Paiheretia Te Muka Tāngata programme helping Māori develop pathways towards positive change

Angel Mason (left) is the iwi’s newest seconded. She is pictured with fellow secondee Melissa White.

Angel Mason is one of the newest secondees at Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated (NKII).

She’s come from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) to work with the Te Ara Toiora – Health and Wellbeing unit in an advisery role to deliver the ‘Paiheretia Te Muka Tāngata’ kaupapa alongside programme manager Melissa White, who has also worked as a secondee at NKII from Oranga Tamariki for the past two years.

The Paiheretia Te Muka Tāngata programme is about uniting the threads of whānau, and is a kaupapa that draws on the strengths of the ‘Whānau Ora’ approach to support tāne in the corrections system and their whānau to lead and develop their own pathways to create lasting positive change.

The overarching goal is to improve intergenerational wellbeing and reduce reoffending and imprisonment.

Early in 2021, NKII entered into a commissioning relationship with Te Puni Kōkiri and Ara Poutama Aotearoa to pilot the Paiheretia Te Muka Tāngata approach in Te Wairoa, Ahuriri and Heretaunga.

As a result, NKII has collaborated with and commissioned Te Tumu Whakahaere o Te Wero to provide a specialist Kaiarataki navigator workforce to work directly with tāne Māori and their whānau in their journey through the system.

Mason spent the early years of her life in Wellington and was warmly welcomed into Kahungunu some 17 years ago. Her two beautiful children and handsome hubby Harley whakapapa to Takitimu Marae in Wairoa.

In the last 10 years, Mason has worn various potae [hats] while working for MSD, and for the past two years, she’s been supporting the implementation of the Paiheretia Te Muka Tāngata kaupapa. She’s now happy to be based right in the thick of it with her colleagues in the NKII office.

Mason is passionate about promoting the inherent rights of Māori in all spaces they occupy, and she thrives on supporting whānau to navigate through crisis and trauma to reach their full potential. During Covid-19 and in this current Cyclone situation, Mason has also been at the end of a phone or at the marae hubs providing support for wounded whānau who have been heavily affected by these traumatic events.

Mason is quite a fit and active wāhine, and she says that when she’s not working to help whānau in the community, she’s a full-time aunty, helping her own whānau.

“The tamariki I am aunty to come from all spaces, and I believe they are there to keep me humble and keep me fit as I run around after them,” Mason said.

“Angel has an absolutely positive outlook on life and has had years of experience working with our people, and we are very fortunate to have her working with us in our tari [office],” said Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated chief executive Chrissie Hape.

Pepeha

Ko Taranaki te maunga

Ko Aotea te waka

Ko Ngāruahine te iwi

Ko Ngāti Tu te hapū

Ko Kaupokonui te awa

Ko Waiokura te marae

Ko Angel Mason ahau

E noho ana au ki Bridge Pā.