25 March 2024
Community initiatives supporting rangatahi in Murihiku Southland have been backed with $180,000 in funding, as selected by a group of young Māori tasked with making funding decisions on behalf of their peers.
Te Ōhaka Tīwhera is a collaborative fund supported by Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation in partnership with Community Trust South, Invercargill Licensing Trust (ILT), ILT Foundation, and Clare Foundation, and is led by ten local rangatahi (aged 14-20 years). The 2023-24 funding wrapped up in March and is the second cohort of funding, following $240,000 allocated in 2022-23.
Over the past 12 months, the rangatahi have distributed funds for creative and innovative projects or initiatives which support rangatahi to connect with their culture. The group allocated funds to the following initiatives:
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· Murihiku Māori Rugby Charitable Trust – Supporting wānanga and travel for rangatahi Māori rugby players in Murihiku
· Te Oriori Trust – He Taura Here, a youth-driven initiative aimed at increasing Mātauranga Māori through marae wānanga
· Active Southland – Rangatahi Leadership Group to provide Māori and Pasifika rangatahi with the tools to succeed within their chosen sports
· Te Wharekura o Arowhenua – Visit to Waitangi for the Waitangi Day celebrations to learn firsthand the significance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi
· Te Oho Mana – Building connection and sense of identity by providing mentorship and learning in te taiao
· Ka Taoka i Tuko Iho – Supporting Māori aspirations through sport
· Atuitui Charitable Trust – Providing opportunities for cultural exposure and involvement through traditional dance and music
· Southern Queens Boxing – Delivering boxing training, mentorship, and enabling rangatahi to find their identity |
Te Rourou Community Catalyst Mandy Smith says this round of Te Ōhaka Tīwhera highlights the diversity of the decisions made by rangatahi, who support tried-and-tested initiatives while boosting new, innovative programmes.
“By interviewing each applicant in person, the panel of 10 rangatahi gauge the successes of existing programmes; what’s working and what they will need to continue, but they’re also quick to support new kaupapa they see as having potential. There is a lot of kōrero and thought going into those decisions,” she says.
21 March 2024
A traditional Māori sport is securing its place among mainstream sports in Murihiku Southland, thanks to local organisations looking to support the aspirations of rangatahi Māori.
Kī-o-rahi has proven popular across Waihōpai (Invercargill) and the wider region, with around 14 secondary school teams and 10 primary school teams participating in a new interschool tournament.
The sport was identified by rangatahi as a way to better connect young people to te ao Māori. The rangatahi, who lead Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation’s Te Ōhaka Tīwhera fund, decided to create Kā Taoka I Tuku Iho Charitable Trust to support Māori sports in Murihiku.
“Kī-o-rahi was already popular with our rangatahi Māori, but they wanted to see it grow. They didn’t just want to play once a year to celebrate Matariki, they wanted it to be a regular option for everyone, alongside rugby and basketball,” Te Rourou, Community Catalyst Mandy Smith said.
“They decided they wanted to create the trust and allocate some funds to kickstart it. They made all of the decisions, and the community fully backed them. We see it as a huge step forward in elevating rangatahi voice and supporting Māori aspirations.”
A collaboration between Kā Taoka and Active Southland was soon formed which saw the game spreading far and wide.
“It grew much more quickly than we expected it to,” Active Southland Rangatahi Advisor Greg Houkamau said.
“It’s been really surprising for the team how fast it has grown; it’s just taken off. It’s a fun sport, everybody’s got a role to play, and it introduces te ao Māori concepts, and te reo Māori in a fun way.”
Kā Taoka has the potential to affect big impact on Māori sport and further supporting rangatahi, he said.
“It’s something we are already expanding on, including looking at bringing in tapu ae. For me, I’m learning as well, and just getting amazing feedback from our rangatahi and our hapori as well.”
“Our priority for 2024 is amplification and how we integrate it into curriculum. That integration is critical.”
12 March 2024
Young parents in Southland are driving towards academic success, after an innovative transport solution was put in place to address transport barriers.
Parents attending Murihiku Young Parents Learning Centre (MYPLC) have benefitted from a grant provided by Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation to address some of the financial challenges faced by wāhine living rurally.
As the only teen parent unit in Southland, some young parents must travel large distances to receive the support they need, and transport is one of their greatest barriers, says MYPLC director Kim Scott.
“Our rural students were averaging just two days per week before this grant, and three of our students stopped coming due to transport barriers…now, our rural wāhine have the highest attendance rates amongst our young mamas,” she says.
MYPLC has utilised the two-year grant as an incentive for rural wāhine to attend education at the centre, covering the costs of their petrol, and assisting with car maintenance, insurance, and in acquiring appropriate licensing.
The increase in attendance also saw an upswing in academic achievement, with more students gaining NCEA qualifications and receiving subject excellence and outstanding industry awards, which showcases the programme’s success, Scott says.
“Our rural students took out five of our nine special awards at the end of 2023, and one also won the Academic Award for 2023. The grant made them feel valued, it showed them that others valued them and their learning. The engagement of these students because of others’ support and belief in them has been phenomenal and an unexpected benefit of this grant.”
Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation Community Catalyst Stac Hughes says the impact of the grant highlights the importance of breaking barriers for young people for them to succeed.
“This is an amazing result achieved by a simple helping hand being given to these young parents. By breaking down transport barriers, these wāhine will be set up for their own future and the future of their tamariki,” he says.
Hughes says MYPLC is just one of many organisations facing transportation barriers in the Murihiku community, and Te Rourou is committed to exploring ways to address those inequities in order to create greater connections for rangatahi.
14 December 2023
We have reflected on a year of rakatahi making important decisions in Murihiku through Te Ōhaka Tīwhera. We’re excited to launch this annual report to showcase the mahi of our rakatahi, and to shine a light on some of the community partners they supported throughout the year.
Over the past year, Te Rourou has been working alongside Murihiku rakatahi to develop our Rakatahi Māori Fund, gifted the name Te Ōhaka Tīwhera by the rōpū of rakatahi who administer it.
With our funding partners, Clare Foundation, Community Trust South, and Invercargill Licensing Trust Foundation, we have gifted this opportunity to our rakatahi – but the real taoka is the insight, expertise, and time the rakatahi have given to us.
Kā mihi nui to our rakatahi panel, and to the community they have supported.
“We are not just getting an opportunity to make a ‘one and done’ decision. We are being presented with the tools needed to create success in life, establishing future leaders.” – Mya Kairau, rakatahi panelist
Te Ōhaka Tīwhera Annual Report 2023
11 December 2023
TaiOHI Insights Report 2023 outlines the latest insights from OHI Data Navigator
Despite the best efforts of many community-focused organisations across the motu, the TaiOHI Insights Report 2023 shows a gradual increase in the number of rangatahi experiencing disadvantage in Aotearoa New Zealand, reaching 20.6% in 2022 compared to 20.3% in 2021 and 19.3% in 2018.
The third annual report released by Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation, draws from five years of data within the OHI Data Navigator (2018-2022), providing insights into systems-level shifts and data showing specific experiences of rangatahi.
The report highlights that across Aotearoa, 35% of rangatahi now live in areas with high levels of material deprivation, of these, 31% have experienced exclusion and disadvantage. On the flipside, for young people living in areas with low material deprivation, just 10% have experienced exclusion and disadvantage.
OHI Data Navigator is a free interactive platform that draws on government and community data, with its primary data source being the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) managed by Stats NZ. The data within OHI Data Navigator is focused on three areas to provide a view on exclusion and disadvantage – experiences of care and protection, justice, and education and employment – and is updated annually in May.
The TaiOHI Insights Report aims to highlight lived experiences of rangatahi through both data and storytelling, with an overall aim of creating a more equitable Aotearoa where rangatahi can thrive.
While one in five rangatahi continue to experience disadvantage and exclusion in Aotearoa, there are some green shoots. Education qualification attainment data for rangatahi Māori in South Invercargill, for example, show increases in the proportion of 16 to 25-year-olds attaining at least NCEA 1, 2 and 3 in the three years between 2018 and 2022.
Along with data from the OHI Data Navigator, the report includes a literature review of reports collated by the Child Wellbeing and Poverty Reduction Group, which sits within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Prioritising wellbeing, greater connectedness, and supporting aspirations for the future emerged as broad themes from rangatahi. The TaiOHI Insights Report 2023 then summarises seven recommendations, building on calls made in previous reports.
Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation continues to call for systems-level change, and the need to welcome and listen to the voices of those with lived-experience of exclusion and disadvantage, to drive real impact in our communities.
The Foundation is also trying to put this recommendation into practice within its work in Murihiku Southland. The rangatahi Māori fund, Te Ōhaka Tīwhera, is now entering its third year as a participatory funding panel with ten rangatahi helping distribute almost $160,000 to local community organisations from August 2023 to February 2024. By giving youth a voice and decision-making power, they can exercise tino rangatiratanga and help to create local solutions to problems faced by their peers.
TaiOHI Insights Report 2023
For more information on OHI Data Navigator, please visit www.datanavigator.nz.
