Source: Radio New Zealand
The kaumātua involved in the kaupapa at Te Whare Mahara on 21 Ridout Street, Maeroa, Hamilton. Supplied
The first kaupapa Māori centre for those living with dementia will soon open in Waikato.
Around 4500 Māori are currently living with mate wareware, but that number is expected to almost triple – to 12,000 – by 2050.
Research has found that Māori also develop it around a decade earlier than Pākehā.
The Selwyn Foundation has teamed up with Te Kōhao Health to open the Te Whare Mahara wellness centre in Hamilton.
It will be situated in the suburb of Maeroa, where mana whenua, Ngāti Mahunga, led a turning of the sod ceremony on Tuesday.
The site on Ridout Street will be renovated with support from The Selwyn Foundation.
It will open once consent and refurbishment work is completed.
The respite service will integrate te reo Māori, tikanga, and mātauranga Māori into care.
Te Kōhao Health’s managing director, Lady Tureiti Moxon. Supplied/Sarah Sparks
Te Kōhao Health’s managing director, Lady Tureiti Moxon, said it wanted to make kaumātua feel at home, rather than being in a hospital.
“They don’t want to go to a clinical space, or place – they want to go to a house, a home.”
Te Whare Mahara will operate as a day care for kaumātua, as whānau often wanted them to still live at home, Moxon said.
“Whānau often look after their own. They carry that responsibility with love, but it can also be exhausting.
“This kaupapa is about finally giving whānau a break during the day.
“A chance to replenish themselves so they can continue caring for their loved ones.”
Te Whare Mahara is the first of several that The Selwyn Foundation have planned to open – designed with Māori, for Māori.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/24/first-kaupapa-maori-centre-for-those-living-with-dementia-to-open-in-waikato/