Te Ara Oranga Taiao
The Pathway to Wellbeing with Nature
What this Project is trying to achieve
Our ‘Big Hairy Audacious Goal’ is to bring together all the people, systems, iwi, organisations, government departments and collectively work together in some organised way to help achieve a shared vision for nature and health in Aotearoa!
To get there - We facilitating a co-design process across the motu to move us foward towards the shared vision.
A group of people came together for 'Ngā Puna Oranga Taiao’ a wānanga from 30th April - 3rd May 2026.
Over the four days the wānanga moved through a deliberate arc:
• Connecting and responding. After introductions, small groups responded to the Phase One findings and shared what they stirred.
• Exploring the big questions. What shape might a more organised, sustainable kaupapa take? Topic-based working groups formed around the themes people most wanted to dig into.
• Deciding to commit. On the Saturday, the group was asked plainly: “Are we doing this?” In a “take a stand” activity, people physically placed themselves in the circle to show where they stood. The answer was a clear and collective yes.
• Designing it. Groups then turned to the practical question — given that we are building something, what matters most in the next one to three years?
What we decided
The wānanga reached clear, shared decisions about the path ahead:
• We are doing this. The group committed to building a lasting, organised kaupapa together.
• A name, for now. Te Ara Oranga Taiao stays, with the word “Collective” to describe what we are. A future working group may explore a name that better reflects our focus on kinship and te reo Māori.
• A Te Tiriti-led foundation. The Collective will be built as a double-hulled waka. A group of tāngata whenua offered to form a kāhui rangahau (cultural advisory and guidance group) to support Taina McClutchie in his role as Pou Whirinaki.
• An ohu-based structure. The Collective will grow through ohu — small co-operative working groups that are place-based, purpose-based or practice-based — woven together as a connected network rather than a hierarchy. The current project team will lead the coming year alongside key supporters, moving toward a more formal structure beyond mid- 2027.
• People stepped up. Participants named the ohu they want to help start — among them networking and a services directory, research, vision and values, and a national hui — and the areas they personally want to invest in. Regional contacts were identified across seven regions.
Our Shared Foundational Understandings
Among the diverse ideas, philosophies and practices represented at the regional hui, the below points emerged. These reflect the shared underpinning values and considerations regarding tāngata, te taiao and hauora.
Humans are part of nature, not separate from it. This reciprocal relationship is essential for the health and wellbeing of both.
Cultural ways of knowing strongly influence how the relationship between tāngata, te taiao and hauora is conceptualised and embodied. In Aotearoa, Te Ao Māori (the Māori worldview) has a profound influence on how this relationship is understood.
Human wellbeing is closely linked to the wellbeing of the natural world. This reflects an interdependent relationship in which the wellbeing of people and te taiao influence one another.
Nature is for everyone, all generations. In particular, being active outside and developing a relationship with nature in children leads to a sense of belonging in the environment that continues throughout adulthood.
Humans are kaitiaki (guardians) of the land. When people have a stronger relationship with the land, their desire to practice kaitiakitanga (guardianship) is greater.
Nature offers us a blueprint for how society and organisations can function holistically and effectively. Following ecological systems as a guide for social structures will create sustainable entities.
The growing and provision of kai (food) is identified as a vital way to connect people to the land.
Nature-based environments are described as particularly supportive for diverse whaiora, ākonga (students) and those for whose needs are not met in mainstream urban environments.
Going outside naturally invites us to move our bodies, connect with other people and experience a range of other health benefits.
The Project so far…
This project is bringing together people who share in the kaupapa of connecting humans with the natural world for for the wellbeing of both people and te taiao.
In the second half of 2025 we have:
Connected with over 460 people via hui or online contact
Facilitated 14 Regional in person hui
Facilitated 2 online hui
In April 2026 we have released the Report on Phase One: Relationships & Research. You can read it here. We also have the summary of ‘Ngā Puna Oranga Taiao’ Wānanga you can read here.
Our application for year 2 of funding is currently being considered and we will update accordingly.