Cam Cakloen wearing a white shirt speaking in front of our team at our quarterly Tūhono March 2026

Starting the year together at Tūhono

Stories, resilience and connection: Cam Calkoen speaks at Tūhono

We recently brought our whole team together for our first all-staff gathering of the year.

The day began with a whakatau to welcome the talented new people who have recently joined our team. It’s exciting to see new energy coming into the organisation and people who are ready to live our values and help lift our mahi.

Team members are seated while new joiners stand at the front with their support people, replicating the whakawhānaungatanga form — the traditional format where men stood at the front and women at the back.

From there we moved into Tūhono, our quarterly all-staff hui. It’s always a good chance to reconnect as a whole team, share what’s been happening across the organisation, and spend some time together.

The whakatau circle, where current teams introduce themselves to our new kaimahi --always a fun and memorable event for all.

A highlight of the day was hearing from our guest speaker, Cam Calkoen CSP. Cam spoke openly about resilience and his own lived experience. At times the room was rolling in the aisles with laughter, and at other moments people were deeply moved by what he shared.

His message was about staying connected with people, being open in both the hard moments and the good ones, and focusing on opportunities rather than limitations. That message resonated strongly with our work. Every day we walk alongside families through different stages of their lives, building relationships and trust over time. Part of that is helping people look beyond barriers and identify wider opportunities in their communities that can help them build independence, connection and wellbeing.

Cam also spoke about the power of our stories, and that really landed with us. In our work, listening to people’s stories is where everything begins. It helps us understand what matters to them and how we can support them to access the services they need to live their best life.

A great way to start the year, grounded in connection, reflection, and the people who make this mahi possible.