Tawa Foundation - ✨ TĀTOU TĀTOU – WE NEED OUR COMMUNITY’S TAUTOKO ✨

Tawa Foundation is a Māori organisation based in Ōtautahi, created to address the high recidivism rates and poor whānau outcomes faced by tāne and wāhine leaving prison - Established in July 2023 by Jordon Rangitoheriri and Lariah Rangitoheriri.

In July 2025, our funding was unexpectedly lost due to changes within the Whānau Ora Commission. Overnight, one-on-one support with whānau was dismantled, and all putea that kept our resources, programmes and office running disappeared. Because of this massive loss, only our men’s Kōrero & Kai groups have been able to continue - funded out of our own pockets and with the aroha of community koha. We are incredibly grateful to have now been approved as a Charitable Trust. However, we won’t receive access to any potential funding until March/April 2026. And now—we urgently need our community’s help.

Our Tawa Foundation office and safe space for so many whānau has its lease ending Early January 2026. We must secure funding to keep this space open. This space has held the stories, he whakapapa of generations, the mana, the heartache and the breakthroughs of hundreds of tāne who have walked through our doors. The artwork on our walls honours the wāhine and tāne energies within us. In this space tāne have rebuilt their lives, reconnected with their whānau, found purpose—and some have chosen to stay alive because they felt seen here.

Every bit helps us keep our doors open and continue walking alongside our whānau. Ngā mihi for any koha 🤍