Nau mai, haere mai

Protecting whānau, and whakapapa

Mai i te tipua, mai i te tawhito,
Mai i te kāhui o ngā ariki,
Mai i tāwhiwhi atu ki a Rongo,
Tihei mauri ora!

E ngā rangatira, e ngā manuhiri tūārangi, tēnā koutou. E nau mai ki ngā rātonga o te Hauora Māori, arā ko Māori Health Gains me Development. E kōkiri!

Welcome to Te Pare ō Toi (Māori Health Gains and Development).

Our service arm is guided by Te Toi Ahorangi 2030.

The meaning of Te Pare ō Toi

"Te Pare" is a shortening of "Te Pare Whakairo o Muriwai". Te Pare Whakairo o Muriwai is the formal name for the rāhui noted in the famous saying: “mai i ngā kurī ā Whārei ki Tihirau.” This rāhui is Muriwai’s pare, which is to say her headband. A headband, sitting on the most tapu part of the body, is reflective of the mana of a person – this rāhui was only able to be put in place because of the mana of Muriwai. "Pare Whakairo" indicates that her mana is passed down to her descendants who are whakairo, that is representations of her.

"Toi", of course, is the common ancestor that connects all 18 iwi in the Bay of Plenty. His inclusion here means that the name transcends the Mataatua connection of Muriwai and honours our other waka including Tainui, Te Arawa and Takitimu.

"Te Pare ō Toi" which translates as "The headband of Toi" then represents our regional connection that sits within the boundaries described by Te Pare Whakairo o Muriwai and honours our wakapapa connection through Toi to all the iwi, hapū and whānau of the Bay of Plenty.