Oratoa Mauriora ki Poneke is a kaupapa Maori Alcohol and Drug service for Rangatahi (youth), based in central Wellington. The service essentially provides support and counselling to rangatahi needing assistance with alcohol or drug issues or addictions.

The Wellington service, which has been operating since October 2003, provides two alcohol and drug counsellors, Maynard Gilgen and Peter Mellars. A social worker, Reihana Ngatoroi, is also available to assist Maynard and Peter with their on site counselling and support for clients referred to the service through other social or health organisations.

In conjunction with the delivery of counselling and support, Oratoa Mauriora also facilitate a Waka Ama Information Technology Programme (WAI-tech) for rangatahi in the Wellington region. The programme facilitators, work with schools and colleges through out Wellington. Clients or students to this programme are chosen by their attending schools.

The programme contains components where students are taught tikanga, whakapapa, waiata and kapahaka, as well as receiving practical lessons in Waka Ama paddling. The main focus of this programme is to deliver a service to rangatahi that teaches them mauriora values of their tipuna (ancestors), it further helps them to realise alcohol and drug use and abuse can make it difficult to succeed in today’s world. The Waka Ama component of the programme is a method of providing the rangatahi with a tangible understanding and appreciation of how their tipuna (ancestors) came to Aotearoa, and all the difficulties they would have faced in their expeditions.