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WHARE
LUMANAI
Whare Lumanai is an integrated, whenua-based learning and wellbeing environment designed to support rangatahi who are disengaged from mainstream education, not currently attending school, or at high risk of long-term exclusion. It brings together alternative education, mentoring, therapeutic supports, and cultural practice into a single, cohesive model that responds to the real needs of rangatahi who have not been well served by traditional systems.
Participation in Whare Lumanai is referral-based and long-term, recognising that meaningful change for rangatahi takes time, consistency, and trust. Entry is determined by readiness, safety, and commitment, ensuring the environment remains supportive and appropriate for all participants. Rangatahi are supported to re-engage at a pace that prioritises regulation, relationship-building, and personal responsibility.
WHARE LUMANI: THE STRUCTURE
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Alternative Education
At the core of Whare Lumanai is an alternative education pathway that provides rangatahi with structured learning in a non-traditional setting. Learning is delivered in small groups and one-to-one contexts, allowing education to be adapted to individual needs, learning styles, and emotional capacity. The focus is on re-engagement, routine, and rebuilding confidence in learning, rather than compliance with rigid systems that have previously failed many participants.
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Mentoring and Life Coaching (Whenua-Focused)
Mentoring at Whare Lumanai is deeply connected to the whenua and everyday lived experience. Rangatahi are supported through mentoring and life coaching that focuses on identity, emotional regulation, responsibility, and decision-making. Learning is relational and practical, helping rangatahi understand the impact of their choices and develop the skills needed to move safely and confidently through the world.
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Hands-On Life and Building Skills
Purposeful, hands-on activity is a central part of regulation and learning. Rangatahi engage in building, maintenance, and practical life skills, where effort, follow-through, and accountability are required. These activities support emotional regulation through movement and focus, while also building tangible skills, pride, and a sense of contribution.
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Equine Mentoring and Animal Support
Equine mentoring and animal support are key components of the Whare Lumanai model. Working alongside horses and other animals supports rangatahi to develop emotional regulation, calm leadership, boundaries, and awareness of non-verbal communication. Animals respond honestly to behaviour and energy, providing immediate feedback that helps rangatahi learn self-control, patience, and trust in a way that words alone cannot.
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Rongoā Cultural Knowledge
Cultural knowledge, including Rongoā practices, is woven throughout Whare Lumanai. Rangatahi are supported to reconnect with cultural understandings of healing, wellbeing, and identity. This strengthens their sense of belonging and helps them understand themselves within a wider cultural and whakapapa context.
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Rongoā Cultural Practices
Rongoā , Mahi Toi and other cultural practices are used intentionally to build focus, patience, completion, and pride. These practices teach rangatahi to slow down, work carefully, and see tasks through to completion. The process reinforces self-worth and respect for cultural knowledge while supporting fine motor skills, concentration, and emotional regulation.
Bringing it together
Together, these elements form a holistic, whenua-based model where education, wellbeing, culture, and lived experience are inseparable. Whare Lumanai does not isolate learning from life; instead, it supports rangatahi to grow through connection to land, culture, responsibility, and relationships — creating pathways toward stability, confidence, and long-term positive outcomes.
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Location
Whare Lumanai is Snapback Academy’s community-based alternative education and wellbeing hub, located in Ashhurst, at the foothills of the Tararua Ranges. It provides a culturally grounded, trauma-informed environment for rangatahi who are disengaged from mainstream education and are often described by agencies as among the most complex and high-risk in the region.
"Whare Lumanai: Where Rangatahi Reconnect, Regulate, and Rise"
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