Ko Wai Mātou

HĀ was established in 2019 by Justice Hetaraka and Rhieve Grey who were supported by kaumātua, Te Warihi Hetaraka. The purpose of HĀ is to create safe learning environments for our communities to embrace the history of Aotearoa and imagine our shared future. Kate McLeod and Rhoen Hemara are also Co-Founders of HĀ who share the understanding that our history has the transformational potential to create a unified future – so long as it is conducted with aroha. Our facilitators embody the HĀ kaupapa in their lives which ensures that the kaupapa is safely shared with our community.

  • Justice Hetaraka

    CO-FOUNDER

  • Rhieve Grey

    CO-FOUNDER

  • Kate McLeod

    CO-FOUNDER

  • Rhoen Hemara

    CO-FOUNDER

  • Te Kowhai Robinson

    TRUSTEE MEMBER

Justice Hetaraka

Justice was born and bred in the heart of Whangārei, raised amidst the nurturing embrace of her whānau. Justice was always surrounded by her whānau, although was especially guided by the aroha of her grandparents. Living closely with her Papa, she learnt the pūrākau passed down from her tupuna, creating a tapestry of mātauranga Māori, morals, and values. Justice is a firm believer in the power of understanding our hītori and mātauranga Māori, and seeing it as the key to collective responsibility for the protection of the taiao and the practice of mātauranga tuku iho.

Alongside Rhieve Grey, Justice started the development of HĀ under the guidance of her Papa, Te Warihi Hetaraka. As a Co-Founder, Justice wears many hats within the kaupapa, her multifaceted role encompasses negotiating with local schools, coordinating and facilitating HĀ workshops, crafting content development for the kaupapa and managing administration. Her love for the kaupapa emanates from her heart, evident in her dedication to ensure that our communities thrive. Justice envisions a better world for our mokopuna and the future generations to come, where mātauranga tuku iho illuminates the path leading forward.

Rhieve Grey

Rhieve is of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Porou and Ngāti Raukawa descent. He grew up in Taupō, a product of his whānau and community’s love, dedication and support. Along his university journey Rhieve has been involved with a range of diverse kaupapa; all of them promoting the positive transformation of current social systems so they may better support Māori in Aotearoa in every way. Rhieve has remained steadfast in advocating for values such as community, manaakitanga and aroha as the main foundations for building a world where social justice and equity are paramount. In the long-run he aims to return home with experience that can contribute to building a better Aotearoa, and in that way boost Aotearoa’s Māori driven contribution to building a better world.

Rhieve has recently returned to Aotearoa after completing two one-year Master’s programs at Oxford University focussing on public policy. Now back in Aotearoa, Rhieve looks forward to applying the knowledge gained from his experiences abroad to the HĀ kaupapa.

Kate McLeod

Kate was blessed to be raised on the whenua of Ngāti Wai in Whangarei Heads. Her tūpuna came from Scotland, Ireland, and England under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Kate believes that opportunities to connect with the hītori and mātauranga of the whenua on which we stand, are the doorways into understanding ourselves, our communities, and our shared futures.

Kate is based in Tāmaki Makaurau, but will always call Taitokerau home. Kate has been a part of HĀ since 2019 and has fulfilled multiple roles across the kaupapa including co-founder, funding manager, content creator, researcher, caterer and facilitator.

Rhoen Hemara

Rhoen is a descendant from the Hokianga, born and raised in the vibrant city of Whangārei. Cloaked by the love of his whānau and especially by the matriarchal figures, his nannies, who sculpted his core values and moral compass and instilled in him a compassionate heart to serve others. Always surrounded by the hearty laughter and good-natured banter of his whānau, he was immersed in a world filled with aroha and humour.

Passionate about weaving the threads of local hītori and pūrākau into the fabric of our communities, Rhoen ardently believes in the transformative potential of embracing te ao Māori and practicing mātauranga Māori. As the creative force behind HĀ, Rhoen is also a co-founder of the kaupapa and is the mastermind behind its visually appealing content. Beyond aesthetics, he is an active coordinator and lead facilitator for HĀ workshops. With a flair for making things not just educational but downright cool and always fun, Rhoen is passionate to share the wealth of our hītori with schools and communities, fostering a sense of belonging and understanding of their place on this whenua that will safeguard a brighter future for generations to come, so that they may enrich te ao Māori and protect our taiao.

Te Kowhai Robinson

Te Kowhai has been with HĀ since April 2021 and proudly brings her whakapapa from Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Wai & Te Waiariki Ngāti Korora. Born and raised in Te Tai Tokerau, she has always remained steadfast in her Māoritanga and connection to her whenua. Te Kowhai is one of our skilled and committed lead facilitators, program coordinators and governance support advisors at HĀ. With a strong connection to her ancestral land in Whangārei and a lifelong upbringing surrounded by her kuia and kaumātua, Te Kowhai embodies a deep-rooted understanding of te ao Māori.

In 2023 Te Kowhai became one of our founding Board Members at HĀ, continuing her unwavering dedication to the advancement of HĀ’s shared vision and bringing her governance accum to the fore. Fluent in te reo māori and a second language learner, Te Kowhai’s commitment to te reo māori, our taiao, rangatahi-led change and individuals safely navigating our shared hītori has remained at the heart of her work. Te Kowhai has a strong background in mātauranga māori based projects and Te Tiriti-led initiatives and is passionate about envisioning our shared collective future, safely guided by kōrero tuku iho, our hītori and mātauranga māori.