As
the inaugural Muriwhenua Wellbeing Festival kicks off
tomorrow it marks another step towards supporting a
healthier, thriving whānau living in Te Hiku.
The
festival is one of 13 innovative initiatives being tested
this year under the Taikorihi Locality – the population
health prototype set up under the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures)
Act 2022 to influence and inform the future investment of
public health in New Zealand.
Te Hiku Hauora is
leading the co-ordination of the free admission festival,
which will be held at the Te Ahu Centre in Kaitaia on
Saturday 6 April from 10am to 1pm to see a number of
providers and Te Hiku whānau come together to celebrate
health and wellbeing.
Te Hiku Hauora CEO Maria Baker
says there is a second festival in the planning for further
in the year, but Saturday’s event is aimed at connecting
whānau to local primary health services and resources in Te
Hiku that focus on hauora and wellbeing.
“This is
about people in our community who are doing mahi on the
ground that’s focused on well-being. We’re really looking
forward to who we have coming and just being able to get
some learnings at the end about how we can work better with
each other to support each other to be able to be available
to the community,” she says.
The festival will
feature a number of door prizes and giveaways on the day as
whānau are invited to come and kōrero with their local
providers about their whānau hauora needs.
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Taikorihi
Locality Manager JJ Ripikoi says the festival has come out
of whānau voice that was captured prior to Taikorihi
forming its four priority focus areas, including hauora
(primary health care and access), taitamariki and mental
health, Māmā and pēpi wellbeing and whare āhuru
(housing).
“Although we have a reasonably good range
of services and supports accessible in Te Hiku, one of the
consistent messages that whānau have always said is that
they don’t know what’s available to them or where to go
to help. The Muriwhenua Wellbeing Festival is a great
starting point to get whānau back in touch with our
providers and seek help for their specific needs right
there,” he says.
Maria adds that Te Hiku Hauora is
exploring what the festival planned for the second half of
this year can feature.
“With the second one, we want
to draw on the learnings in how we are collectively working
together. We’re really looking forward to different ope and
community-based groups that are doing rongoā Māori,
kaupapa Māori and many others in this first festival. This
is not just the dominant mainstream construct about services
and social services, this is a celebration of all hauora,”
she says.
For more information on the Muriwhenua
Wellbeing Festival 2024, head to www.tehikuhauora.nz.
For
more information on Taikorihi and the Pae Ora health
reforms, visit www.taikorihi.co.nz.
© Scoop Media
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