About Us

Our Story

The E Tipu E Rea Whānau was established following the successful implementation of a teen parent project at Auckland Women’s Centre. This project highlighted the need for an independent, Auckland-based teen parent service.

We began as Thrive, officially established in 2011 to support, advocate for, and empower teen parents in West and Central Auckland

The journey to becoming the E Tipu E Rea Whānau came about because of the belief in our whānau in upholding the mana and hauora of young Māori – and with the support of kaumatua, we embedded a kaupapa Māori approach to support people of all backgrounds.

We now work across the Auckland region and hold a special relationship with Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust.  Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust values greatly the work we undertake with mātua taiohi, hapū mama and their tamariki to enact their own rangātiratanga within their whānau, iwi, and community. Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust also wants to see all young whānau in Tāmaki thriving. Ngāti Pāoa is one of the 19 iwi in Tamaki that hold a historical relationship with spaces and places in Tāmaki.

Ngāti Pāoa has gifted E Tipu e Rea with their ongoing support for the work we do with young whānau in Tāmaki, through their provision of iwi social and health service accreditation. Paoa ki uta, Paoa ki tai, Paoa ki tua o te pae o Matariki.

E Tipu e Rea and Ngāti Paoa see the work we undertake as a movement that brings young hapū māmā,  mātua taiohi and their tamariki together, we want you to be part of our work, you are the E Tipu E Rea Whānau.

E Tipu E Rea, meaning “to grow and to thrive” from a kōrero by Ta Apirana Ngata, encompasses our kaupapa on three levels:

  • Whānau: Supporting hapū māmā, mātua taiohi, and their tamariki to gain the tools and skills to, fulfill their potential, build on their hauora and strengthen as a whānau. Individual and systemic advocacy is also part of our whānau tautoko.
  • Whakapapa: Encouraging mātua taiohi and hapū māmā to reconnect with their hapū, their whenua and their whakapapa, because this has an immeasurable impact on their hauora wairua.
  • Te Ao: International teen pregnancy rates are most represented by indigenous peoples, and a colonial stigma victimises and sidelines teen mothers as an economic problem. Our kaupapa is to dismantle that stigma by helping mātua taiohi enact their rangatiratanga.
Follow our journey here

Our Values

Tikanga values are at the heart of our work at
E Tipu E Rea as we serve our community as a whānau.

Aroha

Behind all our mahi is the unconditional love for our rangatahi and our community.

Manaakitanga

As we uphold the safety and security of young parents and their babies.

Rangatiratanga

Acknowledging the strength, potential, and self-determination of matua taiohi and their inherent right to thrive.

Wairuatanga

Knowing and honouring those who walk with us on this journey, we encourage young parents/whānau to connect with their whakapapa.

Our Kaimahi

E Tipu E Rea kaimahi are committed to providing a warm, accepting, and nurturing environment for our taiohi and their tamariki. We challenge the systems that discriminate against taiohi mātua and grow their leadership to enact their own rangatiratanga.

Our team is made up of both public health kaimahi and highly experienced and dedicated social workers who offer a kaupapa Māori approach that is tailored to the needs and challenges of taiohi māmā and pāpā-to-be and new māmā.

Our organisation was nominated for the NZ Community of the Year Award in both 2018 and 2019.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Find out more about our unique services here

Our Organisational Tohu

The heart depicted in our E Tipu E Rea tohu represents mātua taiohi and their pepī growing, learning and thriving.

Staff and Advisors

Zoe Aroha Hawke

Kaiwhakahaere Matua,Chief Executive Officer - Ngāti Hako, Ngāti Paoa, Ngāti Pākehā

Zoe Aroha Hawke

Kaiwhakahaere Matua,Chief Executive Officer - Ngāti Hako, Ngāti Paoa, Ngāti Pākehā

Ko Moehau, ko Te Aroha , ōku maunga.
Ko Tirohia, ko Kerepehi, ko Makomako ōku marae
Ko Tikapa te moana
ko Waihou te awa
Ko Tanui, ko Toharā ōku waka.
Ko Zoe Hawke tōku ingoa
Ko Witikia, ko Paora ōku Whānau.
Nō Hauraki ahau.
Ko Jason Tokawhakaea Hawke tōku hoa tane
Ko Kaitiaki, raua ko Ngātai ōku tama.

Zoe has worked in hauora sector for over 20 years.  With qualifications in social work, public health, and community development, she has worked in leadership positions in Māori public health locally and nationally. Zoe has lead community engagement teams and policy and advocacy teams in the area of mental health, tobacco control, problem gambling harm prevention, alcohol harm prevention, well-child tamariki ora, nutrition and physical activity, SUDI prevention.

Zoe gains great strength from her māmā, who was a teenage mother and despite a range of challenges was an outstanding parent who achieved much in life personally and professionally.

Zoe also holds lived experience of the impacts of state care on whānau intergenerationally. This also influences her thinking and approach to providing whānau tautoko.

Zoe currently works to lead the strategic direction of the E Tipu E Rea Whānau Service Board,  and supports the overall operation of the organisation, and reaching its mission of

“Supporting mātua taiohi and pēpi to grow, thrive and be rangatira within their whānau and community”. 

Zoe holds several board positions on an iwi and community level.  Outside of mahi , Zoe loves spending time with her growing boys aged 8 and 11 and her amazing māmā.

Tahlea Hohaia

Kaiwhakahaere Tari-Office Manager

Tahlea Hohaia

Kaiwhakahaere Tari-Office Manager

Ngongotahā te maunga
Ko Te Arawa te waka
Ko Tamatekapua te tangata
Ko Ngāti Whakaue te Iwi
Ko Paratehoata Te Kohea ngā marae 
Ko Tūnohopū te whare
Ko James tōku whānau
Ko  Peter tōku pāpā 

Ko Maunga Turoto te maunga
Ko Ohaewai te awa
Ko Ngatirangi te hapu
Ko Ngawha te marae
Ko E koro kia Tutuki te whare
Ko Takauere te taniwha
Ko Penetaui te tupuna
Ko Beazley tōku whānau
Ko Ngāpuhi te iwi
Ko Ingrid toku mama
Ko Tahlea Hohaia tōku ingoa
Ko Karson tōku tamaiti

Tahlea joined E Tipu E Rea Whānau at the end of 2020 and with her lived experiences as a teen parent makes her extremely passionate about working with mātua taiohi and their pēpi. Tahlea is very committed to being part of the cause that removes the negative stereotypes a lot of young parents have to face daily. Tahlea is a skilled accounts and office manager for E Tipu E Rea, and highlights daily that being a teen parent does not get in the way of success.  Tahlea’s lived experience also supports the strategic and daily operations of our organisation.

Tahlea’s personal life consists of a lot of traveling,  sports and dancing with whānau and friends. She enjoys creating new memories with her whānau and friends.

Alina Clark

Kaimahi Toko I Te Ora-Senior Social Worker

Alina Clark

Kaimahi Toko I Te Ora-Senior Social Worker

Ko Alina Clark tōku ingoa.

Alina has worked in the community for over 20 years with different whānau based services. Alina holds qualifications in Social Work and Early Childhood Education.  Alina started her career off as a Plunket Community Karitane Health Promoter.

Alina has worked with  E Tipu E Rea Whānau Services as a Senior Social Worker providing tautoko to hapū māmā and their tamariki since 2020.   Alina has a passion for walking alongside mātua taiohi on their journey as new parents.

In her personal life Alina enjoys living in her whare, with three generations under one roof. Her two tamariki also enjoy having their grandparents and parents around them all the time.

Wyllis Maihi

Cultural Advisor to CEO

Wyllis Maihi

Cultural Advisor to CEO

Ko Māhuhu-ki-te-rangi te waka
Ko Waitematā te moana
Ko Maungawhau, Maungakiekie ngā maunga
Ko Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei te iwi
Ko Maihi te whānau
Ko Wyliss Maihi tōku ingoa.

Laifaiga Filiva'a

Kaimahi Mātua Taiohi -Teen Dad Mentor

Laifaiga Filiva'a

Kaimahi Mātua Taiohi -Teen Dad Mentor

Ko Laifaiga Filivaa tōku ingoa

Laifaiga Filivaa joined E Tipu E Rea Whānau at the end of 2018. After having worked in the education sector for 5 years Laifaiga found that he preferred helping and talking with students more than he did working in a traditional teaching context, and decided he wanted to work more deeply with others. Laifaiga works 1:1 with young fathers,  co-ordinates writing projects (funding applications, business cases, reports) and is our in-house IT support  (social media, website development, troubleshooting computer and phone issues).

Having been a young father himself, Laifaiga has faced the stigma that young parents have to deal with. He strongly believes that by offering support, information, or just listening to how they are doing, young dads can thrive to be successful in their parenting journey.  Laifaiga is proudly Samoan and is currently in the process of researching his whakapapa Māori.

Laifaiga is active in the Te Atatū community as well greater Auckland area. In his spare time, he enjoys playing basketball, reading and playing with his tamariki.

Lauren Bartley

Kaimahi Toko I Te Ora -Senior Social Worker

Lauren Bartley

Kaimahi Toko I Te Ora -Senior Social Worker

Ko Raumatangi o Te Awaroa te maunga e tau ai taku ngākau
Ko Muriwai te moana e poipoi nei i taku whānau
Ko Allen Bartley rāua ko Naomi Connolly tōku mātua
No England, Ireland, Italy me United States tōku tūpuna
Ko Lauren Bartley tōku ingoa
No Te Awaroa ahau

Lauren joined E Tipu E Rea in 2020, having worked as a social worker in schools, and as a social worker at Auckland City Hospital in Women’s Health. Lauren is deeply passionate about seeing mātua taiohi flourish as young people and as new parents, and is quickly able to build strong relationships with māmā taiohi using a tuakana/teina approach.

Being Pākeha in a Māori organisation, Lauren is committed to being tangata tiriti, and acknowledges Ngāti Whatua o Kaipara as the iwi of the land in which she was raised and calls home.

Lauren is a strong advocate for the rangatiratanga and wairuatanga of mātua taiohi, their tamariki, and their whānau.

Lauren also brings valuable skills in advocacy at a systems macro level, and is our Policy and Advocacy Lead.

In her spare time, you’ll find Lauren on a tramp in the bush, catching some waves at Muriwai, or curled up with a good book. The only member of our team without tamariki of her own, Lauren enjoys peace and quiet on behalf of the rest of us!

Emma Rawson

Advisor and Contractor

Emma Rawson

Advisor and Contractor

Emma Rawson – Te Patu is of Ngāti Ranginui, Ngai te Rangi, Raukawa and Ngāti Haua descent. She has been involved in Public Health, Hauora Maori, Research, Training, Facilitation and Education for over 18years. Emma is māmā to Waimarie (19) and recently married to Adrian. They live in Grey Lynn with two ngeru (Whare and Puawai) and their new kurī (TT).

Emma has recently been a lecturer in Hauora Māori and Māori Health Promotion at AUT University and holds a Master of Philosophy focused on Barriers and Success factors for Māori in Public Health and beyond. Emma is an experienced facilitator and educator and specialises in Tiriti Alignment and how to use a Te Tiriti framework for practice. She is Co-Vice Chair of the Indigenous Working Group of the World Federation of Public Health Associations, Director of ManuKahu Associates – Indigenous consulting, and is passionate about supporting individuals and organisations to understand and live their Tiriti responsibilities and all the richness that that brings.

Ben Thomason

Brand and Design Lead

Ben Thomason

Brand and Design Lead

Ko Tararua ngā pae maunga

Ko Ōtaki te awa

Ko Tainui te waka

Ko Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga te iwi

Ko Ngā Kapumanawawhiti te hapū

Ko Davis te whānau

 

Ko Ben tōku ingoa,

 

I ahu mai ai ki tētahi wāhanga o te taone nui, arā ko Tāmaki Makaurau, ko taua takiwā ko Te Raki Paewhenua. I kuraina e au ki te kura Tuarua o Oneroa kātahi ka haere ki Te Whare Wānanga o Tāmaki Makaurau me te Whare Wānanga o Yoobee School of Design. I whai tohu au ki roto i te Ao Putaiao me te Hanga Niko/Whakanikoniko anō hoki. I whakatūria e au taku pakihi niko arā, Mana Design kia ruku hōhonu ai ki te ao whakarakei me te whakawaiwaiā o ngā mea katoa. Heoi anō, i mokemoke ai ahau mō āku āhuatanga Māori, nā whai atu i ērā momo huarahi i hoki ai au ki tōku Ao Māori, ā, ka whakauru au ki ngā akoranga Reo Māori ki te Whare Wānanga o Aotearoa, Rōnakitanga, Aupikitanga tae noa ki te Pīnakitanga o te Reo Kairangi. Kātahi anō au ka whakapōtaetia te kaupapa whakamutunga, ko te Pīnakitanga.

 

Ko toku matainaina ko te whakawhanuitanga o ngā Toi Māori ki ngā kokona katoa o tēnei Ao Kikokiko.

 

My name is Ben Thomason, a proud Māori descendent of Ngāti Raukawa based in Ōtaki. I grew up on Auckland’s North Shore where I attended the decile 10 School Long Bay College. After college I degrees in Science and Graphic Design from UoA and Yoobee School of Design. My passion remained in the Graphic Design side of things as I already had a background in Māori Art from my apprenticeship as a Tā Moko (Māori Tattoo) artist in my final year of college. After graduating i set myself as a freelance Graphic Designer under the Sole Trader Name, Mana Design. I worked tirelessly to broaden my skillset. My background in Māori Art saw a gapped filled in the design world and i’ve been lucky enough to work alongside some awesome companies such as, Auckland Transport, MoE, Māori TV, TVNZ, NZ Police, Māori Party, Te Whānau o Waipareira, Whānau Ora, ANZ, Northern Mystics and the Warriors.

 

However as I have progressed i’ve found myself wanting to solidify my skillset and cultural competency even further, thus for the last 3 years ive been enrolling and graduating all the full emersion Te Reo Māori programmes at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. Im currently about to graduate the final course they have on offer at the highest academic level with that institute. 

 

To conclude, my deepest want is to use all my skills and work ethic to see Māori Art done right and flourishing around the world so it too can be loved by all.

Board of Trustees

Te Miria James-Hohaia

Chairperson

Te Miria James-Hohaia

Chairperson

Tribal Affiliations: Waitaha, Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāti Whakaue, Te Arawa.

Te Miria is currently self-employed in the area of health and wellbeing and is passionate about supporting people to improve their quality of life for themselves and their whānau.

She has a wealth of experience in supporting non-Māori organisations to improve Māori outcomes through the implementation of the Treaty of Waitangi. She spent 10yrs in the Ministry of Health (MoH) as the Strategic Advisor Māori public Health and was a member of both the Senior Management Team and Senior Leaderships groups for the Public Health and Systems strategy Directorates

Te Miria has designed tools to assist with improving Māori health outcomes.  The ‘Whānau Ora’ tool and ‘Whakaritenga Mahi’.  Both tools recognises the validity of Māori approaches to achieving whānau ora and are designed to assist general organisations to implement the strategic pathways woven through He Korowai Oranga (NZ Maori Health Strategy 2002).

She has experience in community and people development, Senior Management, Māori Policy Development, People Centred and culturally appropriate Services.

Natalie Vincent

Former Chairperson

Natalie Vincent

Former Chairperson

Tēnā tātou.
He uri tēnei nö Ngāti Pākehā, nö reira kārekau he maunga. Kārekau he awa, kārekau he moana.
Engari he uri tēnei i tipu mai i te one whero o Papakura.
He kaimahi o te hapori ahau. E tū mai nei ahau, ki te tautoko, me te atawhai i te hapori.
Ko Natalie tōku ingoa

Natalie is the General Manager of Ngā Tāngata Microfinance, Manager of the Auckland Airport Community Trust and Chair of the Littlemore Trust.  She is passionate about social justice and collaborative community led development.  Natalie holds a degree in Educational Psychology with her background being in early learning and special education.  She has spent many years’ in the not-for-profit sector and is committed to serving the community in the best way she can.  She is a mother of two adult children and proud to be a part of the E Tipu E Rea whānau.

Charlene Fitisemanu

Charlene Fitisemanu

Charlene Fitisemanu joins the board with over 14 years experience working with international and local NGO’s and charities.

Charlene has developed her career around acting on her passion to drive positive impacts in our communities and for our environment.

She currently works at Oxfam NZ as the Corporate Relationship Manager, and brings experience in corporate social responsibility, sponsorship and partnerships, sustainability and project engagement.

Having been a young parent herself and knowing firsthand the challenges faced, Charlene is excited at the opportunity presented by E Tipu E Rea Whānau Services. She has a particular interest in supporting young parents into opportunities to ensure they have a positive future for themselves and their tamariki.

Selah Hart

Selah Hart

Ki Te Taha o tōku Matua
Ko Tutu Mapou toku Maunga
Ko Te Hoiere toku Awa
Ko Te Hoiere toku Waka

Ko Te Hora toku Marae
Ko Ngāti Kuia, ko Ngāti Apa ki te Ra To, ko Ngāti Koata, ko Rangitane ki Wairau, ko Ngai Tahu, ko Ngāti Toa oku Iwi

Ko Ngāti Rongomai toku Hapū
Ko Kaikai-a-waro te kaitiaki taniwha o toku awa
Ko Matua Hautere toku tipuna
Ko Pou Hemi Whiro toku Tangata Rongonui

Ki Te Taha o toku Whaea
Ko Te Maipi toku Maunga
Ko Kawhata toku Awa
Ko Takitimu toku Waka
Ko Te Ore Ore toku Marae
Ko Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa oku Iwi
Ko Tumapuhia A Rangi toku Hapu

Ko John Hart raua ko Lindi Rule oku Mātua
Ko Ian Hart raua ko Dawn Hart oku Kaumātua ki te taha o toku Pāpā
Ko Rangi Rule raua ko Lexie-Ann Rule oku Kaumātua ki te taha o toku māmā
Ko Sione, Siuta ratou ko Sekope oku tama

Ko Jordan raua ko Jericho oku tamahine mahanga
Ko Selah Hart toku ingoa

Selah originates from Waiharakeke (Blenheim) in Te Tau Ihu and has been working for Hāpai Te Hauora since 2009.

Selah works to lead the strategic direction of the Board of Directors and supports all staff at Hāpai to ensure the overall operation of the organisation run smoothly and cohesively. Selah holds a Diploma in Business Administration and holds over 15 years experience working with the Māori Health and DHB sector. At a governance level, Selah is a board member of the Health Promotion Forum of New Zealand, E Tipu e Rea Whanau Services and Health Coalition Aotearoa.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending quality time with her son’s Sione, Siuta and Sekope and twin daugthers Jordan and Jericho, playing Basketball and Netball, and spending time with friends and whānau.

You can hear from our Board of Trustees in our monthly pānui and annual reports

To learn more about our services and how we can help you or your loved one, connect with our team.