The Moko Foundation

What The Moko Foundation does

The Moko Foundation is a non-profit charitable trust founded in 2011 by Dr. Lance O'Sullivan and Tracy MacFarlane, with operations established in Kaitāia in 2014. The foundation supports tamariki and whānau Māori through health, leadership, and education initiatives delivered across Te Hiku o Te Ika (Far North, New Zealand). Its purpose is to address health inequities, advocate for systemic change, and increase Māori representation in health and science fields, guided by Kaupapa Māori values.

The foundation operates a portfolio of programmes: Nōna Te Ao (a 2024 pilot health science education programme for ages 15–17 in partnership with the Maurice Wilkins Centre, reaching 300+ tauira); He Taura (rangatahi leadership and hauora empowerment through monthly hui at marae); the Fructose in Schools Study (FiSS, longitudinal metabolic health research in 15 schools since 2017); iMOKO (a virtual health initiative delivering school-based treatment for strep throat and skin infections); the CrebRF Study (gene variants associated with type 2 diabetes in Māori men, 2018); the Hawea Vercoe Leadership Academy (rangatahi engagement arm, established 2015); and Waharoa ki Te Toi (a community-based research centre in Kaitāia operated in partnership with the Maurice Wilkins Centre, which connects 150+ scientists and clinicians nationally).

The foundation does not sell products or services commercially. It is funded through charitable grants and research funding from named partners including the Maurice Wilkins Centre, Te Niwha, Taikorihi, the Health Research Council of New Zealand (baseline funding through 2022), University of Auckland, and ESR. Distribution is via direct delivery into schools, marae, and community wānanga. The organisation is governed as a charitable trust with 8 employees and no equity ownership structure.

Name

The Moko Foundation

Legal name

The Moko Foundation

Website

https://themokofoundation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Moko Foundation is a non-profit charitable trust delivering health, education, and leadership programmes for tamariki, rangatahi, and whānau Māori in Te Hiku o Te Ika (Far North New Zealand), in partnership with the Maurice Wilkins Centre and other research institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Health & Indigenous Education Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (624110), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (813990)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Student Wellness & Prevention Programs (Substance Use, Sexual Health, Bullying) (EDAJAIAG), Health Promotion, Prevention & Wellness Education (EDALAFAF)

Keywords

• Community health programmes
• Māori youth education
• Rangatahi leadership initiatives
• Non-profit charitable trust
• Indigenous health research

Headquarters

HQ city

Kaitāia

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Funding and Grants: The Moko Foundation operates as a non-profit charitable trust funded by partners, sponsors, and research grants. Funding sources include the Maurice Wilkins Centre (main funder for Nōna Te Ao programme), Te Niwha (funder for research collaborations), Taikorihi (funder for He Taura leadership initiative), and the Health Research Council of New Zealand (baseline funding for research until 2022).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Moko Foundation is a non-profit charitable trust that delivers health, education, and leadership programmes to tamariki, rangatahi, and whānau Māori in Te Hiku o Te Ika (Far North New Zealand). Its portfolio includes school-based health science education (Nōna Te Ao), rangatahi leadership and hauora initiatives (He Taura, Hawea Vercoe Leadership Programme), school-based research studies (Fructose in Schools Study, CrebRF Study), a virtual health service for schoolchildren (iMOKO), and a community research centre (Waharoa ki te Toi) operated in partnership with the Maurice Wilkins Centre. All programmes are delivered free of charge to participants and funded through research grants and charitable contributions.

Product overview

The Moko Foundation is a non-profit charitable trust offering a portfolio of health, education, and leadership programmes focused on Māori communities in Te Hiku o Te Ika (Far North New Zealand). The portfolio includes research programmes (Fructose in Schools Study, CrebRF Study), youth leadership initiatives (He Taura, Hawea Vercoe Leadership Programme), health science education (Nōna Te Ao), virtual health services (iMOKO), and a community-based research centre (Waharoa ki te Toi) in partnership with the Maurice Wilkins Centre.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Waharoa ki Te Toi: Research centre in Kaitaia established in partnership with the Maurice Wilkins Centre, focusing on creating new knowledge for better health outcomes. Named by Kaitakawaenga of Kaitāia Hospital, Hohepa Stevens, with endorsement from the late Tā Hekenukumai-nga-iwi Puhipi.
• Hawea Vercoe Leadership Programme
• He Taura
• Nōna Te Ao
• Fructose in Schools Study (FiSS)

Products and services

• Nōna Te Ao Health science education programme for rangatahi aged 15–17, delivered in schools across Te Hiku o Te Ika in partnership with the Maurice Wilkins Centre. Covers antibiotic resistance, immunisation, and vaping & addictions, and includes university visits to Auckland, Waikato, Wellington, and Otago to expose tauira to tertiary pathways in health and science.
• He Taura Rangatahi leadership and hauora (health) empowerment programme focusing on leadership capacity, self-confidence, communication skills, and emotional/mental well-being among youth across Te Hiku. Delivered through monthly hui, hauora challenges, and rangatahi-led wānanga at venues including Waimanoni Marae.
• Fructose in Schools Study (FiSS) School-based research study giving students a positive research experience and opportunity to engage in real-world scientific experiments on fructose absorption differences in New Zealand children and obesity development trajectory. Delivered to 15 kura (both kura kaupapa Māori and mainstream schools) across the Far North since 2017.
• Waharoa ki te Toi Kaitaia-based community research centre operated in partnership with the Maurice Wilkins Centre. Focuses on creating new knowledge to produce better health outcomes through metabolic health (type-2 diabetes, obesity, fructose/sugar impact) and infectious disease (strep infections, rheumatic fever, RSV anti-viral development) research.
• iMOKO Virtual health initiative providing equitable access to basic healthcare for children in local schools, treating conditions such as strep throat and basic skin infections.
• Knowledge Hub
• Hawea Vercoe Leadership Programme Rangatahi engagement programme honouring the legacy of the late leader Hawea Vercoe, focused on empowering rangatahi to explore opportunities to build a better Aotearoa New Zealand through leadership and capability development.
• CrebRF Study Research study conducted in the Far North examining gene variants in Māori men and their association with height, BMI, and type-2 diabetes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300 tauira completed Nōna Te Ao programme in 2024
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Maurice Wilkins CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing strategic partnership with the Maurice Wilkins Centre (a New Zealand Centre of Research Excellence) bringing together over 150 top scientists and clinicians. The foundation's research centre Waharoa ki Te Toi is a unique partnership model with the Centre. The Maurice Wilkins Centre is the main funder for the Nōna Te Ao schools research education programme.
• University of AucklandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through Dr Natalie Netzler and her research around anti-viral development. The foundation collaborates with Waipapa Taumata Rau (University of Auckland) to find specific medicines to treat infections with viruses like RSV.
• ESR (Environmental Science & Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESR is the host organisation of research project partnerships studying the carriage and prevalence of pneumococcal in the community with researcher Una Ren. The study aims to understand carriage of infectious diseases among Māori and Pacific communities.
• Nōna Te Ao Charitable TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Nōna Te Ao charitable trust to deliver the He Takere Waka Nui schools-based programme across schools in Te Hiku o Te Ika.
• Una Ren (ESR Researcher)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership focused on research around carriage of infectious diseases. Initial mahi began around kaupapa Māori & research ensuring it was reflected correctly in study design. The study involves surveillance of spread of disease in Māori & Pacific households in South Auckland & Northland.
• Waimanoni MaraeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for the 2024 Knowledge Symposium, accommodating over 40 scientists and researchers from across Aotearoa. Marae serves as cultural anchor for community engagement activities.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Heart Foundation New Zealand: National nonprofit funding heart health research, education, and community programmes. Comparable as a NZ health-research charity funding community-relevant medical research and health promotion programmes, operating at much larger scale and with broader disease focus.
• Cure Kids: New Zealand's largest child health research charity, funding medical research across paediatric conditions. Comparable as a NZ health-research nonprofit channelling funds to research institutions on behalf of communities, though Cure Kids operates nationally and at a much larger scale than the Moko Foundation's regional Far North focus.
• Cancer Society of New Zealand: New Zealand's largest cancer charity, funding research, prevention, and support services nationwide. Comparable as a national health nonprofit reliant on community donations and grants to deliver community-based health programmes, though operating at far greater scale than the Moko Foundation.
• Diabetes New Zealand: National charity focused on diabetes awareness, prevention, and support, including type 2 diabetes research — directly relevant given the Moko Foundation's CrebRF gene variant / type 2 diabetes research and FiSS metabolic health study. Operates at significantly larger national scale.

Direct peers

• Hei Āhuru Mōwai: Māori cancer leadership organisation advocating for whānau Māori affected by cancer and supporting Māori-led research. Directly comparable to the Moko Foundation as a Kaupapa Māori health nonprofit focused on Māori health equity, Māori-led research, and community engagement in the health sector.
• Tipu Ora: Māori health and education provider in the Bay of Plenty delivering health, education, and social services to whānau Māori. Comparable as a community-based Kaupapa Māori organisation providing health programmes, youth engagement, and whānau support in a regional setting.
• Tu Kotahi Māori Asthma Trust: Māori-led asthma and respiratory health trust providing education, research, and advocacy for whānau Māori affected by asthma. Comparable as a small Kaupapa Māori health nonprofit tackling chronic respiratory disease in Māori communities through research and community programmes.
• Pūtahi Ako: Indigenous education collective supporting iwi, hapū, and Māori communities in education design and delivery. Comparable as a Māori-led organisation focused on rangatahi education pathways, cultural grounding in programme design, and partnerships with mainstream institutions — paralleling the Moko Foundation's Nōna Te Ao and He Taura models.

Emerging players

• Kidney Health New Zealand: Smaller NZ charity focused on kidney disease awareness, support, and research — particularly relevant given high rates of kidney disease in Māori communities. Comparable as a chronic disease-focused health nonprofit with a community education and research mandate, though with less direct cultural-community engagement.
• Le Va: Pasifika-focused nonprofit delivering mental health, suicide prevention, and youth wellbeing programmes in New Zealand. Comparable as a community-led, culturally-grounded youth wellbeing and mental health organisation using a similar values-based engagement model, but focused on Pacific rather than Māori communities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCOacaVT_XXnJMjEaLqThsHQ/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/themokofoundation_
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-moko-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Moko Foundation