Tūpuna Parenting has been delivering its Ngākau Aroha Parenting for Kaimahi learning journey since 2021 with entirely virtual cohorts of only Māori kaimahi. In 2024, the journey was delivered through an opening Zoom wānanga, a graduation Zoom wānanga and a 2-day face-to-face noho marae at the halfway point. From the survey results for the 50-strong cohort of kaimahi from the Te Waipounamu Tamariki Ora Well Child Tautoko Roopu, this cohort was a clear success.
Executive Summary
Tūpuna Parenting has been delivering its Ngākau Aroha Parenting for Kaimahi learning journey since 2021 with entirely virtual cohorts of only Māori kaimahi. In 2024, the journey was delivered with a 2-day face-to-face wānanga for the 50-strong cohort of kaimahi from the Te Waipounamu Tamariki Ora Well Child Tautoko Roopu, and this cohort was a clear success.
The cohort included both Māori and Pākehā kaimahi from 10 kaupapa Māori, Pacific, and public health providers across the South Island. The journey’s objective was to enhance the kaimahi’s capability to integrate tūpuna parenting ways into their work with Māori whānau, ensuring these culturally grounded methods are implemented across communities.
This cohort was the first to include both Māori and Pakeha participants and integrate a face-to-face noho marae. The inclusion of Pākehā kaimahi was particularly valuable, as they gained crucial insights into Māori values, better equipping them to off er culturally appropriate support to Māori whānau.
Evidence from the Kaikoura wānanga underscores the initiative’s success. Of the 36 kaimahi surveyed,
- 86% found the wānanga ‘very useful’ in sharing tūpuna parenting with whānau, and
- Net Promoter Score (NPS) of +61 on a scale of -100 to +100.
NPS asks respondents if they would recommend the training to their colleagues, and a positive score means more respondents would recommend it than not. The wānanga strengthened cultural connection and deepened participants’ understanding of tūpuna parenting.
The final Graduation Zoom Wānanga highlighted the program’s effectiveness, with
- an 83% retention rate, the highest of 10 Ngākau Aroha cohorts that had run by then
- NPS was +58 for the whole cohort,
- Māori participants rated it a very high +81
Survey results also showed:
- 79% of kaimahi saw improved relationships in the whānau they support, and
- 75% reported reduced stress and better whānau wellbeing.
We are grateful to our funders, Tākai (Oranga Tamariki), the Rata Foundation and Health New Zealand-Te Whatu Ora – Te Waipounamu Commissioning, who supported this special cohort, which covered the costs of the learning journey and the face-to-face wānanga costs.
This cohort shows a clear return on investment, with strong potential for scalability. The high engagement, retention, and reported whānau benefits demonstrate its success in building capability and improving service delivery. The journey’s alignment with kaupapa Māori approaches also supports the commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and improved health outcomes for Māori whānau across Aotearoa.
