Te Kāhui Hauora o Te Tauihu exists to serve all Māori living in Te Tauihu (Tasman, Nelson, Marlborough). It represents the collective voice of the eight iwi of Te Tauihu as well as mātā waka living in the rohe. Our Board is made up of appointees from each of the mana whenua iwi (Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō, Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Koata, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Rārua, Ngāti Tama, Rangitāne o Wairau, Te Ātiawa ki te Waka-a-Māui) and one mātā waka representative.

Iwi-Māori Partnership Boards are local Māori governance groups created as part of the 2022 Pae Ora health system reforms to give Māori decision-making power in how health services are planned and delivered in their region.

There are 15 fully established Iwi‑Māori Partnership Boards (IMPBs) and two more in development or pending formal recognition.

We work to monitor health inequities for whānau Māori in our rohe and champion equitable outcomes for Māori, their whānau and communities across Te Tauihu. Specifically, we represent local Māori perspectives on:

• the needs and aspirations of Māori in relation to hauora Māori outcomes;
• how the health sector is performing in relation to those needs and aspirations; and;
• the design and delivery of services and public health interventions within localities.

You can read more here.

Te Kāhui Hauora is relatively new. We were formally established in 2023. Our first 18 months have largely been dedicated to the establishment phase – developing policies, learning more about the local health system, understanding the priorities of whānau, hapū and iwi in a complex framework of governmental systems and culture, developing the Community Health Plan (CHP), and building relationships across Te Tauihu. This has all been happening against the backdrop of fast-changing policy and legislative changes designed to weaken the voice and rights of Māori as tangata whenua.

Not quite.

IMPBs survived the disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora. But in July 2025, the Coalition Government introduced its Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill to Parliament, repealing key aspects of the Pae Ora Act 2022. The amendment bill, expected to be passed by the end of 2025, significantly reshapes the role, function and mandate of IMPBs, and removes.

IMPBs will no longer be required to evaluate local Māori health, work with Te Whatu Ora and monitor the performance of local services. Removes health sector principles, including “… the health sector should be equitable, which includes ensuring Māori and other population groups have access to services in proportion to their health needs; and receive equitable levels of service; and achieve equitable health outcomes.”

However, our responsibility to represent whānau Māori perspectives remains unchanged.

The views and experiences of whānau are central to our mahi. Whānau Voice Te Tauihu is kaupapa open from December 2025 to May 2026 to capture the voices and experiences of as many Māori living in Te Tauihu as possible. Whānau can contribute in two ways: directly via our commissioned iwi partners or through a central survey, which can be completed online.

We are working initially with Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Rārua, Rangitāne o Wairau and Te Ātiawa o te Waka-a-Māui to capture whānau voice, in line with our non-negotiable: that it is whānau, hapū and iwi who are best-placed to lead conversations on their own future.

Commissioned partners will provide space for kōrero in a setting that works for their whānau, hapū, iwi and wider networks. This might be hui, wānanga, interviews, or small group discussions. Commissioning sits alongside the universal online survey, ensuring that all kōrero feeds into a single, coherent dataset.

Commissioning is our preferred approach because whānau know best. It is not for us to dictate how those conversations should be had.

• Leverage existing relationships and trust: our partner organisations already hold strong connections with whānau and are best placed to lead authentic kōrero
• Respect tikanga and local approaches: enables mana motuhake and means that kōrero reflect tikanga, kawa and whānau expectations rather than rely on a single model of whānau voice capture across all our communities across Te Tauihu.
• Reach diverse voices: extends to groups who may not otherwise engage with formal structures, ensuring equity is embedded in the process.
• Maintain a single, coherent dataset: all kōrero is gathered through a common platform managed by Te Kāhui Hauora, allowing results to be reported consistently and allowing for up-to-date reporting.

Commissioning sits alongside the region-wide universal survey.

The survey is open from December 1, 2025, to May 31, 2026.

Te Kāhui Hauora o Te Tauihu conducted its first round of Whānau Voice engagements from July to September 2024, with findings reported in October 2024. This work directly informed the Community Health Plan and helped shaped the seven priorities outlined in that plan.

This time around, we want to dig deeper into those priorities so we can more strongly advocate for whānau within the health system.

Whānau Voice 1.0 findings were reported in October 2024. They revealed:

• a significant divergence between whānau views on hauora and the current health system’s clinical focus.
• that whānau prioritise holistic well-being, encompassing environmental, familial, and cultural connections.
• rangatahi, in particular, emphasised the importance of home and whānau in positive hauora, contrasting with the individualistic approach of conventional healthcare systems.
• whānau expressed dissatisfaction with current mental health services, highlighting the need for more tailored and Māori-led mental health services.
• geographic challenges and systemic inefficiencies, such as long wait times and fragmented care, exacerbate health disparities.

Te Kāhui Hauora are the kaitiaki of this kōrero and will uphold Māori data sovereignty principles in the collection, storage, analysis, and use of insights.

The voices and experiences of whānau Māori in our rohe are central to our work. The more we understand about what whānau are experiencing, the better we can advocate and work with Te Whatu Ora to create meaningful change.

The survey gathers individual responses, but the information will be analysed collectively. This means we look for patterns, themes, and common priorities across all participants rather than focusing on any single person. Over time, this collective view helps us understand emerging trends and shifts in whānau experiences.

For whānau who would like support and choose to provide their details, we can—with your consent—use our relationships across the system to help navigate pathways and ensure your issue is followed up with the right people.

Your responses are confidential and used only for planning, service improvement, and advocacy to meet the health needs of whānau Māori in Te Tauihu.

Specifically, it will help us:

• define clear, whānau-led priorities and actions to improve access, quality and outcomes for Māori in primary, community, and hospital care in Te Tauihu.
• In our conversations with Te Whatu Ora | Health NZ and the Hauora Māori Advisory Committee to advance Māori outcomes in our region.
• inform practical solutions with kaupapa Māori approaches that strengthen services for whānau, hapū and iwi across the rohe.

This is your information. You can request to view or correct your information at any time. You can tick a box at the end of the survey and have your responses sent to you as well.

Te Kāhui Hauora recognises that the voice of our people is a taonga and all data is naturally treated as such. We have created our own unique platform that honours and uplifts the voice of whānau and consumers. This also ensures the protection, integrity, consistency, and security of information.

All data is stored in a secure, cloud-based database. Access to this database is highly restricted and can be accessed only by approved and critical members of the project, and for analysis purposes only.

That’s OK! We are interested in hearing from all whānau Māori living in Te Tauihu, regardless of which iwi they hold whakapapa to.