Oko Āio, the vessel of tranquility. Oko refers to the Oko-nui Ātea, the great bowl of the Universe. Aio is the state of complete connection to the Universe. Oko-Āio aims to create a safe Ātea, space for our Tauwhiro. Tauwhiro are our members and means world-changer. Oko-Aio is the bowl in which Tauwhiro can learn, develop, share and grow. It can also bring Kaupapa Māori Whare Rongoā together as a collective and provide an overall strategic direction for kauapapa and Pasifika services that seek to help people.
What is our “Why?”
As smaller Kaupapa and Pasifika providers, we face shared barriers and together we find solutions to remove these. As we grow, we hope this community will be able to have a collective impact to achieve social change where we think it is needed for Kaupapa Services, it will give us a National Voice where none currently exists.
We also see there are many rohe|regions where there are no Māori or Pasifika-led community providers, and we want to change that so that all communities are able to have choice. We can provide training and oversight to allow communities to stand and provide independently to their tāngata|people.
Introducing Oko Āio
Oko Āio is a consortium of Māori and Pacific Peoples service providers who have come together to be a collective voice with a national support structure that allows providers to continue to provide services their way at a local level suiting their communities. With rangatiratanga as a key pou, each partner has a voice at the table.
Oko Āio, meaning sacred bowl of tranquility, uses a Te Ao Māori view and Matauranga Māori to engage with whānau. Our Oko Āio framework is based around Te Whare Tapa Whā which informs all four interactions. Oko Āio answers the need to give kaupapa Māori services a national presence and voice without removing the authenticity of what they individually bring to their whenua.
Oko Āio exists to ensure that all Delivery Partners are supported to meet all the operational requirements and conditions of National Contracts. We can take away the administrative burden which allows a pure focus on your people. In addition, we can provide employment relations, learning and development, payroll and finance services, allied health services, RHP services and compliance auditing, allowing providers to flourish, scale up and invest in frontline care.