Kia Puawai

What Kia Puawai does

Kia Puāwai is a New Zealand registered charity (CC23952) founded in 1997 (originally as Youth Horizons, rebranded in November 2022) that delivers evidence-based and culturally informed social services for tamariki (children), rangatahi (youth), and whānau (families). It operates under a Waka Hourua strategic framework that integrates te ao Māori and te ao Tauiwi (Western/Pasifika) knowledge systems across all service delivery, governance, and leadership. The organisation runs therapeutic services including Multisystemic Therapy (MST), Functional Family Therapy (FFT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Triple P/Incredible Years parenting programmes; out-of-home care including therapeutic foster care (Teaching-Family Model) and therapeutic group homes (two Lighthouses for emergency crisis care and Te Whare Tūmanako for longer-term care); youth development services (NEET programme, Youth Payment/Young Parent Payment, Employment Preparation, Ka Awatea transition service); and training through the Ahi Kā programme.

The organisation's proprietary differentiators include the Waka Hourua Strategy, the Whaitake Whakaoranga Whānau Māori therapeutic approach grounded in takarangi, and the Uputāua Pasifika framework adapted from Dr Byron Seiuli's work and embedded across FFT and MST since 2019. Service delivery is field-based, operating across at least 13 regions including Te Tai Tokerau, Tāmaki Makaurau, Waikato, Tauranga Moana, Hawke's Bay, Wellington, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, Taupō, Manawatū-Whanganui, Lakes/Central Otago, Dunedin, and Southland, with a national headquarters opened in November 2025 at 510 Mount Wellington Highway, Auckland.

Kia Puāwai's business model is government-contracted managed services: all client-facing services are provided free to eligible participants, with revenue generated exclusively through contracts with government agencies, primarily Oranga Tamariki (Ministry for Children) as the principal referral source and Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora as a secondary contract partner. The organisation holds regulatory accreditations including Te Kāhui Kāhu Social Services accreditation, Rainbow Tick (five consecutive years), and DVFREE Tick, which together function as both quality assurance and barriers to competing providers.

Name

Kia Puawai

Legal name

Kia Puāwai

Website

https://kiapuawai.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Kia Puāwai is a New Zealand registered charity providing evidence-based and culturally informed therapeutic, out-of-home care, and youth development services for tamariki, rangatahi, and whānau, funded primarily through government contracts with Oranga Tamariki and Health New Zealand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child, Youth and Family Social Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mental Health Counseling & Therapy Services (K–12) (EDAJALAG), Wraparound Student Support & Case Management Services (At-Risk K–12) (EDAJAEAJ), Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH)

Keywords

• Social services
• Youth services
• Family therapy
• Foster care
• Therapeutic intervention

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Social Service Contracts: Primary funding through contracts with government agencies including Oranga Tamariki (Ministry for Children), Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora, and other public sector bodies for therapeutic services, foster care, youth services, and training programmes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kia Puāwai provides evidence-based, culturally informed therapeutic and social services for tamariki (children), rangatahi (youth), and their whānau (families) across Aotearoa New Zealand. Its portfolio spans Multisystemic Therapy (MST), Functional Family Therapy (FFT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), the Triple P Positive Parenting Programme, out-of-home care (therapeutic foster care and group homes), youth transition programmes (NEET, Youth Payment, Employment Preparation, Ka Awatea), and caregiver training (Ahi Kā). All services are delivered free to clients and funded through government contracts and charitable grants.

Product overview

Kia Puāwai is a social services organisation offering a comprehensive suite of evidence-based and culturally informed services for tamariki, rangatahi, and whānau across Aotearoa New Zealand. The portfolio consists of multiple interconnected service lines: therapeutic services including Multisystemic Therapy (MST), Functional Family Therapy (FFT) with its variants (FFT-CW and Pae Whakatupuranga), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Triple P/Incredible Years parenting programmes; out-of-home care services including Therapeutic Foster Care and Therapeutic Group Homes (Lighthouses and Te Whare Tūmanako); youth development services including NEET support, Youth Payment/Young Parent Payment, Employment Preparation, and Ka Awatea transition services; and training services through the Ahi Kā programme. The organisation operates with a bicultural Waka Hourua approach, integrating te ao Māori and te ao Tauiwi knowledge bases throughout service delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Multisystemic Therapy (MST) Intensive, evidence-based therapy service that helps whānau address multiple causes of challenging and high-risk rangatahi behaviours, with the aim of helping whānau stay safely together. Emphasises positives and uses systemic strengths to create change.
• Functional Family Therapy (FFT) Whānau-centered therapeutic service available to tamariki, rangatahi and their whānau across Aotearoa. Built on acceptance and respect, it works with the whole whānau to improve communication and create positive change through 12-14 sessions over three to five months.
• Parenting Support (Triple P and Incredible Years) Positive Parenting Programme (Triple P) and Incredible Years, providing parents and caregivers with practical parenting strategies and tools. Supports whānau with tamariki and taiohi of all ages from pre-school to teens.
• Individual Therapy (CBT) Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for tamariki and rangatahi who need individual support to deal with past trauma or current struggles. Helps children understand their thoughts and feelings and manage them through 6-16 sessions.
• Youth Payment & Young Parent Payment Financial support service for taiohi aged 16-19 who cannot live with parents (Youth Payment) or are main caregivers of tamariki (Young Parent Payment). Provides financial assistance and opportunities to obtain qualifications, learn parenting skills, and build education and career pathways in West Auckland.
• NEET Programme Not in Education, Employment or Training programme supporting youth aged 16-17 in New Lynn and Waitakere areas with education and career pathways, work and schooling decisions, goal setting, job opportunities, and community support.
• Employment Preparation & Placement Programme Guides and mentors rangatahi to create plans focused on careers, CV creation, interview preparation, financial assistance, learner licence training, motivation building, and network support for employment.
• Ka Awatea - Transition to Adulthood Service Programme for rangatahi and young adults aged 15-21 years who have previously been in Oranga Tamariki care, based in Tāmaki Makaurau. Provides mentoring support through Kai Atawhai for education, living choices, peer groups, cultural identity, and accessing services.
• Therapeutic Foster Care Specialist caregiving services across Te Tai Tokerau, Tāmaki Makaurau, Waikato, Tauranga Moana and Hawke's Bay. Uses the Teaching-Family Model to equip caregivers with knowledge, skills and tools to respond to and support tamariki and rangatahi in trauma-sensitive ways.
• Therapeutic Group Homes (Lighthouses and Te Whare Tūmanako) Three group homes in Tāmaki Makaurau: two Lighthouses providing emergency crisis care for up to ten rangatahi aged 11-17, and Te Whare Tūmanako providing longer-term therapeutic care for up to five rangatahi tāne. Referrals come through Oranga Tamariki.
• Ahi Kā Training Programme Training programme for Oranga Tamariki caregivers in Te Tai Tokerau, focused on understanding trauma and its impact on developing brains. Runs for approximately 4-6 weeks online and face-to-face, followed by individualised support, available since 2019.
• Pasifika Services Culturally informed services drawing from Pasifika values, protocols and worldviews. Includes the Uputāua Pasifika Cultural Engagement Framework developed by Dr Byron Seiuli, integrated into FFT and MST services since 2019.

Quantifiable outcome

• Four rangatahi won Prime Minister's Oranga Tamariki Awards in 2023
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Ruapōtaka MaraecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 February 2024Memorandum of Understanding signed with Ruapōtaka Marae, one of the oldest mātāwaka marae in Tāmaki Makaurau. Partnership enables exploration of direct community referral pathways and possibility of bespoke Family Functional Therapy service with a local community navigator. Marae provides community services in Glen Innes, Panmure, and Pt England in collaboration with Ngai Tai ki Tāmaki, Ngāti Paoa, and Ngāti Whātua iwi.
• Oranga Tamariki (Ministry for Children)coreOthersPrimary government partner providing referrals for out-of-home care services, therapeutic group homes, youth services, and family therapy programmes. All rangatahi in Lighthouse services and Te Whare Tūmanako are referred by Oranga Tamariki.
• Teaching-Family ModelcoreOthersEvidence-based programme model used in therapeutic foster care and group homes. Kia Puāwai is licensed to deliver this model which equips caregivers with knowledge, skills and tools to respond to trauma-sensitive needs of tamariki and rangatahi.
• Uputāua Framework Developer (Dr Byron Seiuli)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr Byron Seiuli, Samoan clinical psychologist, developed the Uputāua Framework. Kia Puāwai adapted it to their kaupapa with Pasifika Principal Advisor Synthia Dash. Framework is a Pan-Pacific, trauma-informed therapeutic engagement framework embedded since 2019 in FFT and MST services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Presbyterian Support Northern: Large Northern-region social services charity delivering family support, youth and child services, counselling, and community programmes across Tāmaki Makaurau and Northland. Comparable in service breadth, contract-funded model, and geographic footprint overlap.
• Open Home Foundation: New Zealand NGO providing foster care, residential care, and family/whānau support services for tamariki and rangatahi in care. Operates a comparable out-of-home care and therapeutic support model with similar Oranga Tamariki contract dependencies.
• Auckland City Mission: Major Auckland social services charity providing social support, family services, housing, and youth programmes with government contract funding. Comparable in contract-funded family/child services delivery and Auckland concentration.
• Barnardos New Zealand: One of New Zealand's largest children and family social services charities, delivering foster care, family therapy, and youth programmes nationally. Directly comparable in service mix and government contracting model; Kia Puāwai board member Mike Munnelly is the former Barnardos NZ Chief Executive.
• Lifewise: Auckland-based social services NGO delivering family/whānau support, youth services, and community programmes with government contracts. Comparable service mix and operating model in the same Tāmaki Makaurau market.
• Stand (children's advocate): New Zealand child advocacy organisation supporting children and young people in state care, including those in foster and residential care. Comparable focus on tamariki/rangatahi in Oranga Tamariki custody and child welfare system.
• Te Whānau o Waipareira: Auckland-based iwi social services provider delivering whānau ora, youth programmes, health, and education services for Māori and Pacific communities. Comparable culturally grounded service model and contract-funded delivery in overlapping geographies.

Broad incumbents

• Oranga Tamariki (Ministry for Children): Government agency responsible for child welfare, youth justice, and care placements in New Zealand. Acts as Kia Puāwai's primary funder and referral source but is also a sector incumbent that could internalise service delivery, creating both partnership and substitution risk.
• IHC New Zealand: Largest disability support provider in New Zealand, delivering advocacy and residential/community services. Overlaps with Kia Puāwai in family/whānau support and is led by board chair Tania Thomas in her day role; comparable in scale, contract funding, and governance profile.

Regional players

• Zeal: Auckland youth services organisation supporting young people through creative programmes, youth development, and health/wellbeing initiatives. Comparable youth-focused service model with regional concentration in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kiapuawai.nz
• Instagraminstagram.com/kiapuawai.nz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youthorizons

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 Kia Puawai