Latest news with #Whaitua
Scoop
5 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
New Whaitua Mapping Tool And Monitoring Our Oranga Framework Places Health Information In Whānau Hands
The Āti Awa Toa Hauora Iwi Māori Partnership Board launched the Whaitua Mapping Tool alongside the Monitoring our Oranga Framework online today. 'Our dual launch coincides with the end of Matariki season, a significant time for reflection and renewal, marking a collective commitment to creating healthier, safer communities for current and future generations,' said Hikitia Ropata, Āti Awa Toa Hauora Iwi Māori Partnership Board's Manahautū. 'We are indebted to the support of our mana whenua iwi, Te Āti Awa ki te Upoko a Māui, Āti Awa ki Whakarongotai and Ngāti Toa Rangatira. With special thanks to the team at Āti Awa Toa FM.' Whaitua is an online mapping tool that visualises critical information about whānau households and their communities across the social and economic determinants of health. This includes the prevalence of liquor stores, vape shops, fast food outlets, housing conditions, environmental degradation and healthcare access points. The platform equips whānau, iwi and communities with precise, local-level insights to help raise whānau voice and improve policies that impact upon our whānau. The Whaitua Mapping Tool has been developed by the Āti Awa Toa Hauora Iwi Māori Partnership Board in collaboration with Te Tāhū Hauora (Health Quality & Safety Commission) and with early input from Te Karu o Te Ika Poari Hauora IMPB. The tool is presented with the collective support of all 17 IMPBs across Aotearoa, enabling iwi and communities to access and use this valuable data. Advertisement - scroll to continue reading 'Our Whaitua: Flip the Facts' social media campaign begins today. We are inviting all whānau from our takiwā as well as whānau from across Aotearoa to jump online, see the data story of their own neighbourhood and challenge those things that need to change.' Also launched today is Monitoring our Oranga: A Kaupapa Māori framework for collective learning and system transformation, designed to guide collective learning, monitoring, and advocacy efforts within Māori communities. 'Grounded in the constitutional promises of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and indigenous rights, our framework affirms tino rangatiratanga and requires kāwanatanga to protect it actively. Monitoring is a tool of mana motuhake - a way for whānau, hapū and iwi to ask and answer the questions that matter most to us, in our own ways.' 'Too often, Māori communities carry the blame for conditions we never created. These resources we launch today will help raise our whānau voices, allowing us to tell our own stories through our own data. It's about tino rangatiratanga and our right to self-determination and meaningful change.'
Scoop
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Gabriel Tupou Stands For Greater Wellington Regional Council
Hutt City Councillor Gabriel Tupou has announced his candidacy for the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC). With almost nine years of experience in local government, Tupou reflects on his service in achieving positive outcomes for communities across Te Awakairangi ki Tai Lower Hutt. 'My time as a Community Representative on Greater Wellington's Whaitua (Water Catchment) Committee, Chair of the Wainuiomata Community Board, and as a Hutt City Councillor has given me the experience, insights and relationships to serve our region. I hope to add value to a diverse and talented group of strategic leaders who also care for the health and prosperity of our region' says Tupou. 'I'm standing for a Regional Council that takes action on Te Mana o te Wai — water conservation, delivers reliable public transport, and builds up our resilience for a growing population who experience the daily challenges of a housing and cost-of-living crisis.' Fauono Ken Laban, a current GWRC councillor and candidate for Mayor of Lower Hutt is supportive of Tupou's candidacy, highlighting his strong community and governance trackrecord: 'I have known and supported Gabriel for many years, including during his time on the Community Board and Hutt City Council. He is a competent and talented governor with huge potential in public service. He would be a tremendous advocate for our community on the GWRC and I wish him well.' GWRC Councillor Quentin Duthie also acknowledges Tupou's contribution to the Whaitua process and his dedication to Te Mana o Te Wai: 'Gabriel is a strong advocate for the Lower Hutt community and environment. We worked together on ways to restore the health of our waterways so they can again be clean and safe for swimming. A vote for Gabriel is a vote for the health of our water, land and people.' Tupou believes in strong local representation alongside Mana Whenua on regional decisions, including major initiatives like RiverLink in central Hutt City and Puketaha —a proposed ecological bird sanctuary in Wainuiomata set to be 13 times the size of Zealandia. 'I will bring the voice of Te Awakairangi ki Tai - Lower Hutt to the regional table' says Tupou. 'Whether it's flood protection, oversight of our regional parks, or better public transport options—I'm ready to listen, engage, and deliver. Send me to Wellington, and I'll bring my very best to represent our people and work hard for our entire region.' Gabriel Tupou is a Wainuiomata resident, classical tenor, former public servant, and Hutt City Councillor. He is a manager for the Sisters of Compassion charity, volunteers as a trustee for the Duke of Edinburgh and Hillary Award and the Manaaki Ability Trust. Tupou also serves with the Māori Wardens.
