OUR STORY
Established in 2016, Te Hāhi (‘The Church’ or ‘The Faith’) was born in response to a need seen by a young ex-Police woman in Gisborne. Weary of having seen first-hand the brokenness that family harm caused, she approached her Area Commander with a radical idea: that the local Gisborne churches unite to support the Police in their response to family harm. With the support of several Gisborne churches, Te Hāhi was launched.
A similar idea had been explored in Rotorua, and following a God-led reconnection between two ex-Police colleagues and news of Gisborne’s launch, the then Rotorua Area Commander and Rotorua Ministers caught the vision and Te Hāhi was launched in Rotorua in 2017.
Te Hāhi has continued to grow steadily across Aotearoa, New Zealand into new locations, with a formal partnership with NZ Police signed in 2020.
As each Te Hāhi location matures, the local Police partnership is complemented with other community opportunities to meet local need.
Collectively, as churches sharing resources and volunteers, Te Hāhi is making a significant impact.
OUR MAHI
On referral from Police, where risk is low, trained and vetted volunteers visit whanau who would like Te Hāhi’s support.
Te Hāhi’s services complement, but do not replace, specialist services already existing in the community.
OUR VISION
Bringing hope to communities across Aotearoa, New Zealand, by working together as local churches in partnership with Police to support families impacted by family harm.
Te Hāhi aims to demonstrate to those impacted by family harm that they are not alone and there is always hope.
OUR VALUES
KO WAI MāTOU
Download our booklet, Ko Wai Mātou - About Us, to read more about Te Hāhi and our impact.
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To have Te Hāhi walk alongside us, not only provides hope for our Police staff that they’re not walking this journey alone, but equally, provides an opportunity to intervene for our people in the community.
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OUR TEAM
Under Construction
“Te Hāhi’s approach whakapapas back centuries to the mahi of the church and it’s role in shepherding, protecting, tending to the needy, strengthening the weak, making provision, shielding, refreshing, restoring and leading by example.”
“I now see myself as a wahine toa”
“Te Hāhi has made a real impact in our local community”