Hurihia tō aroaro ki te rā, tukuna tō ātārangi kia taka ki muri i a koe.
Turn your face to the sun, and let your shadow fall behind you.
Te Whaiao is a registered New Zealand charity walking alongside whānau on the journey out of darkness and into te ao mārama, the world of light. From our home on Aotea, Great Barrier Island, we bring tikanga Māori led support to anxiety, depression, addiction and the restoration of wellbeing.
The world of light
In te ao Māori, Te Whaiao is the realm of dawn - the space between Te Pō, the long night, and Te Ao Mārama, the world of light and understanding. It is the moment the first sun touches the water. That is where our mahi lives: beside people in their darkest hour, gently turning them toward the light.
The outcomes we work towards
We measure our mahi by changed lives, not appointments held. These are the hua we pursue with every whānau we serve.
Rangatahi who know their worth
Young people, primarily rangatahi Māori, who understand who they are and where they come from - standing secure in their own self and self-worth.
Calm minds, lighter hearts
Anxiety eased and depression lifted - through practical tools, patient kōrero and people who genuinely walk beside you.
Freedom from addiction
The grip of alcohol, drugs and other addictions broken - and the mana of the person and their whānau restored.
Relationships in harmony
Partners, parents, tamariki and wider whānau reconnected - communicating, forgiving and at peace with one another.
Contributing to the new world
People enabled to stand strong and give back - at home, at work, on the marae and in their communities, successfully contributing to te ao hou.
The four walls of wellbeing
Our practice follows the wisdom of Te Whare Tapa Whā, the model gifted by Tā Mason Durie: wellbeing stands strongest when all four walls of the whare stand together.
Taha wairua
Faith, identity and connection to something greater - the wall most often rebuilt first.
Taha hinengaro
Thoughts and feelings expressed and understood, not buried - the heart of hauora hinengaro.
Taha tinana
Sleep, kai, movement and time in the taiao - the physical rhythms that carry recovery.
Taha whānau
Belonging to people and place - because no one heals alone.
"Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini."
My strength is not that of the individual, but that of the collective.
Isolation so often deepens the hurt. Recovery is never a solitary achievement - it is whānau, community and faith standing together, so that the shadows fall behind us and we may see one another's faces.
Our way
Everything we do is led by tikanga Māori: whanaungatanga before worksheets, karakia and kōrero before checklists, whakapapa and whenua at the heart of healing. We draw on mātauranga Māori and work in both te reo Māori and English.
Our kaupapa is also carried with Christian aroha. We rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep, so that no one stands alone in either joy or sorrow.
- Kanohi ki te kanohi on Aotea, and alongside whānau across Aotearoa
- Tikanga led wānanga, one to one kōrero and whānau support
- Working alongside GPs, counsellors and kaupapa Māori health services
"He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction."
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Aotea from Hirakimata
You have arrived. That is enough for today.
Whatever tonight looks like, there is a place for you here. Kōrero mai - reach out, and let us walk toward the light together.