Te Whare Hauora
Me aro koe ki te hā o Hine Ahuone
-
Aroha
Love, compassion, and empathy
Aroha is at the heart of everything we do. We care deeply for our people and treat each person with tenderness, dignity, and respect.
Kaitiakitanga
Guardianship and protection
We are protectors of our wāhine, tamariki, mātauranga, land, and future generations. We act with care and responsibility for the people and taonga entrusted to us.
Manaakitanga
Uplifting the mana of others
We honour the inherent mana of each person and ensure that our spaces and services are safe, inclusive, and affirming of identity and culture.
Whanaungatanga
Connection and relationship
We nurture meaningful, reciprocal relationships based on trust, care, and shared whakapapa. We see our whānau not as clients, but as whanaunga on a shared journey.
Tika me te Pono
Integrity and honesty
We operate with transparency, accountability, and truth. We are committed to doing what is right, even when it’s hard, and we hold ourselves to high standards of ethical practice.
Rangatiratanga
Self‑determination and leadership
We support and advocate for the right of Māori to lead their own lives, heal in their own way, and shape their own futures, free from control, coercion, and violence.
-
Get In Touch
24/7 Crisis Line: 0800 11 7474
Main Office: (03) 379 6918Non‑urgent enquiries: (03) 379 6910
(9 am – 5 pm, Monday to Friday)
Te Whare Hauora is the only kaupapa Māori refuge service for whānau living in Canterbury and is the only kaupapa Māori, specialised refuge service in the South Island. Our foundation is built on the values of Te Ao Māori and the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in all our practices and services.
Te Whare Hauora Ōtautahi Women’s Refuge is a kaupapa Māori organisation based in Ōtautahi (Christchurch), established to provide safe, holistic and culturally grounded support for wāhine Māori, their tamariki, rangatahi and wider whānau affected by family and intimate partner violence.
We recognise the unique realities, strengths and challenges that Māori experience in navigating safety, healing and wellbeing. As a refuge led by and for Māori, we centre te ao Māori in everything we do — from the way we welcome whānau into our space to how we support long‑term transformation and reconnection.
Our approach is grounded in tikanga Māori, whakapapa and manaakitanga. We understand that healing from violence is not just about physical safety, but about restoring mana, rebuilding whānau connections, healing intergenerational trauma and reaffirming cultural identity and belonging. We walk alongside each wahine and whānau at their pace, ensuring they are seen, heard, valued and empowered.
Whether someone needs immediate crisis support, a long‑term plan for independence, help navigating the justice system or a space to reconnect with who they are — Te Whare Hauora is here. We are more than a refuge; we are a movement of wāhine Māori rising together, reclaiming our power and restoring our whakapapa.
Ki te kotahi te kākaho, ka whati: ki te kāpuia, e kore e whati
When we stand alone, we are vulnerable, but together we are unbreakable.
Whakapapa
Te Whare Hauora Ōtautahi Women’s Refuge was established in response to the growing need for kaupapa Māori-led support for wāhine Māori and their whānau affected by family and intimate partner violence in Ōtautahi.
While Māori have long resisted violence and protected their whānau through tikanga, colonisation disrupted these practices and led to generations of disconnection, harm, and systemic injustice. Our founding wāhine — fierce advocates, survivors, and community leaders — recognised that mainstream services often failed to understand or meet the cultural and spiritual needs of Māori women and their tamariki.
Purpose
Our purpose is to create a future where wāhine Māori, their tamariki and whānau live free from violence, shame and disconnection. We exist to protect, support and strengthen the mauri of every person who enters our whare. Offering a safe place to heal, grow and reclaim their journey.
We do this by responding to immediate crisis needs while also addressing the deeper systemic and historical impacts of colonisation, racism and intergenerational trauma. Our mahi is about both survival and liberation.
Mission
To provide wāhine Māori and their whānau with a safe, culturally anchored space for healing, restoration, and empowerment. Through kaupapa Māori models of care, advocacy, education, and support, we uphold the mana of every person and walk with them toward lives that are free from violence, fear, and whakamā.
We are committed to leading change in the way family violence is understood and responded to, from the paepae to the policies, ensuring that Māori solutions are prioritised, resourced, and honoured.
Services We Offer
-
Our education team works across Ōtautahi to raise awareness about domestic violence, strengthen community responses, and train other organisations to be culturally safe and responsive. We lead prevention‑based initiatives that reflect Māori realities and solutions.
-
We support wāhine engaging with Oranga Tamariki, the Family Court, Police, or other systems. Our advocates help prepare documents, attend meetings, translate legal language, and provide emotional and cultural support. We also provide cultural reports for justice processes and engage with decision‑makers to ensure whānau are treated fairly.
-
If you or a loved one is in danger, need support, or simply want to talk, we’re here 24/7. Our free, confidential crisis line connects you with a trained wāhine who understands violence, listens without judgment, and guides you toward safety, next steps, or simply being heard. Call: 0800 117 474.
-
Our Whānau Support Workers will make sure you get the legal help you need to keep yourself and your whānau safe. They’ll guide you toward the right advice so you can make informed decisions. If you're eligible for free legal aid, they can help you apply. If not, they’ll support you to apply for funding. Te Whare Hauora works closely with Portia Law, which offers an online legal service. This allows you to meet with a lawyer remotely and complete affidavits for Protection Orders and Parenting Orders. A Whānau Support Worker can support you through this process.
-
Our refuge offers a secure, confidential space for wāhine and tamariki escaping immediate harm. The safe house is more than a roof, it’s a sanctuary where healing begins. It provides culturally safe support, meets basic needs, and gives you a place to rest, breathe, and plan.
-
SAFE text is a way to give you and your loved ones a little peace of mind. It allows you to register your whereabouts by text, and in the unlikely event that you go missing, police are able to access the information that you recorded. SAFE Text is not monitored in real time. If you are in immediate danger, always call 111.
To use SAFE Text:
• Send a free text message to 7233 (SAFE) with your location and intended plans. Your message is stored in a secure database accessible by police if needed.
• You'll receive an automated reply confirming your message has been received.
-
We co‑design safety plans with each wāhine that reflect her unique circumstances, culture, and aspirations. Whether someone is in crisis, planning to leave, or dealing with ongoing risk, our team provides clear, confidential strategies assisting to keep her and her tamariki safe.
-
Our transitional housing programme provides medium‑term accommodation and wrap‑around support for wāhine and tamariki moving from crisis into independence. We help women rebuild their lives, secure long‑term housing, regain confidence, and reconnect with their community.
-
Our Whānau Ora Navigators work with you and your whānau to support and build whānau capability. They support wāhine, tamariki and whānau that have been through crisis and are ready to claim back the power in their lives by working to identify their strengths, providing wrap-around support and facilitating mentoring and skills building. Our navigators can advocate for you and link you to appropriate services to ensure your needs are addressed in a holistic way. They will also help develop a step-by-step path plan to support you to achieve your whānau goals and aspirations.
-
Our Whānau Support Workers are here for wāhine and tamariki during times of crisis, offering support in the community and in the home. They can carry out risk assessments, help prepare safety plans, arrange emergency accommodation, and assist with Protection, Parenting, or Occupation Orders. They also provide referrals, advocacy, goal setting, and ensure you receive the right legal advice. We offer targeted outreach in the Waimakariri and Hurunui districts.
-
Te Mana Kaha o Te Whānau is about strengthening whānau so that they can create their own solutions to solve domestic and whānau violence. Tū Pono is a platform for a coordinated response backed by the nine iwi of Te Waipounamu, kaupapa Māori organisations such as Te Whare Hauora, and the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency – Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu. At its heart it is a whānau-led kaupapa based on a whole of whānau approach to keep whānau safe. It includes working with Tū Pono champions from the community who help create a safe environment for change to take place. Together whānau create their own strategies to address the underlying causes of family violence. Tū Pono also enables those at risk of violence to access timely and culturally appropriate support both within services, but more often than not within their own whānau context.
Who are our services for?
Te Whare Hauora provides support for tangata, their tamariki and survivors of family violence. All that we ask from those seeking our help is respect of our values and practices.
Are services confidential?
Yes, the safety and confidentiality of you and your tamariki is our primary concern. Locations of our safe house's are undisclosed.
Is there a cost for the use of services?
No, our support is completely free.
Education Programmes - Te Pātaka Mātauraka
Te Pātaka Mātauraka is the education and learning portal of Te Whare Hauora Ōtautahi Women’s Refuge — a digital and in‑person platform designed to uplift the wellbeing, safety, and leadership of our wāhine, tāne, rangatahi, tamariki, and whānau through kaupapa Māori education.
“Pātaka” refers to a storehouse, a sacred space where taonga are kept and shared with care. In this spirit, Te Pātaka Mātauraka is our whare wānanga: a storehouse of tools, strategies, stories, and teachings to help whānau heal from violence, strengthen relationships, and build safe, connected lives. We deliver culturally responsive programmes both online and kanohi ki te kanohi (face‑to‑face), tailored to the needs of our community.
All our programmes are grounded in Te Ao Māori and incorporate mātauranga Māori, pūrākau, and whānau-led wisdom.
He puna mātauraka, he puna oranga.
Knowledge is a source of wellbeing.
-
A transformational, flexible 4 to 6 session Kaupapa Māori programme designed by wāhine Māori, for wāhine Māori reclaiming their identity, whakapapa, and power after violence, colonisation, or disconnection. This programme centres on mana motuhake, healing, and whanaungatanga.
-
Build the confidence and skills over flexible weekly sessions to parent your preschool and school aged tamariki with aroha, set boundaries, and reconnect with your tamariki. Learn tools for communication, co‑parenting, and creating physically, technologically and emotionally safe whānau spaces.
-
A transformational, six session soft skills and effective communication programme which is tailor made to prioritise safety. This programme will provide you with practical skills that can be applied immediately to your home and / or professional life. This course can be customised to the needs of specific whanau or teams and can be delivered in person, online, via one-off workshops or a series of workshops to our clients or professionals in the community.
-
A safe space for Tāne Māori to reflect, heal, and grow. This flexible, six session programme focuses on understanding whānau violence, generational trauma, whakapapa, identity, accountability, and becoming safe partners, fathers and leaders. It can be delivered one on one, online or in a group programme setting. Designed and delivered by Tāne Māori, for Tāne Māori.
-
A supportive, non-judgmental space for couples to explore how to develop respectful, loving and safe partnerships. This is ideal for couples who want to stay together and are committed to breaking harmful patterns, improving communication and walking a safer path together. This can be delivered one on one or in small groups.
Need Help Now?
If you are in immediate danger dial 111.
If you’re looking for guidance, practical advice or immediate support with domestic violence, Te Whare Hauora can help.
Call our 24/7 Crisis Line on 0800 11 7474.
Ministry of Justice Safety Programmes
-
Strengthening Safety Services are for anyone who has experienced family violence but does not have a protection order in place. During a short session, we will try to understand your situation and risk of further harm. We will also help you create a safety plan.
You can attend a Strengthening Safety Service if:
• You’re a victim of family violence and the person being violent has been charged and must appear in the Criminal Court.
-
Adult Safety Programmes are for people who have experienced family violence and have a Protection Order in place. This programme is more in-depth than the Strengthening Safety Service. The information and how long the sessions run for will change depending on your situation.
Adult Safety Programmes have two parts:
1. Safety programme assessment — someone will talk with you to create an immediate safety plan.
2. Safety programme sessions — provides information to support you and your whānau.
You can attend an Adult Safety Programme:
• If you've applied for an urgent Protection Order but the order has not been granted yet.
• If you’re named as a protected person on an existing Protection Order — it doesn’t matter if it was granted by the Family Court or the Criminal Court or if it’s a Temporary or Final Order.
• At any time after your Protection Order has been granted and while it is in place.
Our purpose
Te Pātaka Mātauraka exists to restore knowledge that keeps our whānau safe, mātauranga that was always ours. This is not mainstream education adapted for Māori, it is Māori education designed by Māori, for the healing of Māori. Our vision is a future where all whānau are informed, confident, connected, and free from violence — grounded in their identity, tikanga, and mana motuhake.
How it works
• We use a range of Māori models of care and practice, including Te Whare Tapa Whā, the Pōwhiri Process, Me aro koe ki te hā o Hineahuone, and whakapapa‑centred design.
• Flexible formats: in‑person group wānanga, one‑on‑one mentoring, and online learning
• Free for whaiora connected to Te Whare Hauora Ōtautahi
• Delivered by trained Māori facilitators with lived and cultural experience
Who are our programmes for?
• Wāhine Māori rebuilding after trauma or violence
• Tāne seeking to restore relationships and take responsibility
• Parents and caregivers navigating challenges in parenting
• Rangatahi Māori impacted by intergenerational trauma
• Couples wanting to strengthen communication and safety
• Organisations seeking education for Māori clients
For organisations
We offer enrolment options for external organisations (justice, social services, NGOs, iwi providers) seeking to refer Māori clients into our education programmes. Please contact us for pricing, eligibility, and partnership options.
Study online (Coming Soon)
For those who prefer to learn at their own pace or cannot attend in person, our online learning modules allow whānau to access key content from our programmes from anywhere in Aotearoa.
