He is now the General Manager in Ōtautahi and is as passionate as ever about providing opportunities for young urban Māori.

Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation is a long-term partner and supported Te Ora Hou in the wake of the Christchurch earthquakes. 

“Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation furnished and fitted the building for us which was such a blessing. It gave us a sense of being valued, but more importantly it provided our rangatahi a place to connect when there was so much disruption to daily life,” says Jono.

Thanks to further funding from Te Rourou, Te Ora Hou have been able to develop their alternative education program. Jono says alternative education is about developing the whole person.

“We focus on developing the qualities of the person rather than qualifications. It’s about forming relationships and connections to the people and the place, to develop a sense of belonging and shared purpose,” he explains. Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation’s World of Difference grant, allowed Te Ora Hou to bring in Simon Britten to manage their Mahi Tahi program, providing employment pathways for rangatahi through partnerships with businesses like Fulton Hogan.

“It was a really successful program, over 80% of our rangatahi stayed in long term employment and without the support of Te Rourou, we couldn’t have funded someone with that kind of knowledge and experience to work on the project full time,” says Jono. 

Jono says partnering with Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation around a common cause has been tremendously empowering. “The support of Te Rourou has brought a sense of validity to what we do and has helped us see the value in our mahi,” he says.