Kōhine Toa (2024)
Project lead: Jules Radford Poupard
The Kōhine Toa initiative emerged in response to the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on kōhine Māori - young Māori women - particularly in South Auckland. Many kōhine were forced to leave school to support their whānau, facing economic hardship, caregiving responsibilities, and systemic barriers that made returning to education nearly impossible.
In 2022, Kootuitui ki Papakura, in partnership with Ngāti Tamaoho, Te Puni Kōkiri, Manatū Wāhine, and other agencies, launched a kōhine-led service design process. This revealed deep vocational, educational, and economic inequities exacerbated by the pandemic. In response, the Kōhine Toa programme was born - providing intensive, individualised support to kōhine who had disengaged from education since 2020.
The programme employed a dedicated kaimahi to offer wraparound mentoring, coaching, and practical support. This included help with scholarships, food parcels, transport, and navigating complex systems like MSD and housing. The kaupapa was guided by the principle of rangatiratanga- giving kōhine the mana to choose their own pathways.
The impact included:
One kōhine graduated as Dux and secured a full university scholarship.
Others re-engaged with education, entered tertiary study, or took on leadership roles in their communities.
The programme helped kōhine envision futures beyond survival - towards thriving, independence, and aspiration.
Kōhine Toa was underpinned by whakawhanaungatanga and a kaupapa Māori approach that honoured identity, culture, and lived experience. As one kōhine shared, “They didn’t just help me with money; they showed me how to apply for scholarships. Thanks to their help, I got $38,000 in scholarships.”
Despite its success, the programme faced challenges - chiefly, insufficient funding. The final report calls for sustained investment in bespoke, culturally grounded support models like Kōhine Toa, which have proven transformative for kōhine Māori.
