Rangimahora Reddy (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato, Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Rangitāne) is one of the New Year Honours 2025 recipients awarded the King’s Service medal.
Reddy is widely recognised for her work at the Rauawaawa Kaumātua Charitable Trust in Hamilton since 2010.
The culturally focused charity provides health and wellbeing, housing, welfare, education, and recreational services for kaumātua.
She felt overwhelmingly honoured after it was announced she would receive the medal.
“It feels particularly special for me because the grandmother I am named after was honoured with a British Empire Medal (BEM) in 1974 for her services to Māori culture.
“This connection makes receiving this award feel even more special, as it also carries forward her legacy and the mana she upheld.”
Reddy shares significant moments in her life that have motivated her to improve health outcomes for Māori, one of which was losing her parents and relatives to heart disease, asthma, diabetes, cancer, and stroke.
“Losing that ‘Korowai of aroha’ that pou such as these in our whānau has had a lasting impact. Being part of Rauawaawa has shown me how important Kaumātua are to the wellbeing of the majority of our whānau, and how crucial it is to keep them well and with us for as long as we can.”
In her first job in Māori health at Tui Ora, she was introduced to strong leaders who were leading the way for improved Māori health outcomes.
“I’ve been inspired by the contributions to hauora made by my own whānau and our Rauawaawa whānau. I’ve also seen great outcomes achieved from the strong relationships we’ve built with other hauora providers, government agencies, funders, and researchers through initiatives like the Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities and Ageing Well National Science Challenges.”
One of her most proud moments was the work and outcomes achieved with the Whānau Ora Commissioning agencies and collectives, particularly during the challenges of COVID-19.
Working at Rauawaawa for over a decade has strengthened her commitment to improving Māori health and kaumātua wellbeing.
She said the kaumātua at Rauawaawa have shared so much wisdom through their lived experiences and seeing the challenges they face and how the world is evolving for older people has strengthened their team’s determination to find better ways to support them.
Earlier this year, the trust made waves by using artificial intelligence to support Kaumātua’s cognitive thinking and wellbeing.
After attending the International Federation of Ageing conference in Bangkok last year trust officials found that super-ageing countries were heavily investing in technology to help ageing populations.
The trust partnered with the Selwyn Foundation to create the Kaumātua Mana Motuhake programme, which aims to develop cognitive functioning by using curated AI brain games to stimulate their thinking.
During her leadership, Reddy has pioneered Kaumātua-centred programmes, including national and regional wellbeing events, commenced the revitalisation of Rauawaawa’s “Te Puna o Te Ora” facility into New Zealand’s first dementia and age-friendly, Kaumātua-led and digitally enabled, community hub.
Another achievement of Reddy was the establishment of the Rauawaawa Enterprise for Kaumātua Aspirations (REKA), a social enterprise that produced Māori-designed cookie cutters to assist Kaumātua with dementia.
She has also contributed to projects aimed at supporting Kaumātua health through cultural practices, fostering intergenerational knowledge transfer and social connections, and promoting housing and social enterprise models.
Reddy hopes to continue driving meaningful and impactful health solutions for Māori.
“I envision a hauora system that boldly embraces Māori health as a cornerstone of its strength, a system that takes a long-term view, recognising the ripple effects of health decisions on individuals, whānau, and communities.”
She emphasises that kaumātua wellbeing must be prioritised through a holistic, multi-faceted approach.
In recognition of her efforts, she received the Hamilton Civic Award in 2018, followed by the Age Concern New Zealand Huia Award a few years later.
