Te Hā o Maru chief executive Mani Malloy-Sharplin said the Otago Community Trust provided a $700,000 grant over three years to further their expansion of the leadership programme centred on "mahika kai", encompassing traditional practices of gathering food and resources.
"The rangatahi that attend Te Pōhā learn the many values of food sovereignty through mahika kai activities which informs their personal identity and strengthens the kāhui rakatira [group of leaders] for the next generation," Mr Malloy-Sharplin said.
"The practice was a result of findings in the Te Waka Hauora o Waitaki Health Futures mahi [work] we’ve been doing with Te Whatu Ora Wellsouth, and Te Rūnanga o Moeraki, which spelled out the clear disparities of the health service environment in the Waitaki.
"We’re proud that Te Whare Koiora provides a raft of solutions to the Waitaki community and provides holistic healthcare [hauora] and we have also set up a satellite clinic in Karitāne that operates on Mondays," he said.
Te Hā o Maru launched "Te Ama" in partnership with OPIT and Ngā Kete Mātauranga Pounamu in October to provide a new mental health service.
"Our Mōkihi Whānau team have supported a variety of whānau to achieving greater hauora outcomes and to walk a path to wellness," Mr Malloy-Sharplin said.
Te Hā o Maru also launched the Tīpuna Parenting programme, which operates bimonthly for young parents to learn traditional methods of parenting such as weaving a wahakura (traditional baby bassinet).
