Te Rau Aroha: Love Shown Through Action

Since 2009, Te Rau Aroha has guided us to be like a pā harakeke: volunteers are the outer leaves who support the centre, our community service providers and the people they support.

Hutia te rito o te harakeke, kei hea te kōmako e kō?
If you pull out the centre shoot of the flax, where will the bellbird sing?

This reminds us to protect what sits at the centre, people and wellbeing, which is exactly what volunteering is for.

Te Rau Aroha means “the leaves of love.” It tells us that many small acts of care help a whole community grow. It also carries a story from our history. Te Rau Aroha was the name of a mobile canteen truck that travelled with the 28th (Māori) Battalion in World War Two. Māori communities — including many schoolchildren, helped fund it. The truck brought kai, letters, and comfort from home to the soldiers. This shows what our name stands for: practical care, given together, to lift the people we serve. The name was gifted to us when we opened in 2009 and it sets our standard: love shown through action.

We work to the pā harakeke (flax garden) model. In a harakeke clump te rito, or the centre shoot, is the person, people or kaupapa we support. The Awhi Rito are the two inner leaves that stand close and give direct support. The outer leaves shelter and strengthen the whole plant. Our volunteers are those outer leaves. They give time, skill, and kindness so both awhi rito and te rito can thrive. We must never “cut te rito,” which means safety, dignity, and mana come first in every task we do.
Volunteering with us is simple, practical, and kind. It looks like welcoming people so they feel seen and safe, giving a hand at events and community hubs, sharing skills like admin, digital help, driving, mentoring, or preparing kai, and standing alongside local providers so they can reach more people. Every role is about lifting others up and removing barriers so people can do well.

When you volunteer with us, we promise to keep people at the centre, be clear and supportive, respect culture and identity, and make it safe with good training, good boundaries, and good care. Strong outer leaves make a healthy plant. When volunteers step in, service providers have more reach, whānau get help sooner, and our rohe grows stronger. Small acts add up. Together, we build a community where people can learn, heal, and thrive.

You can help by offering your time, sharing a skill, and spreading the word to friends, neighbours, and workplaces.

Te Rau Aroha asks us to show love through action, many leaves, one plant, all growing together since 2009.