Nau Mai Haere Mai ki te
Te Mauri o te Roimata
Ko au - Who Am I
Ehari tāku toa I te toa takitahi,
Engari, he toa takitini
My strength is not that of an individual,
But as a collective
Raymond & Maraea Henare
021 043 4064 or 021 086 3268
Who Am I
My name is Raymond Henare of the Te Rarawa, Ngā Puhi, Ngati Maniapoto, Ngati Uenuku, Ngai Tahu tribes and my wife Maraea Henare is from Te Aitanga a Mahaki and Ngati Porou tribes. We believe that everything begins and ends with family.
Over the years my wife and I have been a part of coaching and managing rugby league, softball, touch, rugby, tag and many other teams. Also, we were members of the Auckland Rugby League Committee for a number of years as we both enjoyed being a part of the wider community helping to develop positive relationships and opening doors for our children to thrive in an area they love. I have been involved with the Maungarei Cadets as a Lieutenant serving as an officer within the Cadets Unit for a number of years and I trained our youth in various outdoor educational skills from camping, health and hygiene in the bush to using firearms on the weapons range within a safety perimeter that is supervised. Teaching our children every day life skills has been a passion of mine and Maraea’s as it helps our children to realise they can do this, they can look after themselves and they know how to do it as well as looking after their friends and family along the way.
This is how we came up with the name Realise your worth for this mentoring programme. After much discussion with my wife we chose this name because we believe that our tamariki (children) need to realise their worth, realise who you are, realise where you are from, realise I am someone, realise what my goals are, so realise and achieve!
How ever, this was only the beginning as we wanted to link our beliefs with this mentoring program. We believe that in order to make progress we need to acknowledge what has come before us. Therefore, we most acknowledge our whānau and friends because my achievements are not mine alone. I never achieved my goals by myself because my whanau and friends supported me along the way. This whakatauki resonates the importance of acknowledging that our achievements are those of all the people who have helped us along the way never mind how little or big they helped us.
The Creation of Te Mauri o te Roimata
E rere kau mai te awa nui nei
Mai i te kāhui maunga ki Tangaroa
Ko au te awa
Ko te awa ko au.
The river flows
From the mountains to the sea
I am the river
The river is me.
My uncle’s korero (conversation) spoke to me on several levels as a son, brother, father, grandfather, coach, personal trainer, Leutennant and now studying as a Counselor. I thought about my actions and how I have affected the people around me who have entered into my life. I thought about how have I been a positive influence on them? Is what I do catering to the children’s needs? I spoke to my wife about my uncle’s korero and she was blown away by it too. For us both we reflected on our actions and how we now need to use this korero (conversation) to make others become aware of their actions and how what we all do affects everything around us.
This led us to the Te Whare Tapa Whā model by Sir Mason Durie in 1994. The model consists of 4 dimesions – Hinengaro – Mind, Wairua – Spiritual, Tinana – Body, Whānau – family that cater to the holistic view of a person. We both felt a connection to Mason Durie’s 1994 model as we are Māori and we understand the concept of the marae and how the four walls hold up the marae. We understand how each dimension covers different areas in our lives. So, we sat down and started writing up a draft copy of what we wanted to achieve through our mentoring program.
What is it we want the children to walk away with and be able to feel confident about themselves, feel proud of who they are, where they come from, and to realise they can achieve what ever they set their minds to.
This is where we started with the idea of REALISE YOUR WORTH! We used this concept to continue our program with Realise your worth, realise who you are, realise where you come from, realise you do mean something to your family, friends, school, community and the world. You can make a differnce. From there we came up with our values and at first we linked them to Te Whare Tapa Whā but after having a korero (conversation) with a family member Henare King who reviewed our program and felt we needed more. He felt we needed to use our own framework and not that of another. This is where he gave us the name ‘Te Mauri ō Te Roimata’! This is The Mauri of the Teardrop! He explained and just refocused us back to the korero (conversation) that started all this from my late uncle Harry Haitana and his korero (conversation) about the teardrop from Ihoa.
Therefore, we have to acknowledge Mason Durie’s 1994 Te Whare Tapa Whā Māori health model as we respect his work and how it influenced our thinking and contributed in a the way in which we approach every aspect of our lives. We believe everything is connected from the Mountains to the rivers to the forest. We as Māori understand the concept of the Marae and how all the different dimensions of Te Whare Tapa Whā interconnect with every aspect of our lives. Also, each dimension needs to be catered to and when there is something lacking in one or more dimensions that’s when we see the outcome of it through the choices the person makes or their actions.
We want to acknowledge my late uncle Harry Haitana and the Haitana whānau for their contributions and helping me with this kaupapa. We also, want to acknowledge Henare King for all his work and guidance throughout our lives and throughout this kaupapa too.
Lastly, we want to acknowledge all those that have helped us in some way to be the people we are today where we can now through our experiences give back to our community and to help our tamariki (children).
He aha te mea nui o te ao?
He tangata! He tangata! He tangata!
What is the most important thing in the world?
It is people, it is people, it is people.
Continuing from there, we started taking sports teams to the local clubs – The Scorpians where they played tag or ripper rugby. We found by doing this it upskilled their knowledge of the games as well as their ball handling skills too. Not only that but their confidence and committment in being a part of a team outside of school. The same rules, expectations, values applied and that they had to be positively performing at school to be a part of the teams. Overall, this was a great experience and way for us to prove that be using what the child loves to help nuture them and bring it back into the classroom to help improve their learning.
After that, I decided to study as a Social Worker and then onto studying for a degree in Counselling, which I am still achieving. I felt I needed the qualifications to help cater to the inner spiritual side and mental side of our children. Both my wife and I felt our children were not getting all their needs met as only the education or physical side of our children are the focus of everything. While our children suffer from trauma, homelessness, no food, neglect, abuse and then they are expected to come to school and achieve every day. This is over and above what any person can cope with in any one lifetime. Therefore, it was important for me to achieve the degree in Counselling.
Throughout all this, I was an officer of the Maungarei Cadet Forces where I was a lieutennant training our children through PT training to survival skills, to camping over night, reading maps to drills for first aid. Also I was a range and saftey officer on the firing range which included working with other forces from the Navy to the Air Force. My wife and I have enjoyed every part of our lives as our passion is helping to support and give back to our children and community.
Although, my wife and I have been successful in our endevours we still need the grounding of home where we belong – our turangawaewae (Our standing place in this world). This is where I was given a korero from my uncle the late Harry Haitana who was a Rangatira for his community in Raetahi and Whanganui even though he resided later in life in Raetahi. He held a very high statas in the Armed Forces at Waiouru as well as a formiable member of the Hauora Hinengaro (Mind) health sector in Auckland to then in Whanganui. He said to me when I asked about our Maunga (mountain) where we are from: Here was his korero to me.
“One day tear drops fell from Ihoa on to the top of Mount Tongariro, this fulled the creater with water at the top of Mount Tongariro which over flowed down the side of the mountain which formed a small stream which then flowed into a river at the bottom of the mountain which is called the Te Manganui ō Te Ao, from here it flowed into the river, however there were other streams that flowed into the Whanganui river. From there the river overflowed into the sea. So the Whanganui river flows into the ocean. This is what is called the ripple effect of our actions. From that one tear drop to over flow into a river then over flow into the sea is the ripple affect of our actions. When you look at the river and throw a stone in the river you see the ripples that stone has made from being thrown in. From one action affects our ourselves, our families, our communities and then it affects the world around us”. Our design represents that korero – the teardrop is the person and inside the teardrop is their imediate family. The first ripple is our family, the second ripple is our school or place of work/our friends or coleagues, the third ripple is our community or environment around us, and the third ripple is Te Ao – the world we live in.
He purapura
i ruia mai i
Rangiātea e
kore e ngaro.
A seed sown in Rangiātea will never be lost
My uncle’s korero (conversation) spoke to me on several levels as a son, brother, father, grandfather, coach, personal trainer, Leutennant and now studying as a Counselor. I thought about my actions and how I have affected the people around me who have entered into my life. I thought about how have I been a positive influence on them? Is what I do catering to the children’s needs? I spoke to my wife about my uncle’s korero and she was blown away by it too. For us both we reflected on our actions and how we now need to use this korero (conversation) to make others become aware of their actions and how what we all do affects everything around us.
This led us to the Te Whare Tapa Whā model by Sir Mason Durie in 1994. The model consists of 4 dimesions – Hinengaro – Mind, Wairua – Spiritual, Tinana – Body, Whānau – family that cater to the holistic view of a person. We both felt a connection to Mason Durie’s 1994 model as we are Māori and we understand the concept of the marae and how the four walls hold up the marae. We understand how each dimension covers different areas in our lives. So, we sat down and started writing up a draft copy of what we wanted to achieve through our mentoring program.
What is it we want the children to walk away with and be able to feel confident about themselves, feel proud of who they are, where they come from, and to realise they can achieve what ever they set their minds to.
This is where we started with the idea of REALISE YOUR WORTH! We used this concept to continue our program with Realise your worth, realise who you are, realise where you come from, realise you do mean something to your family, friends, school, community and the world. You can make a differnce. From there we came up with our values and at first we linked them to Te Whare Tapa Whā but after having a korero (conversation) with a family member Henare King who reviewed our program and felt we needed more. He felt we needed to use our own framework and not that of another. This is where he gave us the name ‘Te Mauri ō Te Roimata’! This is The Mauri of the Teardrop! He explained and just refocused us back to the korero (conversation) that started all this from my late uncle Harry Haitana and his korero (conversation) about the teardrop from Ihoa.
Therefore, we have to acknowledge Mason Durie’s 1994 Te Whare Tapa Whā Māori health model as we respect his work and how it influenced our thinking and contributed in a the way in which we approach every aspect of our lives. We believe everything is connected from the Mountains to the rivers to the forest. We as Māori understand the concept of the Marae and how all the different dimensions of Te Whare Tapa Whā interconnect with every aspect of our lives. Also, each dimension needs to be catered to and when there is something lacking in one or more dimensions that’s when we see the outcome of it through the choices the person makes or their actions.
We want to acknowledge my late uncle Harry Haitana and the Haitana whānau for their contributions and helping me with this kaupapa. We also, want to acknowledge Henare King for all his work and guidance throughout our lives and throughout this kaupapa too.
Lastly, we want to acknowledge all those that have helped us in some way to be the people we are today where we can now through our experiences give back to our community and to help our tamariki (children).
What is the Te Mauri ō Te Roimata Program?
The purpose of the mentoring programme ‘Te Mauri ō Te Roimata’ is to deliver a programme that caters to needs of our youth especially in primary schools. The programme is designed for children who are or have experienced some form of trauma either through family, health issues, family violence, grief and loss of a family member, even a pet, they suffer in silence also are they being bullied or are the bully, do they have low self-esteem and need encouragement to become a leader or Rangatira. By using all of our experiences as well as our professional achievements, we are able to deliver a programme that caters to all their needs by using different avenues to help our children over come their behaviours. There are various sports games involved with this programme along with art/music therapy, Seasons for Growth can be included depending on the needs of the child. Also, developing positive relationships through team building activities. All these we have linked with our values.
The mentoring programme ‘Te Mauri ō Te Roimata’ is a 10 week programme that fits in with schools to link with each term. A value will be taught each week that is linked to our values developed for Te Mauri ō Te Roimata. One, 1 hour session will be taught each week within a group of no more than four children. This is for safety reasons and to manage the group effectively.
We have several options that we can offer to schools. The different options cover a whole term for ten weeks or it can continue for the year depending on the school.
Sessions are:
One 1 hour session per day for up to 4 students once a week for the term.
We can take up to three, 1 hour sessions a day.
One 1 hour sessions per day for the week, for the term, for each group of students.
Whole day from 9am to 3pm:
1st block is session 1 (Group 1)
Morning tea activities
2nd block is session 2 (Group 2)
Lunchtime activities
2rd block is session 3 (Group 3)
More about us
Another framework that has been a part of our journey with the development of Te Mauri ō Te Roimata that we would like to achknowledge is the Redseal International where they believe ‘We are the River’ and that ‘All humanity is inextricably connected to the land, water and all living things’. Furthermore, Redseal International mentioned that water has mana, it is a living entity this was by the peoples of the Whanganui River who achieved National recognition when they claimed that the river was an indivisible, living entity. This was passed by the New Zealand Parliment as the Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Act 2017.
We both feel a connection with Redseal as they are about the Whanganui river and the principles they use reflects our relationship with nature, our tikanga and the values of our people. It’s about living as one with nature and the environment around us as well as being a kaitiaki/guardian of our environment. We as a people have a responsibility to sustain our environment by looking after it so that our environment will sustain us for generations to com
Raymond & Maraea Henare
021 043 4064 or 021 086 3268
We invite you to join us
Contact us and connect with our innovative and whānau -centric programme.
Vision, Mission and Values of Te Mauri o te Roimata
Our overall VISION for ‘Te Mauri ō Te Roimata’ is to deliver a mentoring programme that caters to our children in primary through to high school. So many of our kids are falling through the cracks from primary schools transitioning into Intermediate and then onto high school. Therefore, it is with the hope that by delivering the mentoring programme ‘Te Mauri ō Te Roimata’ to our schools then it will help them to achieve their goals in life. Also, to make a positive change in their lives to help them to make better choices in their lives. Hopefully by introducing this mentoring programme to just a small group of kids will attract other children who may feel they are not worthy of anything or suffer from low self-esteem will want to be apart of the programme.
Our Mision statement is that of the Whakatauki below which is simple however, it hits home to what is important in our lives. We believe that without our whānau (family) and culture we are limited to what we can achieve in this world, we are lost. Everything in this world begins and ends with whānau (family). No one gets left behind!
Whānau – Family
•Hononga – Connections Whakapapa/ancestory
•Relationships with others
•Learning and sharing their cultural customs and practices.
•Their social interactions with others
•Helping others and showing empathy
Possible Activities:
•Meeting with whānau/family
•Learning their whakapapa/genealogy
•Trip to the Maritime Museum – Waka ride
Hauora – Wellbeing
•Kia Kaha – Being strong in our mind, body, and soul
•Learning our emotions our feelings.
•Being resilient to use their skills and strategies to problem solve
•Mindfulness
•Learning how nutrition affects our body and mind.
•Healthy eating
•Hygiene – looking after our bodies/self care
Possible Activities:
•Learning about your emotions
•Art/music
•Goal setting
•Moving to music
Kaitiaki - Guardianship
•This is our personal Belief
•How we see the structure or purpose of our Lives
•Being True to ourselves
•Daily mindfulness
•Connecting with our environment
•Being of services to others
Possible Activities:
•Being honest in every aspect of their life
•Farm trips.
•Learning to gather kai/food.
•Gardening/fishing.
Rangatira - Leadership
•Being active and exercise everyday
•Having strength through the knowledge of nutrition
• Manahau – being resilient in all they do to achieve their goals.
Possible Activities:
•Team building games
•Overnight camp
•Celebrating their success
