He Tohu Ora - Tairāwhiti Wellbeing

He Rangitapu He Tohu Ora is the Trust Tairāwhiti wellbeing framework that guides all our investment decisions and internal operations. We engaged extensively with our communities to understand what wellbeing means and used that knowledge to create a framework tailored to Tairāwhiti.

Wellbeing means our people, whānau and communities can live the lives they value in the ways that matter most to us. He Rangitapu He Tohu Ora is designed so all funding applications go through the waharoa – a gateway built on the fundamental pou (pillars) of equity and sustainability. Integrity is the taahu, the connector that joins our pou.

	This pou focuses on all people, whānau and communities of Tairāwhiti having unhindered access to support and opportunities that enhance their wellbeing. It’s about shared wellbeing for all people.
	This is about being good ancestors and our obligations to future generations. Children and young people have a better set of opportunities than the current generation.
	Tairāwhiti upholds Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Mana whenua partnerships are maintained with integrity.

Muka – wellbeing outcomes for Tairāwhiti

Muka are the fibrous strands that come from harakeke and when woven together are renowned for their enduring strength. Within our framework, the six muka represent aspirational wellbeing outcomes for Tairāwhiti. These outcomes are the direct result of our community engagement, formed by the individual and collective voices of Tairāwhiti.

Our muka are interdependent and complementary. When woven together, they capture a holistic and enduring vision for regional wellbeing.

Diverse systems of knowledge, information and Mātauranga Māori are accessible, used, valued and evolve.

It’s about the ability to access knowledge and make informed decisions. It’s fundamental to wellbeing as a driver for health, employment and income. If a person does not have access to information to make informed choices about how to achieve their goals, their choices are limited for the sort of life they want to live.

Indicators  

• Information and insights still to be developed 

The quality of our land, water, air and atmosphere is pristine. Our biodiversity is abundant. We practice kaitiakitanga.

This muka is about the impact of the natural world on people’s wellbeing. While effects on the environment are captured by the sustainability pou, Taiao focuses on the direct effect of environmental quality on the wellbeing of people. It’s measured in biodiversity, the quality of land, water and air.

Indicators

• Perceived state of our air quality.    
• Perceived health of our rivers and lakes.   
• Perceived health of our oceans and beaches.   
• Perceived health of land and soils.   
• Perceived health of existing native bush, forests, birds and animals.   
• The amount of native bush, forests, birds and animal species.   

Communities are happy, healthy and empowered. The voice of communities is integral to decisions that impact their lives.

This muka encapsulates self-determination, being able to make decisions and being heard. Happiness doesn’t mean that people are or should be happy all the time, but rather an increase in positive emotions of calm, contentment and reflection. Health focuses on physical health including length and quality of life.

Indicators

• Overall life satisfaction – this is a robust measure of overall wellbeing and reflects the degree to which people can live the life they value, and attain life goals that are important to them and their overall wellbeing.   
• Locus of control – the degree to which people believe that they (rather than external forces beyond their influence) have control over the outcome of their lives.    
• Self-rated health – people’s own measure of their overall health status.  
• Quality housing – how cold are people’s houses in winter.   

The Tairāwhiti economy is diverse, innovative, resilient and regenerative and provides access to well-paid quality jobs. Our people have sustainable livelihoods from paid and unpaid work.

The economy is critical to wellbeing because of jobs, income and livelihood. This muka refers to broader characteristics of the economy, including resilience, innovation and diversity. It acknowledges that a livelihood can come from paid and unpaid work.  Unpaid work could be the ability to grow or hunt food to sustain your livelihood.

Indicators 

• Income adequacy: people’s household income meets their everyday needs.   
• Ability to pay bills: do people have immediate access to cash to pay bills on time.  

Culture connects the people of Tairāwhiti. We express, celebrate and value our diversity, heritage and taonga.

This muka focuses on peoples’ sense of self, belonging and cultural connection to Tairāwhiti and how they relate to others. It values different and shared identities, heritage and taonga.

Indicators

• Discrimination: have people experienced discrimination in their daily lives. This affects self-identity and mental health. Ethnicity, age, gender and sexual identity. 
• Te reo proficiency: How well can people speak te reo.  
• Ability to express one’s self: proportion of population reporting it easy or very easy to be themselves.   

Our people, whānau and communities in Tairāwhiti have respectful, connected and collaborative relationships.

As a wellbeing outcome, Tūhono relationships focuses on the connections between people, whānau and communities. Social support and connection are identified as one of the ‘big six’ drivers of wellbeing in the World Happiness Report. Connectedness enables a feeling of belonging and fosters an environment of wellbeing.

Indicators

• Family wellbeing – having high levels of family wellbeing can positively affect most dimensions of people’s lives. 
• Feeling safe at night at home – how safe do people feel at home at night.