PĀNUI
NEWS
Nga Hononga Ora Conference 2025 - Collaborative Aotearoa
(Kaimahi on the move)
04 / 04 / 2025
Ngā Hononga Ora 2025 brought together hauora professionals, community leaders, innovators, and lived experience voices for two days of powerful kōrero in Wellington. Held on April 4 and 5, the wānanga centred on building connection, across systems, communities, and the diverse experiences that shape wellbeing in Aotearoa.
Ngā Hononga Ora 2025: Strength Through Connection
The event opened with a Mihi Whakatau, led by co-chairs Irihāpeti Mahuika and Andrew Swanson-Dobbs, grounding the kaupapa in manaakitanga and whakawhanaungatanga. Tanya Filia’s session, Echoes from Experience: A Hokianga Story, brought lived experience to the forefront, setting a tone of honesty and insight that echoed throughout the programme.
Insight panels followed, featuring voices from across the motu. Highlights included a kōrero with Te Aka Whai Ora alumni — Cherie Seamark, Carlton Irving, Dr Rawiri McKree Jansen and Dr Chris Tooley — who reflected on system shifts and future aspirations. Presentations on excellence in models of care and the potential of health coaches invited discussion on what good really looks like in the delivery of primary care.
Breakout sessions allowed attendees to engage with topics like digital tools in health, rural equity, academic research, and emerging innovations. Speakers such as Dr Ruth Large, Jess Morgan-French, Maria Owen, and Ny Brunenberg shared insights on data, access, and how to embed tech in ways that uplift—not replace—human connection.
Day Two carried that momentum. Panels on diversity, strategic partnerships, and AI in healthcare explored how collaboration can drive equity. Hon Matt Doocey, Associate Minister of Health and Mental Health, spoke to the growing recognition of primary care’s role in shaping wellbeing outcomes.
The afternoon breakout sessions were a chance to zoom in on place-based responses and community-led innovation. From the Whanganui Regional Health Network and Western Bay of Plenty PHO to hauora apps and workforce recognition platforms, presenters showcased real-world examples of what’s working across the motu.
The wānanga closed with a powerful kōrero from Tui Taurua, who shared her mental health journey with strength and wairua. The closing reflections by the Co-Chairs and final karakia left a clear message: systems change happens when we’re willing to listen, share, and lead with heart.
Ngā Hononga Ora 2025 wasn’t just a conference — it was a space where connection became the driver for innovation, where data sat alongside lived experience, and where care was reimagined not as a service, but as a shared responsibility.
KAIKŌRERO
