Te Whare Piringa: A Package of Care
Within our Mokopuna Ora kaupapa, the whakataukī Whāngaia kia tupu kia puāwai has become both a guide and a reminder of our purpose. In its simplest form, it can mean: that which is nurtured blossoms and grows.
For us, this whakataukī speaks to creating the conditions that enable mokopuna, pēpi, māmā, pāpā and whānau to thrive in their hauora and mana motuhake. It reflects the importance of carrying intergenerational knowledge, wisdom and guidance forward, while creating spaces and environments where whānau feel connected, supported and able to flourish.
By centring mātauranga Māori, we prioritise relationality, whanaungatanga, manaakitanga and mana motuhake. Because if we want mokopuna to flourish, then we must create systems, environments and relationships that allow whānau to flourish also.
Te Whare Piringa was in early 2024 as a prototype, literally designed and informed from the floor up by māmā and whānau. It is important to say that Te Whare Piringa is not simply a service it is a way of walking alongside whānau.
The journey towards Te Whare Piringa began in 2021 - 2022, when Maternal Child Youth Services Whanganui commissioned Healthy Families WRR to better understand the experiences of māmā throughout their hapūtanga journey, from pre-conception through the first 2000 days.
As part of this mahi, Hapū Māmā Villages were established across Whanganui and our rural communities. These villages became safe, relational spaces where trust and whakawhanaungatanga could develop over time. Within those spaces, māmā and pāpā shared openly about their experiences, not only as new parents, but across generations and across the life continuum. Some were hapū, some had recently had pēpi, while others had grown tamariki and mokopuna.
What whānau shared with us was consistent. Services were difficult to find and navigate. Māmā often felt unheard, judged or ignored. Whānau wanted the choice to engage in kaupapa Māori environments, and support for maternal mental health needed to be earlier, more relational and easier to access.
Te Whare Piringa emerged as a response to those insights. It is a prevention space creating the conditions for connection, trust, early support and collective care before whānau reach crisis. It is whānau-informed, whānau-designed and whānau-led: a relational, kaupapa Māori space where clinicians, kaimahi and whānau come together differently, walking alongside whānau in ways that feel connected, human and collective.
Through our insights, systems mapping and the voices of māmā and whānau, we also heard clearly that the current system is often fragmented, difficult to navigate and disconnected from the realities of whānau lives. Whānau told us they need care that is relational, flexible, inclusive and responsive support that walks alongside them, rather than expecting them to navigate systems alone.
This led us to reframe what a whānau-centred package of care could look like through the concept of the Pā Network. Traditionally, pā were adaptive, responsive and collective systems of protection, wellbeing and connection. They organised people, relationships, resources and knowledge in ways that responded to the needs of the community at that time.
The Pā Network draws on these same qualities:
Adaptability: support shifts depending on the needs of māmā and whānau
Responsiveness: care responds early, collectively and in real time
Collective care and protection: wellbeing is held by many, not one service alone
Purposeful relationships: connections between people, services and communities are intentional, relational and trusted
Rather than services operating in silos, the Pā Network creates a connected ecosystem where people work together around whānau.
This is what Te Whare Piringa represents.
A place-based village where clinicians, kaimahi, mātauranga Māori, lived experience and whānau come together in collective care. A space where support is relational, integrated and grounded in walking alongside whānau.
Te Whare Piringa is a package of care. It is a place-based village held within the Pā Network, where relationships lead, whānau are held, and care is wrapped collectively around people. It represents a shift in the way we think about systems and wellbeing - from fragmented and transactional, to connected, relational and preventative.
This is walking alongside. And this way of working is something we can all be part of.
Whāngaia kia tupu kia puāwai, that which is nurtured blossoms and grows.
We have seen this within the Hapū Māmā Villages. We have seen it in the vision and creation of Te Whare Piringa. And we believe it can happen wherever communities are trusted to lead their own solutions.
The seeds we plant today, in the relationships we build, the spaces we design, and the systems we challenge will shape the wellbeing of our mokopuna for generations to come.
Read more below;
Te Whakapiringa
Hapū Māmā Village