Tana Whiunui

Waikato taniwha rau, he piko he taniwha, he piko he taniwha.

Jarreau ‘Tana’ Whiunui is from Ōtautahi. Ko Waikato, Waitaha, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mutunga me Ngāpuhi oona iwi.

Tana has worked alongside rangatahi and taane for over 15 years, supporting whaanau to improve their relationships, whaanau connection, emotional regulation, and physical wellbeing. Tana currently works for Te Puawaitanga ki Ōtautahi Trust in the prevention space, supporting rangatahi, taane and whaanau to prevent statutory intervention and support their tuurangawaewae. Prior to working with the Te Puawaitanga, he worked in the area of family violence and educating whaanau to be safe for themselves and their whaanau.

Tana has a certificate in youth work. He is passionate about seeing people improve their lives, about giving rangatahi and taane the opportunity to grow in their tuurangawaewae. Tana’s vision is a future where rangatahi and taane are a positive role models within their whaanau and a strength for others in their hapori (communities).

Whānau is the most important aspect of his life, and something he holds dearly to his ngaakau. In his spare time, Tana enjoys the journey of physical training and has played rugby league and basketball for many years, more recently practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.