Tēnā koutou katoa, e te whānau o Te ORA,

We are reaching out to our Te ORA members to help shape a new kaupapa:

He Ara Whaihua – Mentoring and Leadership for Māori Doctors.

We know that for many Māori doctors, the haerenga through the hauora system can feel isolating. But we also know that across our network are incredible tuakana—senior Māori doctors—who hold a wealth of experience, whakaaro and awhi to offer. This kaupapa aims to strengthen those tuakana-teina relationships to foster leadership, intergenerational knowledge-sharing and overall wellbeing—mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Our Vision
An organisation that upholds a Te Ao Māori lens on support—one that recognises succession, encourages collective uplift, and enables us to thrive as Māori within the medical workforce.

He Pātai ki a koutou
We are seeking expressions of interest from senior members who are open to providing mentoring, guidance, or pastoral support to our up-and-coming Māori doctors.

We’d love to know:

• Your availability and capacity
• What kind of support you’re open to offering (mentoring, advisory, informal kōrero etc.)
• Your preferred contact method

Our goal is to co-design something simple, practical, and impactful. This might look like a basic directory, regular drop-in sessions, or something entirely shaped by you, our members.

How can you help?

• Are you a senior Māori doctor who could tautoko this kaupapa as a tuakana?
• Do you have ideas on how to maintain connection despite capacity challenges?
• Can you offer feedback or insights into how we can make this sustainable

We’ve already begun reaching out—6 senior members contacted, and 3 confirmed ongoing support! We’re now building a simple coordination framework to make it easier for everyone to engage.

Keen to be involved?
If you’re open to being part of this kaupapa, we’ve made it easy—just fill out this short form to express your interest or share your whakaaro

We’ll follow up to confirm a few quick details and begin shaping this with you.

Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi.
Together, we can build something enduring for the future of Māori in medicine.

Ngā mihi nui,
Mihiorangi Waaka
On behalf of Te ORA