A holistic whānau-centred oral health programme aligned with the Whānau Ora approach (which empowers families as a whole). We recognise that oral health is a whānau affair – habits and attitudes are shared at home. Under the Whānau Ora Dental Plan, Kaitiaki Niho offers family consultations where multiple family members can attend appointments together or back-to-back. We create personalised whānau oral health plans – for example, scheduling “whānau check-up days” where parents, kids, and grandparents all get seen in one visit, making it convenient for the whānau.

We provide nutritional guidance for the whole whānau (like healthier kai choices to prevent tooth decay) and at-home oral care training, so everyone can support each other. Our team can also connect families with other health and social services if needed (such as smoking cessation support or diabetes checks) in the spirit of treating the whole person and whole whānau. The plan is not an insurance scheme, but rather a coordinated care approach: we partner with Whānau Ora navigators and use their frameworks to ensure our dental care contributes to broader whānau wellbeing.