About the role
The Kaitūwhana works in partnership with whānau who meet the referral criteria, supporting them to identify their needs and aspirations, navigate complex situations, and advocate for access to appropriate services and opportunities. The Kaitūwhana acts as a connector, advocate, and coach, guiding whānau to navigate pathways in health, housing, education, employment, and wellbeing, while reinforcing their tino rangatiratanga and whakapapa links to mana whenua, hapū, and whenua. This role is pivotal in connecting whānau with their communities, and to āwhi and tautoko them to improve their overall circumstances.
Key responsibilities
- Respond to referrals promptly and engage with whānau making enquiries by phone or kanohi ki te kanohi
- Use the referral checklist to ensure whānau meet the criteria for entering the Kaitūwhana service
- Enrol whānau who meet the service entry criteria, ensuring all requisite entry forms are clearly explained and signed
- Build trusting, mana-enhancing relationships with whānau and honour the tikanga of client whānau
- Conduct kanohi ki te kanohi or virtual meetings with whānau to identify strengths, challenges and aspirations
- Develop whānau-led plans using kaupapa Māori approaches and promote whanaungatanga and mana motuhake throughout the planning process
- Connect whānau to resources, agencies, services, community initiatives, and access opportunities that will help them achieve their goals
- Support whānau to advocate, and where needed, advocate on behalf of whānau with agencies
- Work with whānau to undertake ongoing risk assessment and develop a risk management plan to manage and respond to identified risks
- Maintain a values-driven approach that honours manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, and cultural integrity throughout the journey with whānau
About you
- Hold, or be actively working towards, a New Zealand Qualification Authority (NZQA) Level 4 Certificate in a relevant field such as Whānau Ora, Māori health, family harm, mental health and addictions, te reo Māori and tikanga, first aid, social work, teaching, facilitation, health sciences, or community development
- Certificate or higher in Te Reo Māori me ōna Tikanga
- Experience working in te ao Māori and with kaupapa Māori organisations
- Experience working with trauma-informed, strengths-based practice
- Experience working with some of the following: family harm, mental health, addictions, responding to crisis, housing insecurity, managing safety issues
- Experience in the facilitation of whānau plans or similar
- Excellent communication skills
- Criminal convictions clearance and satisfactory vetting and safety checks under Part 3 of the Children’s Act 2014 and the Children’s (Requirements for Safety Checks of Children’s Workers) Regulations 2015, repeated at least three-yearly
- Sound understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and ability to implement it in practice
- Desire to undertake study and professional development
About us
Awarua Whānau Services is the hauora arm of Te Rūnaka o Awarua which is one of the 18 Papatipu Rūnaka of Kāi Tahu. Awarua Whānau services is proud to have been serving whānau and community in Awarua – Bluff and across Murihiku since 1988, and more recently this has extended to Otago and surrounding areas. Under the mantel and legacy of marae Te Rau Aroha, which was built to serve and support whānau and wider community, we offer a range of Kaupapa Māori Services that are open to all whānau from all social and cultural groups within Murihiku. Awarua Whānau Services operates as a Charitable Trust who provide intergenerational support to all ages, from pēpi through to kaumātua, across the areas of Social Services, Health and Wellbeing, Education, Training & Employment and Housing.
