From its humble beginnings in a park in Kingston to its transition to the Crestmead Community Centre in 2012, Te Manawa Ora has experienced steady growth and increasing interest in its offerings. The move to the Crestmead Community Centre marked a significant milestone, reflecting the group's expanding presence and continued evolution within the Community.

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The picture on the left shows the very first Te Manawa Ora waananga along with the founding members of Te Manawa Ora.  We also had present, Mike Mato (Te Tairaawhiti\Waikato) who resides in Brisbane and Paul Burns (Chinese decent) and Ronnie Puru (Ngaati Hine\Ngaapuhi) who came in from Geelong, Victoria.

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The very first grading waananga was held at the Jacobs Well Environmental Centre. This event was a significant milestone, marking the moment when the group solidified its identity with the name

'Te Manawa Ora'.