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Community engagement
Learning, connecting & treating people like whānau. We help activate people into service and volunteering, with real love and connection at the heart of it.
We create community activations and events — gatherings designed with a local community. We partner with event makers, community spaces, facilitators, councils, and community organisations to bring people together in their own local spaces. We see this as important community development mahi.
OUR KAUPAPA
SELF LOVE
Fill Your Cup — Take time to nurture yourself and your wellbeing. When you show up fully, you can better serve your community and whānau.
SHARE LOVE
Fill Others' Cups — Lift others through acts of kindness and support. Share your gifts, lend a hand, and create spaces where everyone feels valued.
ONE LOVE
We Are All One Whānau — We're stronger together. Our community thrives when we embrace connection, celebrate diversity, and care for one another as family.
Every activation, held with love
A few special ingredients we bring into the mix.
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A safe, family lounge space
We anchor in the safety with community Pou and our Aroha Mā crew. Warm, welcoming, beautiful and accessible — a gathering space people want to be in.
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Chai culture
Slowing down, celebrating, being present with each other and sharing something wholesome.
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Artist and practitioner co-creation
Collaborations that are rewarding and empowering, while properly supporting the people who bring mauri to these spaces.
A few ways we can do mahi together
We bring the activation
We show up and create the space ourselves — the lounge, the chai, the vibe, the volunteer team. This is how we run CHAI & KAI and Self Love Sundays, and it's how we've activated the Raglan Market — rugs on the grass, chai, cookies for koha, and help with the music. If you have a space we can help bring it to life.
We equip you to activate it yourself
We rent or gift urns and supply product to event makers, practitioners and facilitators running something aligned with our kaupapa, so you can create that same chai culture without us needing to be in the room.
Council & community development partnerships
Collaborating with councils and community organisations who are focused on community development outcomes, delivering activations and events in local communities that help achieve those outcomes directly. This is where the community development mahi mentioned above actually happens in practice.
How we do it
Every activation is designed with a community, not for it. We find local community leaders — kaitiaki — to take on key roles leading small volunteer teams. That co-creation by local volunteers is what makes the evening truly special. We recommend three to five activations per location to build genuine regularity.
Why it matters
When a community gathers often, in a space that's joyful, celebratory and genuinely welcoming to everyone, it shifts something — in the wellbeing of the people there, and in the spirit of the community itself. People feel safe, supported and truly seen. They find real connection and a sense of belonging that feels like family.
23
nights held to date
1,840
meals served
5,520
cups of chai poured
3,450
cookies shared
55
artists on the mic
45+
volunteers involved
80–120
people we host a night
$3,400
raised in koha
Hours of community service and time together — every evening, setup and packdown, baking circle and kai making session, where new friendships are formed every season
320+ hrs
Across two winter seasons of CHAI & KAI in Raglan.