Tainui

Julia, 16yrs, attends Napier Girls High School. Her interests are rongoā, fashion, beauty, photography and mahi toi.

Ngāti Kahungunu

Nikora, 18yrs, attended Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Ara Hou. His interests are mātauranga Māori, waka ama, rugby, haka and debating.

Ngāti Kahungunu

Materita, 17yrs, attends William Colenso Colege. Her interests are cooking, kapahaka and learning more about her Māoritanga.

Rongomaiwahine, Tūhoe, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou

Hikurangi, 14yrs, attends Te Aratika Academy. His interets are cooking and he aspires to become a chef.

Ngāti Kahungunu

Gracyn, 15yrs, is the captain at Shamrock Boxing. His interests are boxing and helping out the kaumātua.

Ngāti Kahungunu

Peter, 17yrs, attends Te Aratika Academy. His interests are basketball and te ao Māori.

Rongomaiwahine

Precious, 16yrs, attends Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāti Kahungunu o Te Wairoa. Her interests are kapahaka.

Tūhoe

Te Whetu, 17 yrs, is a rap artist from Wellington. He wants to be a better rangatahi for the people in need because there is no one that is beyond the reach of change.

Rongomaiwahine, Tūhoe, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou

Neon, 13 yrs, attends Mangateretere School. He is interning, the next generation learning the ropes of MokoBoys. He enjoys sports and gaming.

Rongomaiwahine, Tūhoe, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou

Jarli, 11 yrs, attends Marewa School. He is interning, the next generation learning the ropes of MokoBoys. He enjoys spending time with whānau and gaming.

Ngāti Raukawa

Amaiah, 14yrs, attends Napier Girls High School. She specialises in photography and filming. Her interets are photography, fashion, and sports such as netball, volleyball, dance and hockey.

Ngāti Kahungunu

Josep, 16yrs, attends Flaxmere College. Joseph specialises in social media management and intervewing. He enjoys volleyball, basketball and is just an all-round good guy.

Ngāti Kahungunu

Vellyn, 13yrs, attends Napier Boys High School. He is a boxer at Shamrock Boxing and training to become one of our social media analysts and a familiar face in front of the camera.

Ngāti Porou

Wiari is an Advanced Scaffolder and owner of Kahu Scaffolding based in Hawkes Bay. Out of work, Wiari is active in suicide pre-post prevention and is a qualified youth worker. He is a buisness advisor and tāne ora mentor for Toi Matarua and also supervises the MokoBoys.

Rongomaiwahine, Ngāi Tūhoe

Jahson was mentored and nurtured into a role at Toi Matarua. his has helped him to uild the sklls and confidence necessary to move oto mahi in construction. He now supports the kaupapa by volunteering and supervising the MokoBoys.

Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa

Sarah is a qualified youth worker. She joined this kaupapa as a participant when she was in high school and now she helps in running our leadership programs and rangatahi wānanga. she is currently doing her Masters in Indigenous studies through Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi. She also regularly supervises the MokoBoys.

Ngāti Kahungunu

Dale works for The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) as an Advisor Māori. She assists NZQA with its commitment to Ākonga Māori success.  She is responsible for the delivery of information and engagements through NCEA me te Whānau Workshops, education events, Equity in STEM (Science, technology, engineering and maths) information programs including working with Kura/Schools and Māori communities. She is the Chair Woman of our Board of Trustees and supervises the MokoBoys in her spare time.

Ngāti Kahungunu & Tūhoe

Tipene was brought up in the kaupapa and has always been involved wheter it was performing with 2FaceDrama or supporting at conferences and wānanga. Now he gives back to the kaupapa through volunteering and supervising the MokoBoys.

Ngāti Porou me Ngāti Kahungunu

Sally is a Kairangahau Matua (Research Lead) at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. She is also a trustee for Toi Matarua. Sally overseas the science and recipes behind our rongoā and in her spare time supervises the MokoBoys.

Ngāti Kahungunu

Charlizza s a visionary leader passionate about Indigenous Advancement. She started this kaupapa at the age of 17, which now oversees a web of positive initiatives across Aotearoa designed for the bettement of rangatahi Māori and their whānau. She is currntly in the final stages of her doctoral thesis on rangatahi Māori sucide.

Ngāti Porou me Ngāti Kahungunu

Sally is a Kairangahau Matua (Research Lead) at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. Her background is in research, social work, mental health & addictions, education & business. Sally also holds an Indigenous Doctorate specialising in puku-roro (gut-brain) axis and connection to overall wellbeing. Sally oversees the science and recipes behind our rongoā.

Ngāti Kahungunu ki te Wairoa & Ngāti Porou

Ruby is a young Māori Entrepreneur who is currently running her own buisnes for products and services while also being a full-time mummy. Ruby is the manager of Māku Enterprises.

Tangata Tiriti

Lydia is a qualified Nutritionist with expertise in Public Health and health promotion. Her passion for soil health and nutrient-dense food led her to establish Pickled, a Bokashi business focused on sustainable food systems and soil regeneration. Lydia mentors our rangatahi, teaching soil health, sustainable living, and growing kai, empowering them to support our kaumātua and communities.

Tangata Tiriti

Hamish is the Director of Thomsen’s Chartered Accountants. He is Toi Matarua’s dedicated accountant and in his spare time he also mentors our rangatahi, sharing his expertise in farm work and fencing. He also supports their fundraising efforts by donating his farm’s pinecones to be sold.