Te Ara Oranga Taiao
(the pathway to wellbeing with nature)
A Collective shaped by the people who connect. Built to serve Aotearoa.
Tāngata me te taiao, People and the Natural World.
Something is taking shape. Te Ara Oranga Taiao is becoming a Collective. In April 2027 we will register as a manatōpū, an Incorporated society, grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
How it will look is being decided this year, together at Regional Hui.
Who we are
Te Ara Oranga Taiao is a Collective of people and organisations from across Aotearoa New Zealand, united by a shared commitment to hauora (wellness) for both our communities and the natural world — grounded in the relationship between tāngata (people) and te taiao (the natural world).
We come from health, education, conservation, outdoor and adventure, youth development, research, policy and community. We have been working in parallel for years, often in isolation, often duplicating each other. The Collective exists so that we stop doing that.
Why a Collective?
The Collective offers a structure and platform that enables connection and collaboration across sectors and communities toward shared goals. As a formal entity, it can provide long-term, practical support to ohu — groups who share a region, a community of practice, a need, an interest or a project — all working to strengthen the health of, and connection between, people and te taiao.
And if we are planning a hundred years ahead, rangatahi need to be in this from the beginning. The Collective gives us a way to make that happen.
Where we are right now
WE LISTENED (2025–26)
Fourteen regional and online hui, and kōrero with over 470 people across the motu. What we heard became the Phase One report: Relationships & Research.
Read the Phase One Report here
WE COMMITTED (April–May 2026)
Fifty people gathered at Motu Moana for Ngā Puna Oranga Taiao, a four-day wānanga. On the Saturday morning we were asked plainly: are we doing this? The answer was a collective yes.
Read the Wānanga summary here.
WE ARE BUILDING (2026–27)
A design ohu is meeting to draft the Collective Proposal document that will for the basis of the Manatōpū/ Incorporated Society application. Regional hui take it to the motu for input. In April 2027 we register.
Our Vision
An Aotearoa where time in nature and movement in the outdoors, in ways that are culturally relevant and meaningful, is a vital part of health and wellbeing for all: tāngata and te taiao.
Aotearoa is a place where people and the natural world are healthy together, where we live as people of this land, and the wellbeing of each sustains the other. Ka ora te taiao, Ka ora te tāngata.
Everyone in Aotearoa lives in a way where our wellbeing and the wellbeing of te taiao hold each other up
We imagine a future where …
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Tamariki
cultivate a love for nature and being active in the outdoors from an early age through whānau and education systems. A lifelong connection with te taiao is established.
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Rangatahi
are supported to find nature spaces and outdoor activities that align with their identity and culture. Fostering their connection with te taiao through hapū, iwi, youth development programmes, education systems, recreation and sport opportunities.
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Tertiary Students
are introduced to theory and research demonstrating the integral role of connection between nature and people, for the health and well-being of both tāngata and te taiao.
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Health Systems
have connection with Te Taiao built throughout. From tertiary hospital design including green space for healing, to primary care and Green prescription including as much nature contact and movement outside as possible.
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Outdoor Therapeutic Approaches
are widely available to people seeking support. This includes ‘Walk and Talk’ counselling, rongoā, adventure therapy, eco-therapy, mātauranga Māori, animal-assisted therapy (e.g. equine therapy) and other options.
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Policy and Urban Design
Central and local government policy and urban design prioritise accessing and establishing green spaces for all.
Nau mai, haere mai
From any professional sector or personal interest! A special invitation to rangatahi — this kaupapa is heading into the future, so we need you in it!
Te Tiriti o Waitangi is the foundation of this Collective. We are building it as a waka hourua — a double-hulled waka — with tāngata whenua and Tauiwi navigating together from the beginning. That foundation is what makes room for everyone. People of this land and those who have come to Aotearoa from somewhere else, carrying our own inherited relationships with mountains, rivers, forests and coastlines. Those relationships are welcome here.