23/05/2026
Strength in working together for the oranga of our people 💪
It has been an intense but rewarding two weeks promoting oral health at "Pae o Te Riri is the name of our school", TKKM o Te Waiu o Ngati Porou, Te Waha O Rerekohu, Kawakawa Mai Tawhiti, Rangitukia - Taperenui a Whatonga School and Ngata Memorial College Official Site.
In the last two weeks Erana Reihana, Ariana Clarke, Shyla-Drew Taiapa and Whiti Ora Tairāwhiti - The Coast spent time with our tamariki using plaque disclosing dye — a simple but powerful way to show where plaque is building up around the teeth and gum line (the last place we want plaque sitting).
Sugar feeds the bacteria in our mouths, creating plaque that, if left there too long, can lead to sore gums, infection, and holes in our niho. But seeing plaque for yourself changes things. It helps our tamariki and rangatahi visualise not only the importance of brushing — but brushing with quality.
Taking a few minutes every day to properly brush your niho is about more than oral health. It’s about discipline, looking after yourself in the present, and building healthy habits for the future. We challenged our tamariki and rangatahi to do this every day for one month — to build consistency and show what small daily actions can do over time.
But for us, this kaupapa is much bigger than teeth.
At Oniho35, we want a future where our mokopuna — long after we’ve departed this world — live lives free from pain and free from tooth decay. A future where losing teeth is no longer normal.
This is a 1000-year vision for us.
Āe, we support our adult whānau in pain right now because that mahi matters. But our kaupapa has never been about simply taking teeth out, drilling, and filling. Our kaupapa is about prevention, our pēpī, our tamariki, our rangatahi, and the mokopuna who are not even born yet.
That’s why we support kaupapa and rōpū that strengthen our reo and identity as Māori, build connection across the East Coast, reconnect whānau to te taiao, support healthy housing, promote initiatives that break the cycle of intergenerational poverty, and help whānau into meaningful mahi and futures with purpose.
Because reclaiming the mana of the waha is bigger than oral health — it’s about strong, connected, thriving generations long after we are gone. ❤️
