Culture and connection

Rongo Taua is a charitable trust for mentoring at risk Māori youth. The organisation runs camps in Taranaki for boys between the ages of 10 and 17 years.
 
Brendon Rei, a Matua o Rongo Taua (Mentor), said the camps are run at marae, with the support of mentors who are all positive male Māori role models. “We bring the rangatahi into a marae environment where they are immersed in tikanga me ona reo māori for six days.”
 
“It’s a Maori kaupapa driven concept of reconnecting young boys with their cultural identity to give them a sense of belonging, and reconnecting them with their culture,” Brendon said.
 
Toi Foundation provided a $50k seed grant to fund the camps for a year.