Taurikura – He pō whakakotahi i te whānau mō te ara whakamua
He pō whakakotahi i te whānau o Taurikura mō te ara whakamua. A night for our Taurikura whānau to gather and decide together a path forward for this kaupapa. After two years of whanaungatanga, learning, and connection, Taurikura continues to grow as a kaupapa led by whānau for whānau. This is exactly what Healthy Families East Cape (HFEC) provided for our whānau, an opportunity to bring everyone together to reflect on the haerenga so far, which will help shape what comes next.
“There are not that many spaces, and the more mātauranga Māori led spaces there are, the more our babies and whānau Māori will grow up knowing who they are and living tino rangatiratanga," says grateful Taurikura parent.
At HFEC, we understand the importance of evidence-based activity and research to inform decision making. After a lengthy research phase more than two years ago, the evidence showed us that our region did not cater to safe, culturally grounded spaces where pēpi under five could build confidence in the wai.
In 2023, 687 pēpi were born here in Te Tairāwhiti, where 23 of Aotearoa’s 460+ kōhanga reo are based. This shows a strong commitment to te reo Māori from birth. Te Tairāwhiti has strong foundations for early swim education, however culturally grounded options remain limited. While providers like Comet, Enterprise Swim, and Kiwa Pools offer valuable programmes, they’re delivered entirely in English and often come at a cost that’s out of reach for many whānau. The Ngāti Pēpi kaupapa stands out as a supportive option for whānau with high needs tamariki, though it’s only available to a specific group. This highlights a clear opportunity and need to expand accessible, reo Māori swim education across the region.
Taurikura began as a response to this need. HFEC has been working alongside Comet Swimming Club, Māori Womens Welfare League and our whānau involved in Taurikura to explore a te ao Māori approach to water safety. An approach that reflects our whakapapa, maramataka, mātauranga Māori and our hononga to wai.
One Taurikura parent says that "The connection to wai is a part of our whakapapa connection and has strengthened our whānau wellbeing."
Another states that they are "Definitely noticing the maramataka phases and the energies playing out through our tamariki. The Mutuwhenua phase is coming to a low energy and that showed through strongly when none of the tamariki wanted to say their names in our waiata. They all wanted to do their own thing in this session."
Over the last two years, Taurikura has been on its journey to create a space where our pēpi and their whānau can learn, grow and thrive together in and around the wai.
My highlight has been seeing Hineraumati’s growth. When she first started Taurikura she didn’t want to get in the wai and now I can’t keep her out!” Says proud māmā Jonette.
We have now come to a turning point in this kaupapa. Our pō whakakotahi was about listening to the wheako (experiences), hopes, and ideas of our whānau to help us understand where to from here. We understand that true systems change doesn’t come from one size fits all solutions. It starts with whānau voice and grows out from there.
We are very proud of what Taurikura has become, however we know that the kaupapa can only reach its full potential by being shaped and led by those it's for. That’s why this whānau evening was so important. It provided a space to gather insights, share whakaaro, and decide together how we can grow and evolve this kaupapa for future mokopuna.
The wellbeing of our mokpuna is the wellbeing of our whānau. He oranga whānau, he oranga mokopuna, Taurikura ki te ao.
Healthy Families East Cape would like to extend a big mihi to those whānau that were able to make it to our pō whakakotahi. Mei kore ake ko koutou, kāore tēnei kaupapa e koke tonu – without you this kaupapa would not be possible. To those that weren’t there a-tinana, a survey link has been sent out to ensure all our whānau have a say.
For more information or to connect with our team, please contact Pou Whakawai George at george@healthyfamilieseastcape.co.nz.