Mā te Aukati, Ka whai oranga – Through prevention, we achieve wellbeing.
Kaitiaki Niho is building a future where whānau thrive in their oral health and wellbeing, with support from the Clare Foundation helping turn that vision into accessible, prevention-focused care.
Building on Clare’s initial project funding, the five-year partnership supports Mā te Aukati, Ka whai oranga – bringing together health promotion, workforce development, clinical treatment and the exploration of sustainable whānau payment plans.
Through mobile dental services and connections with marae, kōhanga reo, kura and Māori health providers, Kaitiaki Niho aims to bring prevention, education and treatment into places where whānau already gather.
The partnership also creates opportunities to strengthen the Māori oral health workforce through mentoring, training and pathways for emerging practitioners. Alongside this, Kaitiaki Niho will explore whānau payment and subscription models that could make ongoing care more affordable and predictable.
Research and evaluation will help identify what works, capture whānau experiences and guide the development of a sustainable model of care. The ambition is to support whānau to access care earlier and reduce reliance on seeking treatment only when pain or an urgent problem arises.