What Is Kahui Tu Kaha and Why Should Your Whanau Know About It?
If you support someone with a disability in Aotearoa, you have probably heard the name Kahui Tu Kaha mentioned lately. Most families have no idea what it actually means for them. Here is the short version.
Kahui Tu Kaha is a Maori social services organisation that provides health, housing, and disability support services. Their approach is built on Maori values – uplifting people’s mana, supporting self-determination, and building genuine relationships. These are not just words on a website. They shape how assessments are done and how support plans are put together.
Why it matters right now?
From October 2026, regular reassessments for disability support users resume across Aotearoa. This is the biggest shift since the March 2024 funding restrictions that caused so much stress for families. The new system introduces consistent assessment processes nationwide, and personal plans that are co-developed with the disabled person – not just decided for them.
Assessors will be looking at the whole person. Not just physical needs, but goals, daily life, family context, and what a good life actually looks like for that person.
That holistic approach has deep roots in Te Whare Tapa Wha – a wellbeing framework that has guided Aotearoa for over four decades. We will cover that in detail in an upcoming post.
What this means for your whanau?
Families who will fare best in October reassessments are those who have been documenting their lives over time, not just their diagnoses. A verbal summary on the day of an assessment is not the same as months of recorded evidence.
If you are not documenting now, October will come around faster than you think.
MyLog was built on Te Whare Tapa Wha and generates a structured PDF report that gives assessors a clear, timestamped picture of daily life across every dimension they evaluate.
Start your free 14-day trial at mylog.co.nz
