Te Toi Mahana: The place of caring, nurturing, standing and belonging

Te Toi Mahana is the winner of the 2024 BPTW™ Spotlight Award for Diversity and Inclusion and a member of BPTW™ partner, Business Central. All three organisations share a passion and commitment to helping others thrive.

For an organisation with a team of around 40 kaimahi/employees and just two years in existence under its belt, Te Toi Mahana could certainly teach the world a thing or two about connection.

As a community housing provider in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington with almost 3,000 tenants in its care, Te Toi Mahana has redefined what it means to be a landlord.  With a vision that ‘whānau acrossTe Whanganui-a-Tara have homes that support their wellbeing, the team at Te Toi Mahana is dedicated to providing communities where people are not only proud to live, but also supported to live their best lives.

BPTW™ Pillar: Connection to Purpose

A thriving workforce is built on a foundation of shared purpose and values. Employees flourish when they understand how their contributions align with the organisation's strategic goals. This understanding, coupled with visible demonstrations of the organisation's values and opportunities to positively impact society and the environment, creates a deeply engaging and meaningful work experience.

Connection to Purpose: Underpinned by a strong kaupapa

Te Toi Mahana kaimahi are vibrant, diverse, and passionate. They are as diverse in their nationalities, ethnicities, religious backgrounds, and sexual orientations as they are in their skillsets, which cover everything from finance to tenant welfare, to facilities maintenance! 

This melting pot of diversity brings a richness and texture to the Te Toi Mahana culture, creating a strong bond connecting all kaimahi under a shared kaupapa/purpose. This diversity is also aligned with the communities they serve; importantly forging a strong connection that is less like tenant and landlord and more like a trusted partnership working together to create safe, happy and healthy communities. This is especially evident in the ​Kaitiaki programme, which supports a wide range of community initiatives, as explained further on. 

Vibrant and dynamic with plenty of celebration is how the team describes the workplace, and there is a tangible sense of pride in what this small but mighty organisation has achieved in such a short timeframe. 

BPTW™ Pillar: Connection with Team

A strong workplace fosters belonging through supportive teams, clear communication, and a focus on well-being. Organisations can promote this with team-building activities, open feedback channels, and cross-functional collaboration. Sharing success stories strengthens the culture of connection.

Connection with Team: Building a team with purpose

Recruitment at Te Toi Mahana looks a little different to some other organisations. It all starts in the recruitment process for new candidates. Te Toi Mahana makes sure to involve front line kaimahi from the recruiting team to help shortlist a number of candidates, who later will be invited to what they call an “Assessment Centre”.

Assessment centres  happen before any interviews take place. Shortlisted candidates are brought together as a group with Te Toi Mahana kaimahi to interact, engage, and connect through tasks and group exercises. This provides a strong picture of values alignment and cultural fit. Skills can be taught, but the passion and desire to provide and care for the community is inherent for all Te Toi Mahana kaimahi. New kaimahi are then onboarding via a two-week induction, which connects them with not only other kaimahi, but also people within the communities they will serve. In this induction, new kaimahi are trained in not only providing tenancy services, but also in identifying ways they can go above and beyond to provide well rounded support. 

"The Best Places to Work™ Survey provided us with an incredible set of insights into the connection our team members have both to each other and to the communities we serve. It also highlighted areas that we could evolve to be even more successful. The icing on the cake was winning the Diversity and Inclusion Award at the BPTW™ Awards last year - we are really proud of this achievement!" - Sebastian Abril, Services Development Manager, Te Toi Mahana ‍

Initiatives that build thriving communities‍

There are some incredible initiatives aimed at ensuring the communities Te Toi Mahana serves can flourish. Below is a snapshot of their awesome mahi: 

​Kaitiaki - Community leaders​
Kaitiaki are Te Toi Mahana tenants who volunteer their time to build a sense of belonging and connection among the Te Toi Mahana communities. There are currently around 50 Kaitaiki who support a range of community initiatives  - from managing community spaces and gardens to organising events and activities. ​The group is supported by Te Toi Mahana kaimahi who are guided by the Kaitiaki in what works best to support their own communities. 

Drop-in sessions
‍Te Toi Mahana Tenancy Advisors regularly make themselves available for drop-in sessions, whereby tenants can come for friendly kōrero on anything, whether that be support with financial or emotional struggles, ideas for improvements, or just to say kia ora. 

The Fixery
‍The Fixery is a tenant-led initiative that provides support and skills for anything that may need a repair - clothes, appliances, you name it! 

Health Gala
‍An annual event, the Te Toi Mahana Health Gala promotes health and wellbeing within the community. Open to the public, it brings together health professionals, and wider community organisations who offer a range of services, such as free vaccinations, health checks, and dental care. With a vibrant, festival feel, plenty of free kai and dancing, the health gala is just another way Te Toi Mahana is meaningfully connecting with its community.

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts‍

He waka eke noa - We are all in this together.

Like Best Places to Work™ and Business Central, Te Toi Mahana is connected by a passion for the kaupapa and a deep commitment to helping others grow and improve. 

Bravo Te Toi Mahana! The strength of your kaimahi and your impact on whānau across Pōneke Wellington is inspiring. 

A well deserved winner of the 2024 BPTW™ Spotlight Award for Diversity and Inclusion, we cannot wait to see how they fare in the 2025  BPTW™ Awards!