Te Mana

o te Whānau

The power of Whānau

"If we succeed in our goals, it will be our success. If we fail, it will be our own failure. We will own the path we travel, and we will shape our own dreams. We own our destiny."

Hana O’Regan

Wāhine are significant within Te Ao Māori because they are the creators of life, the portal through which our human existence is possible. Wāhine are the change makers, catalysts for action, social justice champions, decision makers, and political strategists - the respected voice of reason, and leaders within their whānau, hapū, iwi and community.

Wāhine embody servant leadership at every level of society. Nothing happens on the marae until wāhine deliver the karanga. This signifies and honours the sacred role of wāhine as the conduit to unite those past, present and those yet to come. Wāhine choose where and how to educate our children, whether or not to be vaccinated, where to shop and what to buy, whether our people vote, and for whom they vote. Wāhine are the lifeblood of our marae, schools, hapū, iwi, organisations, and the burgeoning 80 billion dollar Māori economy.

“Take care of our children

take care of what they hear

take care of what they see

take care of what they feel

for how the children grow so will be the shape of Aotearoa.”

Dame Whina Cooper

Te Mana

o te Kaupapa

The power of our work

Relative Limited is a boutique communications, engagement and social impact agency with a focus on Wāhine and Whānau Māori. We have delivered many successful kaupapa that provide pathways to higher levels of leadership, excellence, and enterprise for wāhine, whānau, hapū, Iwi, and community. What makes our kaupapa successful and effective is the 29,500 wāhine and whānau that stand with us in our online community. We empower our people to be catalysts of change in their own lives, whānau, community and Iwi.

We specialise in designing, executing, and evaluating a wide range of creative innovative rautaki (strategies) specifically for wāhine and whānau. Relative has a demonstrated competency and commitment to investing in and growing wāhine leadership and potentiation. We are masterful at navigating the needs of wāhine and whānau working collaboratively with community to co-design and support impactful interventions for us, with us, by us, that deliver social outcome benefits for all. With a heart for social justice we choose to live work and serve in the communities that we come from.

Our purpose is to EMPOWER, ENABLE and ELEVATE wāhine and whānau māori by any means necessary to positively impact wellbeing, social transformation, economic growth, and political stability for ourselves, whānau, community and Aotearoa.

Kia eke ki tōna Taumata That she/he may attain to the excellence of their being or their authentic existence

Maori Marsden

Ngā Kete o Te Wānanga

The social change model at the heart of who we are and what we do

What we do

Pou that support our tikanga include:

  • We embed Kaupapa Māori principles in all we do, ensuring culturally grounded outcomes that uplift Māori identity and sovereignty.
  • Our leadership in Mana Māori transforms systems, creating spaces where Māori thrive on their own terms.
  • Our evidence-based interventions drive measurable change, delivering real results for whānau and communities.
  • Through authentic co-design, we create solutions that reflect the voices, needs, and aspirations of the people we serve.
  • By igniting a shared vision, we empower communities to lead their own transformation.
  • Our responsive, lived-experience-led approach ensures our mahi stays relevant, innovative, and effective.
  • We foster high-trust, mana-enhancing environments where whānau feel seen, heard, and valued.
  • Equity, diversity, and inclusion aren’t just values — they’re outcomes we embed into every project and partnership.
  • We grow confident, capable Wāhine Māori leaders by investing in their personal and professional journeys building capacity and capability where it matters most at the flax roots.
  • We increase Māori participation, leadership, and innovation in digital, tech, and social media spaces creating potent and powerful voices that are rewriting our narrative.


Mahi tahi

The Ask - Working together for greater collective impact


Unlock the power of authentic connection.


At Relative, we’re your strategic partner in creating impactful communications and engagement that resonate deeply and drive meaningful change. We bring a unique blend of cultural insight, technical excellence, and real-world experience to every kaupapa — helping you engage with Māori communities in ways that are tika and pono, effective, and meaningful.


Our strength lies in our people.

We curate a nationwide network of Māori creatives, thought leaders, coaches, and expert practitioners. Together, we deliver bold, beautiful, and mana-enhancing mahi that cuts through noise and connects with heart.


We also hold trusted relationships with key decision makers across the motu — in parliament, iwi, hapū, communities, and whānau — giving your kaupapa the reach, influence and impact it deserves.


If you’re ready to move beyond the surface and into meaningful impact, we’re ready to lead the way. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

Nāku te rourou Nāu te rourou Ka ora ai te iwi - With your food basket and your food basket the people will thrive

Ngā Whainga

Outcomes

What We Offer Our Partners, Clients and Community:

  • We create meaningful, lasting impact in communities often left behind—by designing solutions that resonate deeply from the inside out.
  • We build circular local economies by investing in wāhine-led enterprises and community-owned initiatives, ensuring that value stays where it's needed most.
  • We drive transformation through expert coaching, mentoring, and strategic guidance, empowering partners and communities to lead sustainable change.
  • We lead by example. Our values are lived daily—we embody integrity and authenticity in all we do.
  • We develop future leaders. Our commitment to rangatahi (youth) leadership ensures strong, resilient pathways for the next generation.
  • We are driven by data. Our kaupapa are evidence-based, continuously refined for the greatest possible impact.
  • Our kaupapa resonates. Every experience we deliver integrates Mātauranga Māori bringing our tikanga to life in simple and profound ways that drive transformative change.
  • We listen and evolve. Real-time feedback is built into our work, enabling us to adapt quickly and meaningfully like the Pīwaiwaka (fantail).
  • We strengthen relationships that matter. We work in partnership with Māori leaders, marae, iwi, hapū, and mana whenua—supporting cultural integrity and long-term success.



“Investing in Wāhine māori is imperative because they bring a unique perspective to decisions that affect people, land and resources. As Whare Tangata they link to whakapapa and whenua and are central to whānau, hapū, and iwi wellbeing.”

Willie Jackson.

CASE STUDIES

Te Pou Tokomanawa

Veeshayne Patuwai is Relative’s founder and Manging Director as well as the Kaihautu of our waka. Relative Limited is the cumulative embodiment and expression of over 30 years of experience in the communications and community development sectors. She is a business owner, founder, and mother of two daughters giving her skin in the game when it comes to the realisation of wāhine actualising their potential.


Spending the first 15 years of her career at Ngāti Whatua owned radio station Mai FM, Veesh was the first wāhine māori to win the Best New Broadcaster Award for two consecutive years. She was a presenter at Māori Television, and executive producer for their production company Mad Ave Studios. She has worked in film, television, radio, and corporate and community led communications.


Veesh has spent the past decade developing award winning empowerment programmes for wāhine. The most recent being the establishment of Mana Wāhine Aōtearoa (MWA), the largest community of wāhine māori in the country. The network of over 29,500 wāhine is the power and potency of Relative Ltd and is the basis of our innovation and execution. She is currently co-designing the bicultural module of the flagship program “Breakout Leaders” with Global Women.

MWA builds on the foundation of a wide eyed young girl from the sticks, who came to the big smoke, got an opportunity and turned it into an award winning career spanning more than 30 years. Growing up in Moerewa, has embedded within Veesh a staunch unwavering commitment to serve our most vulnerable communities. This lived experience allows her to connect and communicate with those that the system finds most difficult to engage with and serve effectively. Coming from the hood and thriving despite all of the odds provides a role model for other wāhine to do the same.


If we can see it we can be it. This is at the heart of our mahi and is expressed and amplified in all that we do.

Mana Wāhine Aotearoa is

  • A supportive community and network for and by Wāhine Māori
  • Designed to empower, elevate, and enable wāhine to learn our ancestral mātauranga, reo, and tikanga
  • A sacred space for wāhine to belong, vibe, learn, connect, share and grow in a supportive high value community.


Mana Wahine Aotearoa provides tools that empower wāhine to be seen, heard, understood, honoured, and celebrated. We create meaningful connections to our whakapapa, our identity, and the essence of who we are as mana wāhine. Through transformative experiences, we offer a scaffold for wāhine to rediscover and nurture their inherent strength, identity, and mana. We hold space for wāhine to stand in their full power—capable, confident, and mana-full.