Our history

In 1989 Marama Dey was given by God a mission vision through the scripture Isaiah 58 v 6-12 to work with those in need in the Whanganui community. This was to be an interdenominational mission to serve the city working with all churches and local NGOs of Whanganui community.

In the beginning, Marama and a group of volunteers from the church she was running took in youth who were homeless or who were not living at home due to violence or abuse from their parents or care givers.  They set up a 10-bedroom home to house the youth and teach them life skills, numeracy and literacy, and dry them out from drug addictions. The training was to prepare and equip youth to become independent for the future, return to school or into trade training.

Wai Ora Christian Community Trust ministry and reputation soon came to the notice of the city fathers, the churches and various Government Departments. Soon Wai Ora was receiving referrals from Police and other Social Service Agencies who saw our programs as a valuable service to the community. The Department of Child Youth and Families (now Oranga Tamariki), contracted Wai Ora to work with “youth at risk” and to run programs on their behalf this was now bringing in the much needed funding to help.

In 1991 Wai Ora Christian Community Trust became a registered charitable trust under the Charitable Trust Act 1957. This legal entity allowed the trust to further its work and to apply for funding to grow the organisation. 

Training

Wai Ora became a private trainer and offered courses on behalf of Skills New Zealand and WINZ. In 1995 gained registration and accreditation to The New Zealand Qualifications Authority. Sadly by the year 2015 the Trust found high-care Maori students were unable to succeed under NZQA and TEC methods of teaching. 

The Trust then made a decision to educate and serve our people through collaborative agreements with other PTE contractors.  This enabled us to continue to run horticulture courses level 2-3, teaching our tikanga and kawa in order to train people how to grow vegetables and eat healthy kai.  

Wai Ora has continued its training services with a high focus on tikanga and work-ready preparation through contracts with MSD.  Our course adapt and change according to community needs.

Social Services

Wai Ora also provides a Social Work support service for youth in junior and senior high schools, and their whanau. Wai Ora has gained a reputation for handling the most challenged students and whanau in Whanganui. 

Social Housing

in 2020, Wai Ora began meeting ad hoc housing needs, having buses, mobile homes and portable cabins on our land. Dedicated to providing short-term housing options, Wai Ora slowly acquired funding to build its own cabins and 2br home aimed to offer supported temporary accommodation and support to those facing housing challenges.  

Setting the Captives Free

Wai Ora was born out of a mission that God placed on the heart of Marama Dey. That mission has grown to encompass more than just youth at risk. To help with the delivery of the mission, God has raised up a Maori Christian Fellowship - Te Puna O Wai Ora church which literally means “The Pool of Living Water”. The church is currently hosted in our hall on Sundays.

I te timatanga te Kupu
I te Atua te Kupu
Ko te Atua ano te Kupu
I te Atua ano tenei Kupu, i te timatanga
Nana nga mea katoa i hanga
Kahore hoki tetahi mea i kore te hanga
E ia o nga mea i hanga
I a ia te ora
Ko te ora te marama mo nga tangata
I roto i te pouri te marama e whiti ana
Heoi kihai i mau i te pouri
Paipera Tapu - Joani 1:1-5

In the beginning was the Word
And the Word was with God
And the Word was God
He was with God in the beginning
Through Him all things were made
Without Him nothing was made
that has been made
In Him was life
And the life was the light of men
The light shines in the darkness
But the darkness has not understood it.
The Bible - John 1:1-5