Pou Māia

At Stand Tū Māia, our workforce is our most valued resource. We are proud of what our team achieves with tamariki mokopuna who often begin their journey facing significant adversity. Many staff describe their time here as one of the most rewarding and challenging experiences of their lives. When recruiting, we prioritise personal qualities and values—such as compassion, resilience, and cultural humility—alongside professional training and experience. Our team brings diverse backgrounds and a shared commitment to our bicultural, trauma-capable, outcomes focused approach.

All Pou Māia—those who support tamariki mokopuna and their whānau—are expected to know and articulate their purpose, work with integrity to fulfil it, and demonstrate the impact of their mahi. They must be culturally competent, trustworthy, and responsive, and able to support the development of stable environments and secure attachments. Their practice is guided at all times by an understanding of trauma and what is effective for healing its impacts, and they offer tamariki mokopuna and whānau choices, control, and consistent support that fosters tāmatatia and tiakina – restoration and preservation of safety and wellbeing.

The qualities we seek and develop in our staff reflect our core values. We expect them to be passionate about achieving real outcomes for children, respectful in their relationships with whānau, and focused on solutions. They must understand the impact of trauma and what supports healing, and embed cultural responsiveness in all aspects of their work. Together, our team creates a foundation of hope, safety, and transformation for the tamariki mokopuna and whānau we serve.

Our training

We are deeply committed to the growth and wellbeing of our Pou Māia. Staff receive tailored professional development, cultural capability development, regular supervision, and access to evidence-based training through trusted national and international partnerships—ensuring they are confident, competent, and trauma-capable in their work with tamariki.

Every team member has a personalised professional review plan, which includes a specific cultural capability framework, access to high-quality internal and external training designed to build trauma-capable skills and confidence. Regular, structured supervision—both professional and managerial—ensures consistent support, reflective practice, and high standards in casework, planning, and service delivery. These sessions also provide space to celebrate achievements and maintain personal wellness within a proven and supportive framework.

We expect all professionally registered staff, including teachers and social workers, to maintain full registration and meet the ongoing competency requirements of their respective professional bodies. For those not yet registered, we actively support their journey toward professional registration. This commitment ensures our workforce remains skilled, accountable, and aligned with best practice standards.

Stand Tū Māia proudly acknowledges our outstanding model of cultural leadership, guidance, and support, which is accessible to every Pou Māia. This is provided by the Kāhui Poutokomanawa (Kaumātua, Koeke, Tāua etc). Across each of our seven sites, there is opportunity for engagement with Te Ao Māori wisdom and support, guided by mana whenua. We are deeply grateful and respectful of this contribution, which directly strengthens our work with tamariki mokopuna and whānau.

To further strengthen our capability, we have developed national and international partnerships that enable us to offer evidence-based learning programmes. These partnerships ensure our staff are not only trauma-capable but also confident and competent in their work with our most vulnerable children and families. Through ongoing learning and collaboration, we continue to build a workforce that is resilient, responsive, and deeply committed to making a lasting difference.

Ingoa Tū Māia

Stand Tū Māia operates under a culturally grounded organisational framework known as Whare Tū Māia, where all staff are referred to as Pou Māia—pillars of strength, confidence, and commitment. Roles are metaphorically linked to parts of a whare (house), reinforcing relational accountability, unity, and purpose. This naming model, developed in collaboration with our Kāhui Poutokomanawa, uses original ingoa Māori—not translations—to reflect collective action, cultural identity, and the significance of each role. Staff are inducted into this framework, which enhances their sense of presence and responsibility in their work with tamariki mokopuna and whānau.

This model is not only structural but deeply philosophical. It embodies manaakitanga, kotahitanga, and rangatiratanga, supporting trauma-capable, bicultural practice that places tamariki mokopuna and whānau at the centre. The whare metaphor provides a living framework for culturally respectful practice, where every Pou Māia stands shoulder to shoulder, upholding the strength of the house and advocating for those within it. Together, this structure fosters a resilient, unified organisation committed to healing, transformation, and collective wellbeing.

Our Board

Stand Tū Māia is guided by a co-governance model that honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi through shared leadership and relational decision-making. Governance is held by two groups: Kāhui Poutūarongo, a board of experienced professionals across sectors who provide strategic oversight, and Kāhui Poutokomanawa, a collective of Kaumātua gifted by mana whenua who guide tikanga, kawa, and cultural integrity across regions. These roles, symbolised by key structural elements of the whare, represent the heart and foundation of the organisation—ensuring decisions are grounded in both wisdom and purpose.