Benjamin Tawharau

“My name is Benjamin Tawhara, and I come from a small settlement on the Hokianga River called Motukiore.

I am passionate about this line of work due to losing my oldest brother to suicide, which hit our family quite hard.  Recently I lost a close relative of mine, he was raised with Māori culture, language, and values. His death shook the community, and I vowed not to bury any more of my ‘brothers’.

The highlights for me through our kaupapa Tamatū / Hinetū is that through the four intakes we’ve had a total of 50+ men.  At least 20 are still active and living positive, healthy lifestyles, not only for themselves but for their whānau.  What stands out most is that they are now influencing their sons to live the same way.  That’s powerful — I call them agents of change”.