What is your Charity called, where are you based and what sort of things are you involved in?
Our Charity is Hauora Aotearoa. Our kaupapa tackles the well-being crisis among our rangatahi and the burnout crisis among our school teachers. We currently work with 20 secondary schools across Aotearoa, delivering our Te Reo Hauora (The language of wellbeing) programme with rangatahi (age 13-16) in te Whanganui a-Tara (Wellington), Wairarapa, Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), and Kirikiriroa (Hamilton).
What gives you hope for the future?
Every day in classrooms, we see the change that’s possible when our kaiako (teachers) and rangatahi (young people) learn simple hauora (wellbeing) practices.
- Kaiako feedback: “Jase has a great way of relating to kaiako and seems to know the right way to express the real need for us to all take care of ourselves, so we can be better teachers for our rangatahi – ka rawe”.
- Rangatahi feedback: “Me and my boys come to this session because we get some cool ideas for rugby. We do the breathing and talk about stuff now when we didn’t used to. These hauora tools are helping us outside of these sessions”
Imagine if Aotearoa was known for wellness rather than illness. We know it will take some time, but Hauora Aotearoa believes we can be a massive part of a massive generational change!
Biggest challenges and any advice for others setting up or running a charity?
The admin and paperwork were the most challenging part of setting up a charity. Our Directors all live in different parts of New Zealand, so setting up bank accounts and signing paperwork was a barrier, especially as we were also on a timeline for launching the kaupapa. We were lucky to have a checklist from Steven and his team, so we took all the necessary steps chronologically.
Got any asks or ways you are looking for collaboration with others?
If you know a school who thinks Te Reo Hauora would be helpful for their rangatahi and kaiako, please get in touch with our wonderful COO Dayna (mdayna@hauoraaotearoa.com).
If you want to support Hauora Aotearoa to reach more rangatahi and kaiako, please get in touch with our founder and co-CEO Jase Te Patu (jase@hauoraaotearoa.com).
How was it working with us when setting up or getting legal advice?
Steven and his team were quick yet thorough, respectful, and honest when it came to setting up a charity that is kaupapa Māori. They made a challenging process easy and manageable to navigate.
How can people find out more about what you do? Website or social platforms?
Our website is Hauora Aotearoa, and we are on Instagram and Facebook too.
