Child-Rich Stories of Local Leadership in Action
Building child-rich communities starts with listening closely to tamariki, rangatahi and their whānau, and shaping services around what matters most to them. Across Aotearoa, we’re seeing more organisations shift in this direction. Moving decisions closer to whānau, removing barriers to participation, and supporting local community leadership to flourish. In this kōrero, two learning sites, Kotahitaka in Ōtepoti and Te Pae Urungi in Pōneke, show what this looks like in action.
Two learning sites, one kaupapa
At our latest Child Rich Communities online kōrero, Kotahitaka, the Dunedin Plunket Hub, and Te Pae Urungi from Wesley Community Action in Pōneke opened their doors to share what it means to work in ways that are whānau-led and child-led, placing tamariki, rangatahi and their whānau at the heart of their everyday mahi.
What follows is a practical snapshot summarising the kōrero and their work in action.
Kotahitaka – Plunket’s Dunedin Community Hub
Speaker: Tina Mangos, Community Services Coordinator
Whānau Āwhina Plunket is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest health and wellbeing provider for tamariki under five and their whānau. While best known for free infant and preschool health services (Mauri Ora), the organisation also promotes confident parenting (Whānau Ora) and connected communities (Wai Ora).
In November 2024, Whānau Āwhina Plunket opened Kotahitaka, the new Ōtepoti Community Hub in South Dunedin. The hub brought clinical staff, community services, parenting support and administration together under one roof in a bright, welcoming space. What makes this rōpū particularly exciting is their bold aim to evolve the hub through whānau-led engagement, a significant shift for a well-established institution, signaling a genuine commitment to systems change that strengthens outcomes for mokopuna.
With its central location, free parking and inclusive design, it was developed to be both visible and accessible to the community.
Tamariki and whānau are at the heart of everything we do.
– Tina Mangos
The hub was intentionally designed to break down silos and improve communication between services, offering better continuity of care and wraparound support.
We are no longer working in silos. Being together means better communication and wraparound support for whānau.
Two large community rooms offer spaces for playgroups, community events and local groups who need a consistent and welcoming place to meet. From the start, the team listened to feedback from whānau and community organisations to shape what the hub would offer. Many of the play and whānau groups are led by community members who value having a holistic, welcoming space, reflecting the hub’s role in enabling genuine community-led activity.
We didn’t want to duplicate what was already out there. We looked for the gaps and responded to what people told us they wanted.
Kotahitaka hosts an evolving programme of events, some led by community groups, some by Plunket and others by volunteers who have been participants of groups previously, including playgroups for Rainbow whānau, Tongan families, premature pēpi, and more. New offerings continue to emerge as the community voices its needs, such as an Indian families group and intergenerational playgroups. A standout is the Counting Cubs numeracy playgroup, a local initiative that’s now the only one of its kind in Aotearoa.
We wanted to make it a place for connection. It’s not just about tamariki play but about supporting the confidence and wellbeing of parents and caregivers too.
Inclusivity is central to Kotahitaka’s approach. Free or koha-based events help reduce barriers to participation, and the space actively welcomes all ages, genders, cultures and family structures. Kotahitaka seeks out the quiet voices in the community to express their needs and then helps to remove barriers to connecting by creating safe cultural spaces where families can come together to connect with each other and their tamariki.
The goal is connection and confidence. Everyone should feel welcome and supported.
– Tina Mangos
Te Pae Urungi – Wesley Community Action, Wellington
Speakers: Dean Tipene Wilson-Karu, Te Amo Parata, Melissa (Tualie) Smith and Kena Duignan
Te Pae Urungi is a community development team within Wesley Community Action, based in the eastern suburbs of Wellington. The team walks alongside whānau and rangatahi to support their wellbeing, aspirations and leadership through community-led initiatives.
The kaupapa is holistic. The team supports whānau through fitness and wellbeing, emotional intelligence, financial literacy, parenting support and leadership programmes. Their work reaches across generations, always centering the mana of the whānau.
Dean Tipene Wilson-Karu is a qualified personal trainer who runs kickboxing and fitness classes from the local gym space.
We’ve created a safe space for rangatahi who might not feel confident going to a mainstream gym. It’s free, it’s local, and it’s about building confidence and connection.
– Dean Tipene Wilson-Karu
His classes provide a positive outlet, offering life skills alongside physical fitness.
This is something I’m really passionate about. It’s a good outlet for these kids, not just for fitness but for their mental health. I want to teach values they can take home, to school, and out into the community.
Te Amo Parata brings over 20 years of community work experience and is deeply grounded in relationship-based practice.
Nothing is better than seeing our tamariki thriving and watching parents drive their own success.
– Te Amo Parata
His mahi includes leadership development and creating space for whānau who are often reluctant to engage with mainstream services.
Relationships and integrity are the biggest tools I use in my everyday mahi.
Tualie Smith brings lived experience and a powerful story of transformation to her work. With a background shaped by hardship and healing, she walks alongside whānau to help them see their own potential.
I am proof that positive change is possible. Through connection, wellbeing, leadership and aroha, we uplift each other.
– Tualie Smith
I want to be the positive role model my siblings and I didn’t have. With encouragement and opportunity, dreams can be achieved.
Together, the Te Pae Urungi team fosters deep connection and local leadership. Their mahi is responsive, grounded in whānau voice, and designed to support transformation at every level.
Real change only happens when it is led by the people seeking that change.
– Kena Duignan
Key Themes Emerging
While each site is unique, both are grounded in shared principles:
- Listening and acting on tamariki, rangatahi and whānau voice
- Moving decisions closer to those most affected
- Working holistically across communities
- Removing barriers to participation
- Supporting and enabling local leadership
- Building strong and lasting relationships
Growth, opportunity, patience, active listening and inclusivity. Small steps bring sustainable change.
– Tina Mangos
These stories highlight the power of community-led, whānau-led and rangatahi-led action. When whānau are supported to lead, real change becomes not only possible but inevitable.
You can watch this awesome kōrero here.
All quotes are taken directly from the CRC Online Kōrero (2025) and attributed to the speakers as identified in the event transcript.