Kotahitanga was the theme for the Te Arawa Whānau Ora whānau day, at the Medical Officers Reserve on Wednesday.
TAWO Health & Social Services coordinator Tiare Pakaurangi says it was a lovely day that showed the importance of holding space for our whānau.
“A massive barrier for whānau is knowing where to go to get help when they need it, so one of the biggest highlights of the day, was bridging this gap for them. With no cost for any of the services, activities, and kai offered, whānau were able to do as they pleased without the worry of cost. It was a relaxed environment that all ages could enjoy and take value from,” says Tiare.
TAWO’s Manu Tāpiki team ran a bowel screening service, while the Whānau Ora team encouraged whānau to voice their opinions on the types of services they want to see up and running.
Six other organisations also provided information about their services, including New Zealand Heart Foundation; Poutiri Trust who came with its mobile clinic and offered free ear checks; Healthy Families Rotorua who encouraged whānau to fill out a maara kai survey; Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Pikiao who came along with its rongoā Māori team; Te Papa Tākaro o Te Arawa who ran heke toka and brought other fun resources with them; while Korowai Aroha offered free health checks.
Tiare says tamariki enjoyed the bouncy castles and challenges provided throughout the day, while the adults participated in free health checks, shared valuable feedback, and engaged with the different services.
“One of the main objectives for running a whānau day, was to have as many services and organisations in one place to make them easily accessible for whānau.”
Whānau days are held every three months and look different each time.
“The focus this time was kotahitanga and having all services working as one to better our whānau, ‘Mahia te mahi hei painga mō te iwi’. With help from organisations in the Te Arawa Whānau Ora collective and beyond, we were able to achieve this,” says Tiare.
The next whānau day will be in 2024 with more details to be provided at a later date.