Te Whāriki o te Ara Oranga

What Te Whāriki o te Ara Oranga does

Te Whāriki o te Ara Oranga (Whāriki) was a New Zealand government-funded networking initiative for mental health and addiction services professionals, established to bring together innovators, leaders and influencers to share ideas, collaborate on solutions and accelerate transformation across the sector. Its core product was a web-based platform hosted at whariki-ao.nz that functioned as a shared "wānanga" space for knowledge exchange, structured around four themes: Addiction, Equity and Social Justice, Expanding Access and Improving Choice, and Workforce. An associated module, Ohu Motuhake (ohu.whariki-ao.nz), provided sector-led subnetworks with secure login functionality where members could run special projects and share resources in a dedicated central networking space.

The platform operated as a community-led, non-commercial network with no pricing model and no subscription fees; the New Zealand Ministry of Health was the sole owner, funder and intellectual property holder, Te Pou developed and managed the system on the Ministry's behalf, and the initiative sat under the Wise Group umbrella. Members included sector professionals across Aotearoa New Zealand, with the stated beneficiary population being tāngata whai ora (people seeking wellness) and whānau (families), and the network was grounded in kaupapa Māori approaches and equity-focused framing. Distribution was direct via web access and an email newsletter, with no third-party resellers or commercial channels.

Te Whāriki o te Ara Oranga has formally concluded following changes to Ministry of Health funding priorities, according to the organization's own website. The Ohu Motuhake subnetwork platform remains available as a separate continuity asset, but the parent network, its leadership positioning, and its active operating cadence have ended, leaving Whāriki effectively as a wound-down public-sector programme rather than an ongoing enterprise.

Name

Te Whāriki o te Ara Oranga

Legal name

Te Whāriki o te Ara Oranga

Website

https://whariki-ao.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Te Whāriki o te Ara Oranga was a New Zealand Ministry of Health-funded networking platform for mental health and addiction services professionals, offering a web-based community space and Ohu Motuhake subnetworks for collaboration and resource sharing; the network has now concluded following funding priority changes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Networking Platform

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Enterprise Social & Intranet Platforms (BPAMAMAJ)

Keywords

• Mental health networking
• Addiction services collaboration
• Sector knowledge sharing
• Community of practice
• Health workforce platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamilton

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Whāriki is a government-funded initiative. The Ministry of Health is the owner and funder of the network. Te Pou developed and manages the system on behalf of the Ministry of Health. The network has now concluded following changes to funding priorities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Te Whāriki o te Ara Oranga (Whāriki) operates a web-based networking platform for innovators, leaders, and influencers in New Zealand's mental health and addiction services sector. The platform enables members to share ideas about what works, support creative collaboration, and build connections to transform services. It includes the Ohu Motuhake subnetworks where members can work on special projects and share resources in a dedicated central networking space with secure login functionality.

Product overview

Te Whāriki o te Ara Oranga (Whāriki) operates as a single unified networking platform focused on mental health and addiction services. The core Whāriki Platform serves as the main website for sharing ideas and connecting stakeholders, while Ohu Motuhake represents the subnetwork module where members collaborate on special projects and share resources in dedicated spaces. The platform is part of the Wise Group and is funded by the Ministry of Health, with Te Pou having developed and currently managing the system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ohu Motuhake: Sector-led subnetworks where members can work on special projects and share resources in a dedicated central networking space.

Products and services

• Whāriki Platform A web-based networking platform for innovators, leaders, and influencers in mental health and addiction services to share ideas about what works, support creative collaboration, and build connections to transform services. It provides a shared safe space to wānanga — listen, contemplate, and create solutions. The purpose is to improve services for tāngata whai ora and whānau.
• Ohu Motuhake Subnetworks Sector-led subnetworks where members of the mental health and addiction services sector can work on special projects and share resources in a dedicated central networking space with secure login functionality. The subnetworks continue to operate as a separate platform following the conclusion of the main Whāriki network.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Wise GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhāriki is part of the Wise Group. The Wise Group is a New Zealand organization that provides mental health and wellbeing services. Whāriki operates under this umbrella organization.
• Ministry of HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ministry of Health is the owner of the Whāriki website and system. The Ministry provides funding and strategic direction for the network, with the primary goal of improving mental health and wellbeing of all New Zealanders through learning and innovation.
• Te PoucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTe Pou developed the Whāriki website and system. Te Pou currently manages the system on behalf of the Ministry of Health. As a sector organization in the mental health and addiction space, Te Pou provides operational support and technical management of the platform.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Direct peers

• Disciple: Disciple is a community platform offering branded apps and sub-communities for organizations to engage members with content and collaboration. It parallels Whāriki's model of a dedicated, themed networking platform with subgroup-based engagement.
• Bevy: Bevy is a community platform used by companies to scale member-led communities with sub-groups and event-driven engagement. It is comparable to Whāriki for driving professional sector collaboration within a dedicated networking space.
• Hivebrite: Hivebrite provides community management software for professional associations, NGOs, and member-based organizations. It is closely comparable to Whāriki as a platform for building engaged professional networks with sub-communities and resource sharing.
• Mighty Networks: Mighty Networks powers branded community and course platforms for organizations and professionals. It is directly comparable to Whāriki as a technology platform enabling members to network, share resources, and collaborate in dedicated subgroup spaces.
• Circle: Circle is a community platform that enables organizations to build branded spaces with sub-groups, discussions, and member directories. It mirrors Whāriki's combination of networking, knowledge sharing, and dedicated subnetwork functionality.

Broad incumbents

• Higher Logic: Higher Logic provides enterprise community and member-engagement software to associations and large organizations. It is a broader incumbent offering overlapping community, knowledge-sharing, and networking capabilities comparable to Whāriki's core functions.
• Slack: Slack is a broad collaboration platform offering channels, sub-communities, and resource sharing for professional groups. It is a wider incumbent that increasingly substitutes for dedicated sector networking platforms like Whāriki.
• Microsoft Teams: Microsoft Teams provides enterprise collaboration with channels, file sharing, and community features. As a broad incumbent used widely across healthcare and government, it is an alternative path sector professionals may take in place of a dedicated platform like Whāriki.

Emerging players

• Togetherall: Togetherall is a clinically moderated online mental health peer-support community used by health services and universities. It is an adjacent peer serving the mental health community with an online networking and resource-sharing model similar in spirit to Whāriki.
• Trove (community platforms): Trove operates white-label community platforms for brands and organizations, offering sub-community functionality and member engagement tools. It is an emerging alternative in the same niche as Whāriki's networking and subnetwork model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/whariki

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Te Whāriki o te Ara Oranga