Tamaki Makaurau Māori network aligns new awards to the stars of Matariki

Members of the Te Pae Herenga o Tamaki collective.

An awards ceremony aligning to the nine Matariki Stars is debuting for Whānau Ora Tāmaki Collective, Te Pae Herenga o Tāmaki at the Aotea Centre.

On Saturday, Te Pae Herenga o Tāmaki Dinner and Awards Ceremony is recognising the diligent commitment of its 13 providers who over the past 10 years have worked across several sectors including education, health, housing, whānau change and rangatahi resilience.

Te Pae Herenga chair, Jacqui Harema, says the significance of the awards is emphasised with its connection to the Māori New Year.

Te Pae Herenga Chair, Jacqui Harema. Photo / Supplied

“The past few years have been particularly challenging so for the nine awards to be in direct harmony with Matariki makes this a momentous occasion. We all share the same vision designing innovative, localised solutions for whānau, so this is overdue acknowledgement all of the incredible work we do every day with Māori,” Harema said.

Te Pae Herenga covers Tāmaki Makaurau, except Waiheke Island and has over 1000 kaimahi supporting the 220,000 Māori population.

Manurewa Marae - one of the main providers - CEO Takutai Tash Kemp appreciates the vast knowledge and proficiency the network has.

“We constantly learn from each other, combining our insights and experiences to find effective, functional methods to support whānau. We are relentless and strategic because we know this type of mahi will not succeed with the one-size-fits-all approach used by other agencies”.

The Te Pae Herenga o Tāmaki Matariki Awards will hosted by Whakaata Māori presenters Marcia Hopa and Luke Bird, with live entertainment from Jackson Owens and will become an annual event.