Who We Are

We are a national organisation representing the Tangata Whenua allied health workforce. Ngā Pou Mana envision transforming Māori health and wellbeing through courageous Māori leadership. Ngā Pou Mana are the only membership-based, national tangata whenua allied health workforce Association in Aotearoa and the world.

Our Kaupapa

Ngā Pou Mana envision transforming Māori health and wellbeing through courageous Māori leadership.

We have strong relationships with our Māori communities and are well respected by those that work with us in the sector.

We are dedicated and passionate about improving Māori health and wellbeing outcomes.

Ngā Pou Mana was established to provide a forum for Māori allied health professionals to discuss Māori allied health issues within and between professions.

It was initiated to be a collective voice for Māori allied health professionals, and to provide a space where resources, information and experiences could be shared.

Ngā Pou Mana was put in place to have an important role to play in supporting Māori participation in allied health professions through workforce development and effective advice to government.

Since then, Ngā Pou Mana has evolved to include a larger, more diverse range of tangata whenua allied health kaimahi, including rongoā and mātauranga Māori practitioners with a focus on kaupapa Māori models of practice.

Our Whakapapa

The pou figure emphasises the mana of Ngā Pou Mana within the context of the wider community and our relationship with other allied health rōpū, that is, true, steadfast, tall and proud. It also represents our stability through the experience, knowledge and credibility of our members.

The three pou symbolise the journey from each of the three baskets of knowledge that Tāne obtained from Te Toi-ō-ngā-rangi. Te kete-aronui, te kete-tuauri and te kete-tuatea.

The manāia figure represents guardianship or kaitiakitanga. In the context of the rōpū, Ngā Pou Mana essentially acts as a kaitiaki of the wider community through the various allied health kaimahi and their respective kaupapa.

A manāia figure is wrapped around each pou, further emphasising the strength of each of these elements as they come together as one organic form.

The four niho have been used to represent the four strands of the whānau (kaumātua, mātua, tamariki and mokopuna).

The tohu was created by Lee Timutimu (Ngāti Awa, Ngai Te Rangi, Tuhoe, Ngāti Porou & Ngā Puhi) and Hollie Tawhiao (Tainui & Ngā Puhi).