He Waka Tapu is proud to officially launch Project
Hauora, an ambitious community fundraising campaign that
will help deliver a purpose-built health and wellbeing hub
for East Christchurch. The campaign will be officially
celebrated at He Waka Tapu’s 30th Anniversary Gala on
Saturday 3 October at One New Zealand Stadium, bringing
together community leaders, businesses, supporters and
partners to help raise vital funds towards the $1 million
fundraising target.
For more than 30 years, He Waka
Tapu has walked alongside whānau, providing kaupapa Māori
health and social services that empower people to achieve
better health and wellbeing. Today, the organisation
supports more than 10,000 people each year through
integrated primary healthcare, mental health, addiction, and
whānau support services.
Project Hauora represents
the next chapter in that journey.
The approximately
$11 million development will create a modern, integrated
health and wellbeing facility that expands access to
affordable, culturally responsive healthcare for one of
Christchurch’s fastest-growing and highest-needs
communities. The project will significantly increase the
capacity of Te Aranga Health Clinic (He Waka Tapu’s general
practice), allowing more whānau to access timely,
wraparound care close to home.
Construction is now
underway on the approximately $11 million development, with
the new facility expected to be completed within 12–18
months.
The new facility will feature expanded general
practice and nursing services, dedicated spaces for mental
health and wellbeing, improved clinical facilities, physical
therapy services, and room to grow alongside the needs of
the community for years to come. A second floor will provide
much-needed office space for He Waka Tapu’s frontline social
service practitioners, enabling greater collaboration across
its integrated health and social
services.
Advertisement – scroll to continue reading
Demand for primary healthcare
across Canterbury continues to outpace capacity, placing
increasing pressure on both general practice and hospital
services. Across New Zealand, GP workforce shortages and
increasing demand for healthcare have made it harder for
many people to access timely appointments, reinforcing the
need for stronger community-based healthcare
services.
At Te Aranga Health Clinic,
those pressures are already being felt. The clinic currently
delivers almost 40,000 GP and nursing appointments each year
and is operating at capacity. With 79% of enrolled patients
classified as high needs, demand for accessible, affordable
healthcare continues to outgrow the available
space.
Project Hauora will expand the clinic from six
consultation rooms to ten, creating capacity for thousands
more appointments each year while bringing together general
practice, nursing, mental health, physical therapy, and
wider wellbeing services under one roof. The expanded clinic
will also enable He Waka Tapu to progressively grow its
enrolled patient population, ensuring thousands more East
Christchurch residents can access affordable primary
healthcare close to home. The development will also create
space for future diagnostic and specialist services, helping
people receive the care they need closer to home.
As a
Very Low Cost Access (VLCA) practice, Te Aranga Health
Clinic provides affordable healthcare for a community where
many people face significant barriers to accessing medical
care. Project Hauora will ensure this low-cost model can
continue while expanding access to more whānau who need it
most.
The increased capacity will also support
progressively extended opening hours, making it easier for
whānau to access care before or after work, school and
other commitments. By making it easier for people to see a
GP or nurse before their condition becomes urgent, Project
Hauora will help reduce pressure on Christchurch Hospital’s
Emergency Department and after-hours medical services,
ensuring more people receive the right care, at the right
time, in a culturally safe environment.
While Project
Hauora will deliver significant health benefits for
Canterbury, the development has received no direct
Government capital funding towards the build. Delivering
this vital community asset relies on the generosity of
philanthropic organisations, charitable trusts, businesses,
and the wider community.
The development represents an
investment of approximately $11 million in the future of
healthcare for East Christchurch. To bring Project Hauora to
life, He Waka Tapu must raise $1 million through community
donations, philanthropic support, grants, corporate
partnerships, fundraising events, and individual
giving.
Every contribution, whether from an
individual, business, charitable trust, or community
organisation, will play a vital role in creating a facility
that will serve generations of Canterbury whānau.
One
of the campaign’s major fundraising initiatives will be He
Waka Tapu’s 30th Anniversary Gala, to be held on Saturday 3
October at One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch. The
event will celebrate three decades of serving the Canterbury
community while bringing together supporters, corporate
partners and community leaders to invest in the future of
healthcare through Project Hauora. Funds raised through
sponsorships, ticket sales, live and silent auctions, and
donations on the night will directly support the
campaign.
He Waka Tapu Chief Executive Toni Tinirau
says Project Hauora is about ensuring every whānau has
equitable access to affordable healthcare when and where
they need it.
“For 30 years, He Waka Tapu has stood
beside our communities, providing care that is grounded in
connection, compassion and kaupapa Māori values. Project
Hauora is an investment in the future of our whānau,
ensuring more people can access affordable healthcare and
wellbeing services close to home, in an environment designed
to meet their needs and support their
aspirations.”
Tinirau says Project Hauora will also
play an important role in strengthening Canterbury’s wider
health system and provide a solution to increasing demand
for emergency primary care.
“Every day we see people
delay seeking healthcare because of cost or because they
simply can’t access an appointment when they need one.
Project Hauora will allow us to care for more whānau
through our low-cost healthcare model, extend access to
services, and intervene earlier, improving health outcomes
while easing pressure on Christchurch Hospital’s Emergency
Department and after-hours services.”
She says the
campaign is also an opportunity for the community to help
shape the future of healthcare in Canterbury.
“Project
Hauora belongs to our community. To bring this vision to
life, we need to raise $1 million through community support.
Every contribution, whether large or small, brings us one
step closer to creating a health and wellbeing hub that will
serve generations of whānau. Whether it’s attending our
Gala, becoming a corporate partner, making a donation, or
investing through a charitable trust or philanthropic
organisation, every contribution will have a lasting impact
on the health and wellbeing of our community.”
As He
Waka Tapu celebrates 30 years of service, Project Hauora
reflects the organisation’s ongoing commitment to improving
health equity and delivering care that is accessible,
holistic, and centred on the aspirations of
whānau.
Community members, businesses, philanthropic
organisations and charitable trusts are invited to join He
Waka Tapu in bringing Project Hauora to life by making a
donation, becoming a corporate partner, attending the 30th
Anniversary Gala, or supporting the campaign in other ways.
Together, we can create a health and wellbeing hub that will
serve generations of Canterbury whānau.
To learn more
about Project Hauora, purchase tickets to the 30th
Anniversary Gala, become a corporate sponsor, or make a
contribution, visit www.hewakatapu.org.nz.
© Scoop Media
Discussion about this post