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Culturally-grounded support

Whānau Ora, kaumātua services, Pasifika fonua-based care, and language-specific support — pathways that the mainstream system often doesn't surface.

There are parallel, culturally-grounded pathways alongside the mainstream system. Whānau Ora, kaumātua services, Pasifika providers, and language-specific aged-care providers are funded by the same public purse and can be requested at any point — instead of, not just alongside, mainstream services. The NASC assessor should ask, but if they don't, you can.

Whānau Ora

Whānau Ora is a Māori-led, whānau-centred approach commissioned by Te Puni Kōkiri. Rather than dealing with separate agencies for each problem, a single Whānau Ora navigator works alongside the whānau on whatever they decide matters — health, housing, finances, education, kaumātua support — together.

  • How it works: a navigator (paid for by the commissioning agency) works with the whānau on a plan; services are coordinated with the whānau in the lead
  • Who can use it: open to all whānau, especially Māori and Pacific. Most navigators are Māori; some providers focus on Pasifika or other communities.
  • Cost: free
  • Three commissioning agencies:
  • Find a provider: whanauora.nz or contact the relevant commissioning agency

Kaumātua-specific services

Many iwi, Māori health providers, and Whānau Ora organisations run kaumātua programmes — services designed for, and often by, older Māori. These vary by region but commonly include:

  • Kaumātua flats — affordable housing on or near marae or community land
  • Kaumātua hauora — wellbeing programmes (waiata, exercise, kapa haka, te reo, marae-based gatherings)
  • Manaaki Tāngata visiting services — addressing isolation
  • Kaumātua-focused aged residential care — there are dedicated kaupapa Māori rest homes in several regions
  • End-of-life and tangihanga support integrated through the same provider

Ask the local Māori health provider or iwi rūnanga what's available locally. Many of these services are not visible in mainstream directories.

Asking for cultural support is allowed

You can request a culturally-aligned provider at the Needs Assessment stage — Whānau Ora navigation, a Māori or Pasifika provider, a same-language carer. This isn't an extra; it's part of the publicly-funded system. The NASC assessor should ask, but if they don't, you can.

Pacific (Pasifika) services

Pasifika aged care is grounded in fonua and fa'a Sāmoa / fa'a Tonga / fa'aSamoa / vakaviti — the family and community structures within which elders are cared for. Services tend to wrap around the whole family, not the individual.

  • Pasifika Futures — Whānau Ora commissioning for Pacific families nationally; navigators in major centres. pasifikafutures.co.nz
  • The Fono (Auckland) — Pacific health and aged care provider; home support, day programmes, kaupapa Pasifika rest home. thefono.org
  • Pacific Health Plus — primary care and home-based services in Auckland
  • Vaka Tautua — national Pacific health and disability provider; particularly strong in mental health and aged care for Pacific elders
  • Tu'ulakitau, K'aute Pasifika, and regional providers in Wellington, Hamilton, Christchurch and elsewhere
  • Free interpreting — every Te Whatu Ora hospital and most GPs can book free phone or in-person interpreters in Pacific languages. Family should not be the default interpreter for medical conversations.

Language-specific aged care

Some aged residential care facilities cater specifically to particular communities — Mandarin/Cantonese, Korean, Indian, Russian, Croatian, Dutch, Filipino — with bilingual staff, familiar food, and culturally specific activities. Concentrated in Auckland and Wellington but expanding.

  • Search Eldernet by language or community; ask the NASC assessor specifically
  • Asian Family Services — multilingual mental health, social, and aged-care navigation: asianfamilyservices.nz, helpline 0800 862 342
  • Refugee and migrant services — Settlement Support and the Red Cross help with aged-care access for refugee-background elders, including translation and navigating an unfamiliar system

End-of-life and after-death practices

Funeral and burial customs differ widely — and the New Zealand system has largely accommodated this without families realising. Worth knowing:

  • It is fully legal in NZ for whānau to take their loved one home after death and care for the body until burial or cremation — this enables tangihanga, Pacific lying-in-state, Hindu rites, and similar practices
  • Marae burial grounds (urupā) and faith-specific cemeteries are widely available
  • Most public cemeteries have sections aligned with religious requirements (Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Catholic)
  • Sister site Beforehand has a detailed cultural and religious guide covering tangihanga, Pacific customs, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, and other practices in NZ

If services don't feel right, switch

Carer placements, day programmes, and home-help providers can be changed through the NASC. If a carer doesn't speak your parent's language, doesn't understand the cultural context, or is making the household uncomfortable — you can request someone different. You don't have to wait for re-assessment. Call the NASC and say so.

The information on this page is general in nature and does not constitute legal, financial, or medical advice. Every family's situation is different — for advice specific to your parent, consult their GP, a Needs Assessor, or a qualified professional.

Dollar figures and entitlements change periodically. We link to authoritative sources where possible. Last reviewed: April 2026.