Kaupapa whakahaere
Toitū te Ao is a kaupapa Māori driven organisation. This means led by Māori living with HIV, for Māori living with HIV.
Our approach is centred on hauora (overall wellbeing) and support in a way that uplifts the mana of every person we serve.
Through our initiatives and activities, we aim to support Māori, Pasifika, and Indigenous peoples affected by HIV, creating pathways to health, understanding, and empowerment.
What’s on this page:
Nau mai, haere mai –
everyone is welcome here.
Ko wai ake nei?
Who are we?
Our mission is to whakamana Māori living with and affected by HIV by promoting mātauranga, enhancing awareness, and reducing stigma through a kaupapa Māori approach. We are committed to fostering whānau ora and holistic well-being, ensuring that all whānau are supported in a way that upholds mana, strengthens connections, and embraces te ao Māori.
While our focus is on Māori and Indigenous communities, our doors are always open to anyone seeking support. We offer support, advocacy, and a safe space for anyone affected by HIV, including whānau.
Read more about us in our current strategic plan.
Tāhuhu kōrero
Background
HIV was first detected in Aotearoa New Zealand in 1984. Since records began, there have been 345 reported cases of Māori people diagnosed with HIV (AIDS Epidemiology Group, 2024). Learn more about what HIV is, how it is managed and how it can be passed on here. here
Toitū Te Ao was founded in 2020 in response to the absence of a dedicated organisation within the sector that upholds a kaupapa Māori lens, ensuring Māori and their whānau living with HIV are supported through a Māori worldview.
The holistic well-being of our people — wairua, tinana, hinengaro, and whatumanawa — is not being fully supported in today’s society. We continue to face inequities and microaggressions driven by stigma, while our voices as Māori and other Indigenous peoples are too often unheard in the spaces that shape our lives.
Haere mai ki te tūtaki i a mātou
Meet the Team
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Ko Puketapu me Te Haokitahi ōku maungaKo Ngati Maru me Ngati Koura ōku hapuKo Rongowhakaata me Ngai Tuhoe ōku iwiNo te Tairawhiti ahau e noho ana.Tihei mauri ora!Bought up around the skirts of my kuia I was nurtured to embrace the wholeness of their wisdom and teachings of what it means, to be Māori in its purest core. Armed with that knowledge and understanding I embarked on a journey of self-discovery positioning myself in a place of knowing. Attaining my Bachelors in Bi-cultural social work enables me to advocate and support my people. With a background in teaching and a future in attaining my postgraduate in professional supervision enables me to stand confidently in the pakeha world, with a firm Maori world view.
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He uri tēnei o ngā waka o Te Arawa, Tainui me Te Au O Tonga hoki. He Takatāpui, he ‘Akava’ine. He Nēhi pou tangata ahau. A Libran Earth Monkey born and raised in Rotorua. Geoff is a child of the 70’s, a teenager of the 80’s and now embracing his 50’s! A health promoter with the New Zealand AIDS Foundation for ten years. I work alongside Takatapui communities and people living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus addressing issues of stigma and discrimination. I am a registered nurse currently working within the mainstream general practice area focusing on better health outcomes for our Māori and Pasefika patients.
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Tena Koutou, ko Christine Kokiri ahau
Ko Te Aitanga a Mahaki, me Ngai Tuhoe aku iwi.
No reira tena hoki koutou katoa.
As part of operations of Toitu te Ao, I have a deep commitment to our core values of aroha manaakitanga, tiakitanga and whanaungatanga. I strive to help provide the understanding that is needed for Māori living with HIV and their whanau, through education research and advocacy.
Implementing and maintaining essential systems and processes, including but not limited to Microsoft programs, emails, Teams, Zoom and Xero has also been part of my role at Toitu te Ao. Assisting in the building and managing of our website and other foundational structures within Toitu te Ao.
Within Toitu te Ao I collaborate with our external stakeholders and allies to ensure that we align to our Strategic plan and uphold our kaupapa supporting our mission to provide a culturally appropriate mana enhancing care to our people.
On a personal note, I cherish spending quality time with whanau and friends, enjoying good international period pieces, and sharing laughter. I’m dedicated to making a positive impact in the lives of my whanau and those we serve at Toitū te Ao, standing undisturbed in our world.
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Abby is a passionate change maker dedicated to supporting community-led projects and fostering culturally responsive research. As the Kaiārahi for the Rangahau Māori project funded by Te Niwha, she is committed to ensuring Māori voices and lived experiences shape the future of HIV research, policy, and service design. With a background in both the not-for-profit and private sectors, Abby brings her knowledge and experience of strategic planning, building organisational capability, project management, and advocacy to the Toitū Te Ao team.
Based in te Whanganui-a-tara | Wellington, Abby manages her role around her whānau.
Ngā whakahaere
Our network of allies
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A kaupapa Māori HIV support, advocacy and health promotion organisation has been missing for a long time in Aotearoa. It has been incredibly significant to have Milly and the Toitu te Ao team fill this huge need and to watch the progression of the organisation from its fledgling start to now being the most significant voice for Māori in the HIV sector. This has largely been due to the leadership of Milly Stewart, who as the Pou Tāhuhu of Toitu te Ao, has ensured the organisations position in the community.
Positive Women Inc has worked in collaboration with Toitu te Ao on a number of projects over the past 2 years. For me personally and for Positive Women Inc, it has been a powerful and enriching learning process and a testament to how working in partnership with Māori results in programmes, services and resources grounded in Māori tikanga, ultimately work for everyone.
Kia kaha Toitu te Ao. We look forward to further building on our relationship and know you will do great things for Māori living with HIV in Aotearoa.
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The vision of Body Positive New Zealand / Tinana Ora Incorporated shall be: “All people living with HIV and AIDS are enabled to live fully productive lives, free from stigma and discrimination.”. We stand alongside Toitu Te Ao in achieving this vision.
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Burnett Foundation Aotearoa and Toitū te Ao are united in our aspiration for better health outcomes for Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand’s HIV response.
Our collaboration has advanced testing services, research, and efforts against HIV stigma, demonstrating our mutual commitment to health equity. Our work together exemplifies our shared dedication, reinforcing the importance of supporting each other to achieve a greater impact in the communities we serve.
Toitū te Tangata
Toitū te Whenua
Toitū te Ao
We stand undisturbed as a people, we stand undisturbed on our land, we stand undisturbed in this world.
