Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu has put the call out to rangatahi Māori to bring their ideas around wellbeing and intergenerational leadership to the table.

The Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency for the South Island currently has two contestable funds open for applications, Ruia and Tama Ora, and with two weeks left before closing, communities across Te Waipounamu, Rakiura and Rēkohu/Wharekauri are encouraged to share the word and help boost awareness.

Pouārahi Ivy Harper said both RUIA and Tama Ora were unique in that they were a partnership with other organisations and supported tamariki and rangatahi Māori to achieve their own aspirations and solutions fit for what they were seeing in their own communities.

It was vital that when it came to their own wellbeing, rangatahi had a say in decision-making and RUIA, in particular, enabled that to happen, Harper said.

“RUIA is a partnership with Rātā Foundation and the Ministry of Youth Development that was founded in 2019, pre-pandemic, to enable rangatahi, their whānau and their tuakana to identify and create ways to support not only wellbeing, but also intergenerational leadership. Succession planning and cultural development are other crucial elements. The principle behind RUIA when it was created remains the same today: rangatahi have to be part of the decision-making process when it comes to their own growth and development.”

Hundreds of rangatahi have taken part in RUIA initiatives from the top of the South to Stewart Island in recent years. Activities have included wānanga, exhibitions, noho marae, field trips, gym and boxing sessions and a kapa haka festival. RUIA is rangatahi led, with a decision panel of five rangatahi having the say on which initiatives are supported.

While RUIA is open to initiatives aimed at rangatahi aged 12 to 24 years, Tama Ora also takes in activities for younger children and is aimed at tamariki and rangatahi aged 5 to 25 years.

A partnership between Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu and Sport New Zealand Ihi Aotearoa, Tama Ora is aligned with Sport New Zealand’s He Oranga Poutama, designed to create pathways for tamariki and rangatahi Māori to stay active.

Tama Ora is open to individuals and groups in Te Waipounamu, Rakiura and Rēkohu/Wharekauri who want to create an event, project or programme that will help tamariki and rangatahi build healthy habits, learn new skills, and work towards goals and achievements within their chosen activity.

Harper said past Tama Ora initiatives had provided opportunities for tamariki and rangatahi Māori that otherwise would not have been available and urged those looking to apply to get ahead of the deadline.

Applications for RUIA and Tama Ora close at noon on Friday, June 16, 2023.

For further information and to apply, see here.

ENDS