Waikato welcomes Māori-led Pou Hono Manawa

A successful kaupapa Māori-led disability support service pioneered in Wellington is expanding into Waikato, after whānau hauā in the region called for support that reflects their identity, aspirations and lived experience.

Pou Hana Manawa Wellington launch

The service – Pou Hono Manawa – will be launched with a pōwhiri on Thursday 9 April 2026. The launch will bring whānau, community, providers and iwi together to celebrate the service extending from Wellington to Waikato, and to share how it will add to the support already available.

Waikato was among the first regions where Māori disability services were offered within CCS Disability Action. We pay homage to the Ruruhī of Waikato and Tauranga, whose leadership, guidance, and commitment to whānau laid the foundations for the genesis of this service and continue to influence its direction today.

The service is being offered in the Midland region, building on the strong presence CCS Disability Action already has through Karanga Maha (a community group supported by CCS Disability Action) and other local relationships with disabled Māori and their whānau.

Karanga Maha has been a vital bridge between CCS Disability Action and the Māori community in Waikato, bringing disabled Māori and their whānau together on marae to share stories, aspirations and experiences. Those relationships have directly informed the decision to extend Pou Hono Manawa into the region and will continue to guide how the service grows and responds to local priorities.

To build national consistency, the Waikato Māori Service now weaves together under the Pou Hono Manawa service. Delivered by CCS Disability Action, Pou Hono Manawa has been shaped with and for whānau hauā Māori and reflects Manawa – CCS Disability Action’s National Māori Framework – which centres tikanga-led, whānau-centred approaches.

Pou Hono Manawa first launched in the Wellington region in 2024 and offers a whānau-centred way of working that focuses on building strengths, supporting cultural connection and removing barriers in the community. The team supports people to access good information, navigate services, advocate for themselves and their whānau, and build the skills and confidence needed for the life they want – from learning new skills, moving into their own whare and finding work, to strengthening reo, tikanga and marae connections.

Recenia Kākā

"Our whānau in Waikato have been very clear – they want support that honours their identity as Māori, upholds their mana and includes the whole whānau, and this can be different to ‘traditional’ disability support," says Kaiārahi ā Motu, Recenia Kākā. "Pou Hono Manawa was created with whānau hauā, by whānau hauā, and we’re excited to bring that same heart-led way of working to Waikato."

In Waikato, the service represents an evolution of the support CCS Disability Action has previously offered to Māori disabled people and their whānau in the region. While it builds on existing information, advice and community-based support, Pou Hono Manawa is designed to work more broadly over time so more whānau can benefit from this kaupapa Māori-led approach.

"Pou Hono Manawa is an active response to the many voices we serve and walk alongside," says Recenia. "We listen carefully, we sit with whānau in their own spaces and we back up our aroha with practical support that is sustainable, so that the changes we make together last."

"In Waikato, we know there is already powerful mahi happening among disabled Māori and their whānau – Pou Hono Manawa is here to support and amplify that strength, not replace it."

Read more about our Pou Hono Manawa service (including information in alternative formats) on this page.