What we do
Te Hā o Maru is the Kāi Tahu Mana Whenua service for the takiwā o Moeraki (Waitaki District). We provide a range of Kaupapa Māori Hauora, Social, Wellbeing, and Education services within Moeraki Takiwā (Moeraki boundary) which boarders the Waitaki River to the Waihemo (Shag) river, and inland to Te Manahuna, Takapō, and the central lakes area.
Our Framework
Waka Framework
Te Hā o Maru describe itself as a Waka Hourua, an ocean voyaging waka, with one hull being Te Rūnanga o Moeraki and the other hull being Te Hā o Maru. The papa in-between both hulls are Moeraki whänui ensuring we are always connected, grounded in our Tūrakawaewae (Moeraki), and continuously navigating together. On our waka hauora are the Kaumoana — the staff and manuhiri that travel on the waka that hold our resource, tikaka, pūrakau, and Kaupapa. The Waka Hourua is our home base that holds steadfast to the vision of Moeraki.
Mōkihi
From our Waka Hourua - Te Hā o Maru, we have our different service arms — Mōkihi. The Mōkihi is a waka intricately designed to traverse the braided rivers of Te Waipounamu and are used primarily for carrying kai and resource from inland to our coastal settlements. Like the Mōkihi of old, our Te Hā o Maru Mōkihi have been intricately designed to carry resource and services to our whānau in the Waitaki.
Te Mōkihi Whānau – Family Services
Te Mōkihi Whānau is the Mōkihi that carries our community, social, and hauora services. Te Mōkihi Whānau work with whānau in the home and community to set goals and achieve whānau led outcomes. As per the whakatauākī from Hastings Tipa — "lnā tae he manuhiri ki tō whare, watua he kōrero. Whākana ōu manuhiri". In our effort to honour this whakatauākī we have coined the term "Manuhiri" instead of "clients" and we always work with the whānau instead of the individual. We see the Moeraki Takiwā as our whare, and we have a responsibility to Manaaki all that reside in the district as a mana whenua service. The team build rapport through whakawhanaukataka as we would at the marae. We work with whānau to complete an "Oraka" assessment with our manuhiri in the first sessions. The Oraka Assessment comprises of 6 key outcome areas that we assess against and set goals.
1. Te Ao Māori: Whānau are connected to whakapapa, whānau, cultural activity, and Wairuataka.
2. Oraka ā Tinana: The Whānau are healthy, engaged in physical activity, can access services and activities to support mental and spiritual health, and can identify health issues and access appropriate services.
3. Kaitiakitaka: The Whānau are self-sustaining in their care and guardianship of each other, those that came before and future generations.
4. Whai Rawa: Whānau are economically secure and/or entrepreneurial in gaining wealth.
5. Mātauraka: Whānau are knowledgeable in all aspects of their lives, are engaged in education, and professional development.
6. Rakatirataka: Whānau are growing leadership for themselves and their community.
These goals change and adapt as the whänau grow and move through their Oraka plans.
Te Mōkihi Mātauraka – Education Services
Te Mōkihi Mātauraka is the Education arm of Te Hā o Maru. Te Mōkihi Mätauraka provide Alternative Education via our kura, Te Pōhā — He Kura Kāika Rua (Te Pōhā) for Taiohi who do not fit in the mainstream education system. Te Pōhā — He Kura Kāika Rua provides a holistic learning experience by using the traditional methods of Mahika Kai as the vehicle for learning. Te Pōhā work with Te Aho o te Kura Pounamu correspondence school to measure tauira progress. Our Tauira learn literacy and numeracy through the activities facilitated by our skilled and experienced facilitators. Te Pōhā — He Kura Kāika Rua is the only Alternative Education with a registered teacher in the Otago region ensuring we provide a gold standard wānaka experience for our Tauira.
Te Pōhā – He Kura Kāika Rua
What is Te Pōhā?
Te Pōhā – He Kura Kāika Rua is Te Hā o Maru’s school that focusses on wānaka methodology of teaching rather than the western constructs of education. Rangatahi that attend Te Pōhā connect to the whenua o Moeraki, to mātauraka Moeraki and intergenerational activities based on seasonal kai and resources from a Māori world view. The kura enables rangatahi to achieve education via mātauraka Māori in a safe and secure learning environments.
Te Pōhā is designed to bridge the gap for Māori and tauiwi living in the Moeraki takiwā, and promote traditional methods of practice as a means to manage whānau, hapū, and community health.
How does the school curriculum work?
Te Pōhā uses traditional methods of Mahika kai - gathering and preserving food, Mahi ā tīpuna - engagement with the environment as a framework to manage mental, physical, social, and spiritual health, and to promote food sovereignty. And Mahi toi – karakia, waiata, pūrakau, rāraka, whakairo, as an expression of our māoritaka.
Grounded in mātauraka Māori Te Pōhā employs Ngāi Tahu mahika kai ways of being, knowing and doing that are relevant to the Moeraki takiwā. Navigating our very own environs of Rakinui, Papatūānuku, Tāne and Takaroa are nurtured through giving adherence and enacting the following the principles:
• Wairuataka: spiritual connections to Past, Present and Future people, places, and resources.
• Whanaukataka: knowing that you belong to a collective and stepping up to the roles and responsibilities that are required to sustain our customary practices.
• Tinana: this is a two-pronged principle that reminds you to firstly take care of your own health so that you can make your contributions to the best of your ability; and secondly it is about the physical environments ensuring that we manage our resources effectively.
• Hinekaro: is about bringing about a balance within yourself and how we interact in Te Taiao and ensure we employ sustainable practices at all times.
Literacy, numeracy, and physical education are at the core of our education plan and are applied in collaboration with our Learning strands. Individual education plans are established through working together with tauira and whānau.
Kura Manaaki
Kura Manaaki provide an after-school program for tamariki aged 5 — 12. Kura Manaaki is a weekly programme for years 0 - 8 tauira for Tauira to connect to Te Ao Māori, and for Tauira who may be at risk during their transition from primary to Intermediate school.
Te Takere o te Waka - Shared Services
Te Takere is the name of our shared services which hold the foundations that keep our waka afloat.
Te Takere is the administrative arm of Te Hā o Maru. Te Takere provides our finance and accounting services, administration, HR, Health and Safety, Policy, Process, Reporting, IT, Reception, and all other administrative needs including supporting Moeraki LTD with administrative support as needed.