded with a tour of the Te Kohekohe Community Housing development — a milestone project built in partnership with Far North Holdings.
This kaupapa was driven by the urgent need to address respiratory illnesses linked to cold, damp housing. Rather than just treating symptoms, we sought long-term solutions, resulting in the creation of 60 warm, affordable homes that place whānau at the heart of the community. We were able to share with Dame Cindy and Dr Davies the impact of the development and the vision for future safe and healthy housing in the region.
We are so grateful to Dame Cindy and Dr Davies for taking the time to visit us and for their genuine interest in the aspirations of our whānau. It was a privilege to host them in Kaikohekohe!
🛠 Creating Pathways for Our Rangatahi
Through Te Ara Whai Kāinga, we are proud to be creating genuine pathways into skilled employment for our rangatahi. In collaboration with NorthTec - Tai Tokerau Wānanga, the Ministry of Social Development NZ, and PanelLock Homes (a division of the FNR Group), four local Ngāpuhi job seekers have now been placed into Level 4 Carpentry Apprenticeships.
These apprenticeships are not just about qualifications – they’re about equipping our people with the skills and experience to build homes for their own whānau, hapū, and communities. Our apprentices are already on the tools, contributing to the build at our Guy Road development, with more mahi ahead.
Te Ara Whai Kāinga is also about creating affordable, healthy housing options for our community. Through this partnership, we are focused on growing local talent, strengthening our workforce, and supporting our people to build from the ground up.
Together, we’re investing in the future of our people and our whenua.
🎊 Celebrating Our Team
We love celebrating the incredible mahi of our kaimahi and, starting this year, we’ll be sharing our Employee of the Month in each pānui. It’s our way of recognising those who go above and beyond for our whānau and community.
To kick off 2025, we’re proud to acknowledge Shaynece as our January Employee of the Month.
Shaynece showed outstanding commitment to our Breast Screening campaign—stepping up for training and making herself available at short notice to support the Mobile Bus in Kerikeri. Her communication skills, work ethic, and genuine care for whānau really stood out.
She embodies our values of manaakitanga, tika, pono, and aroha - showing compassion, integrity, honesty, and unwavering support for others in everything she does.
Our team has worked alongside Breast Screening Aotearoa for the past three years, and thanks to Shaynece’s dedication, we exceeded our target this time around. The Breast Screening team had nothing but praise - some even joked they’d love to poach her!
Ka rawe, Shaynece—we’re lucky to have you as part of our team.
💙 Welcoming Jade Baker to the Team
We had the privilege of welcoming Jade Baker into our team with a pōwhiri attended by his whānau and our kaimahi. This was a special moment to acknowledge the important mahi Jade will be doing to support our whānau, hapū, and hapori as our new Paiheretia Navigator.
Jade brings a wealth of experience from his background in financial advising and banking management, along with a strong passion for helping whānau achieve their aspirations. His commitment to whānau is not just professional but deeply personal—he is married to Kelli-Asta Baker and is a proud father of seven tamariki and three (soon to be four) mokopuna. Whether at school, the gym, or at home on their papakāinga, Jade lives by his values, with whānau always at the centre.
We’re excited for the connections Jade will build and the impact he will have within the Paiheretia space.
Nau mai, haere mai Jade—we’re proud to have you on board!
Service Updates
🗣 Paiheretia Update
Reflecting on February!
February was a big month for our Paiheretia team. It kicked off with a team-building haerenga hī ika to Pēwhairangi — an awesome opportunity to strengthen connections and reflect on the kaupapa that drives our mahi. We also received a generous koha of kamokamo, which was shared with Paiheretia whānau and Kaumātua Kuia.
Our team continued to support whānau through kitchen transformations, wāhine completing their sentences without re-offending, financial support, and strengthening pathways to hauora. Strategy discussions with Matua Da Sarich are also helping guide the future extension of Paiheretia, planned for June.
March Highlights!
Another big month for the team! We welcomed a new Navigator — Nau mai haere mai, Jade Baker — who you can read more about above ☝🏽
Our Employment Placement Services are gaining momentum, with two of our tāne now on the pathway to permanent employment. Ngā mihi to Phillippa and Te Arohanoa for your tautoko!
The team also attended the Iwi Provider Hui, hosted by Ngāti Hine — a valuable time of reflection on the past four years. A joint narrative was submitted to our funders regarding a potential contract extension.
In true Paiheretia style, manaaki was in action when the team helped a whānau who had been without hot water — now they’re able to enjoy warm showers once again.
Pods Update: The team hosted a BBQ for our tenants and their whānau — a beautiful way to build connection and community. Big mihi to Jade and Scott for getting stuck in on the tools! We’ve also introduced Pods Essential Starter Packs to support new tenants as they settle in.
⭐️ Good News Stories ⭐️
- 1 wāhine is now on PDC and has enrolled in a beauty course. Her partner has secured and maintained permanent mahi, and together they now have full-time custody of their son, who is attending school daily after a year of inconsistency.
- 1 tāne has completed AOD, now rents his own whare, has reconnected with his whānau, and is enjoying supervised visits with his tamariki.
🗓 Upcoming Kaupapa
We're looking forward to a great month ahead! We have a few workshops and events coming up, so come and see the team! Here's a breakdown of what to expect in April, and be sure to check out our Facebook page for more details.
April Event dates:
Whaikaha | Mondays & Fridays | Waewae Express | Kaikohe
Toi Awhimā | Wednesday April 16th | Whangārei
If you would like more information, please don't hesitate to reach out to our team:
📞 Phone: 0800 484 006
📧 Email: referrals@thoon.org.nz
📍 Address: 113 Broadway, Kaikohe
Stay tuned for more updates! 😊
Te Hau Ora O Ngāpuhi - Out & About
Check out these snaps of our team! Do you have any epic photos with our team? Send them through to us on our Facebook page facebook.com/TeHauOraONgapuhi and you could feature in our pānui!
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