Mā mua ka kite a muri, mā muri ka ora a mua.
Those who lead give sight to those who follow, those who follow give life to those who lead.
Enabled Wairoa – Dedication to developing locally led solutions
For more than a decade, Enabled Wairoa has worked alongside whānau o te Wairoa to build wellbeing, strengthen resilience and create locally led solutions to community challenges. In recognition of that mahi, the organisation has been named the winner of the E Tū Whānau Ann Dysart Kahukura Award 2026.
Enabled Wairoa was one of nine individuals and community or whānau collectives honoured for their inspirational mahi and outstanding community leadership at the E Tū Whānau Ann Dysart Kahukura Award ceremony held at Ōrongomai Marae, Upper Hutt on 1 July 2026.
Four Rangatahi Kahukura – Emerging Leaders were also honoured and celebrated.
These leaders are known within the E Tū Whānau kaupapa as kahukura because they model values, behaviours and actions that support whānau to live strong, safe and prosperous lives with a clear sense of identity and control over their destiny.
Enabled Wairoa CEO, Shelley Smith said that receiving an award that honours Ann Dysart’s legacy and being recognised among such an outstanding group of finalists was both humbling and deeply meaningful.
“Guided by the values of E Tū Whānau we simply strive to serve whānau o te Wairoa with purpose and heart,”
Shelley Smith, Enabled Wairoa CEO.
Strengthening whānau and hapori wellbeing
Every day, Shelley and her team work alongside whānau facing complex challenges, offering practical support, advocacy and pathways toward safety, wellbeing and stability. Their services include family violence prevention and intervention, women’s refuge support, housing assistance, rangatahi development, wellbeing programmes and whānau advocacy.
“The team are truly ‘of Wairoa and for Wairoa’, walking alongside their hapori to nurture wellbeing, build capability, and create opportunities for whānau to thrive.”
Cherish Brogden, E Tū Whānau kaimahi.
Collaboration with iwi, government agencies, schools and other hapori organisations is central to Enabled Wairoa’s effectiveness.
Enabled Wairoa is actively involved in strategic initiatives like the Wairoa Whānau Wellness Plan and the Wairoa Methamphetamine Strategy.
It champions E Tū Wairoa, a locally led initiative that publicly upholds E Tū Whānau values under its “For Wairoa, By Wairoa,” banner and promotes them through hapori events, partnerships and workforce development initiatives across the region.
Walking alongside Wairoa through challenge and change
When repeated flooding and Civil Defence emergencies severely affected the region, Enabled Wairoa stepped up where it was needed most. Team members supported evacuation centres, helped distribute housing and kai assistance, connected whānau with support services and worked tirelessly to ensure people were not facing hardship alone.
Above all, Enabled Wairoa’s success comes from deep relationships with whānau, hapū, iwi and the wider community. Its work reflects a simple but powerful belief: lasting change happens when solutions are shaped by the people and communities they are designed to serve.
E Tū Whānau Kaiwhakahaere, Heni Turner said Enabled Wairoa was a worthy winner in a very strong field of finalists for the E Tū Whānau Ann Dysart Kahukura Award 2026.
“E Tū Whānau has worked alongside each and every one of these extraordinary Kahukura for years. They are visionaries.
Through their determination, hard work and belief in the strength and power of whānau within their communities, they have changed and enriched people’s lives.“
Heni Turner, E Tū Whānau Kaiwhakahaere
E Tū Whānau Kahukura
The term ‘kahukura’ was gifted to E Tū Whānau by kaumatua at the Iwi Chairs’ Forum in 2011. It describes the lead bird in a swirling mass of Kuaka (Bar-tailed godwits) that provides the impetus for movement and change. As kahukura move, they gather their group around them and, in doing so, other leaders emerge.
E Tū Whānau Ann Dysart Kahukura Award 2026 finalists
- Aotearoa Latin American Community – Hamilton and Auckland
- Enabled Wairoa – Wairoa
- Fadumo Ahmed, NZ Ethnic Women’s Trust – Hamilton and Auckland
- Mana Wāhine Collective – Te Tai Tokerau
- Nannies Against P – Heretaunga
- New Settlers Family & Community Trust – Auckland
- Renee Davies, Tihei Rangatahi – Lower Hutt
- Tamaiti Whangai – Waiwhetu
- Te Whānau Rangimarie – Auckland
Rangatahi Kahukura – Emerging Leaders 2026
- Candis Brunning – Te Hapori Ora – Waikato
- Waitahi Aniwaniwa McGee, Māoriland Charitable Trust – Ōtaki
- Tahuaroa Ohia, Māoriland Charitable Trust – Ōtaki
- Zaki Ayubi, New Settlers Family & Community Trust – Auckland
