A kaupapa rooted in the parenting traditions of tūpuna Māori is helping transform the way kaimahi support whānau across Aotearoa, while also strengthening their own parenting confidence, wellbeing and cultural connection.
Ngākau Aroha for Kaimahi, developed by Tūpuna Parenting, is one of the few kaupapa Māori professional development programmes in New Zealand dedicated specifically to parenting through the lens of mātauranga Māori.
The latest cohort recently completed the 15-week programme, culminating in a two-day noho marae at Te Āwhina Marae in Motueka. Participants immersed themselves in traditional knowledge and practical strategies designed to strengthen whānau and support tamariki to thrive.
Tūpuna Parenting was established in 2018 by founder Elizabeth Harte (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou) and her mother, respected researcher Helen Mountain Harte, whose work explored traditional Māori parenting practices and child-rearing philosophies.
Following Helen’s passing in 2019, Harte continued the kaupapa, adapting delivery methods during the COVID-19 pandemic before launching the Ngākau Aroha for Kaimahi pilot programme in 2021.
The kaupapa centres on sharing the gentle, respectful and nurturing parenting approaches practised by tūpuna Māori, with the goal of empowering whānau to raise tamariki who are loved, secure, resilient and connected to their identity.
The programme combines traditional knowledge with practical tools that can be applied both in professional settings and within participants’ own homes.
The first stage of the programme focuses on deepening understanding of mātauranga Māori through whakataukī, pūrākau, oral histories and historical accounts that reveal how Māori traditionally cared for and nurtured children.
Participants are encouraged to explore their own whakapapa connections and reflect on how ancestral wisdom can inform contemporary parenting and community support.
The second stage shifts towards practical application, helping kaimahi integrate these teachings into their everyday work with whānau.
This includes developing strategies for sharing mātauranga Māori with families, strengthening relationships and creating positive outcomes for tamariki and parents.
An independent Social Return on Investment (SROI) report completed in August 2025 found the programme generates substantial benefits across multiple areas of community wellbeing.
The evaluation revealed that for every dollar invested in Ngākau Aroha for Kaimahi, an estimated $11.20 of social value is created for participants, their whānau and the families they support.
The report identified improvements in cultural competency, confidence in professional practice, stronger community engagement and enhanced parenting capability among participants.
Many kaimahi also reported improvements in mental wellbeing, decision-making and a renewed sense of mana.
The positive impacts extended to tamariki, with participants noting improvements in children’s wellbeing, behaviour and overall family relationships.
For many practitioners, the programme provides an important cultural framework that complements existing support services.
Participants say whānau Māori often benefit from approaches that reconnect them to their culture alongside mainstream counselling and support systems.
The mātauranga offered through Tūpuna Parenting provides a pathway for strengthening wairua, identity and belonging, while also delivering practical parenting tools grounded in tikanga Māori.
The programme’s structured framework and extensive resource base have been highlighted as key strengths, enabling kaimahi to confidently share knowledge and support families in culturally meaningful ways.
Graduates of the programme say one of its greatest strengths is its emphasis on recognising and protecting the tapu and mana of children.
This approach has proven particularly valuable when working with young parents, helping them connect with parenting concepts through familiar cultural values and practices.
Rather than focusing solely on behavioural outcomes, the kaupapa encourages whānau to view parenting through a strengths-based lens that nurtures identity, relationships and emotional wellbeing.
By grounding parenting support in tikanga Māori, the programme helps families draw on ancestral knowledge that has sustained generations of Māori communities.
The kaupapa has received support from Rātā Foundation since 2022, initially funding participation for kaimahi in Canterbury, Nelson and Marlborough.
That support has since expanded to include an eight-week whānau wānanga programme, bringing the teachings of Tūpuna Parenting directly into communities and making the mātauranga more accessible to families.
As demand grows for culturally grounded approaches to parenting and whānau wellbeing, Ngākau Aroha for Kaimahi is emerging as an important model for strengthening families through indigenous knowledge.
By reconnecting whānau with the wisdom of tūpuna, the programme is helping build stronger communities, healthier relationships and brighter futures for tamariki across Aotearoa.
