Mo te āpōpō: A True Example of Whānau Ora

When we think of Māoritanga we think of whakapapa, Te Reo Māori, we think of the arts and rich cultural heritage. Still, it is more than that for Ra-wiri Kereti, who stands at the waharoa (gateway) of Te Ao Hou Marae, a powerful intersection of self-awareness, purpose and identity. For Ra-wiri her Māoritanga is expressed through how she proudly raises her tamariki. She is a taonga to us and joins our Innovation & Research team at Te Oranganui as a Systems Innovator. She weaves in and out of all the initiatives where administrative support is needed. She has worked 5 years in the Mental Health sector and explained how she was content with just being a Māmā until the opportunity to work again presented itself. 

Ra-wiri is a mokopuna of Te Awa Tupua, raised by her grandparents in Taihape and currently resides in Whanganui with her young whānau. She shares how whakapono has had a strong influence upon her whānau both on her side as Katorika and also her partner's side as Morehu. She proudly expresses how her daughter knows the whakamoemiti (prayers) and the hīmene (hymns) and couldn't be more proud of how committed and active her babies are in Te Haahi Ratana. 

She shares that her life’s mission is to put everything into her babies' cups, “so they never have to feel whakamā about anything in terms of being Māori, such as not knowing who they are, where they are from or what marae they connect to”. 

“I have come to realise that my mahi really does put whānau at the centre. If there is a tangi, if you need to be with your whānau, if your tamariki are sick, you can leave. So as soon as  I  knew that my mahi was going to help prioritise my kids as well,  I  was like,  I've won,  I've won the Jackpot. I’ve never been a part of something like that.”

Since Ra-wiri has been with us, she shares how encouraging the environment has been towards learning and growing. 

“I  love working with like-minded,  open-minded wāhine and tāne, people that have actually got their priorities aligned. I  feel  like  we  all  are  in  good  places  in  our  lives.”

Ra-wiri reminds us that Whānau Ora begins at home in how we raise our tamariki, honour our whakapapa, and create space for whānau to flourish. Through her mahi and her everyday actions, she embodies the heart of this kaupapa: grounded in identity, driven by love, and focused on a better and brighter future for her tamariki.