Working alongside tāngata whai ora and whānau with complex needs - Engagement summary

Local data and feedback from support workers and employers indicate health and social challenges are becoming more common, which may be contributing to more complex needs and demand for services.

To better understand how this impacts support workers’ learning and development needs, Te Pou conducted online focus groups in November 2025 with managers of mental health and addiction NGOs, team leaders of support workers, and learning and development leads. Participants provided insights into what complex needs means for their service, their biggest challenges related to complex needs, the knowledge and skills required by support workers, as well as the learning formats or resources that would be useful for support workers.

This paper presents key findings from the focus groups and a literature scan undertaken to better understand the learning and development needs of support workers responding to the complex needs of tāngata whai ora and whānau. Findings will inform the development of new learning resources for support workers by Te Pou.

A note on language and terminology

For the purposes of this paper, complex needs or complexity refers to the interaction of multiple factors that can influence individual wellbeing and access to quality support, as well as the depth and breadth of support required. This includes a range of health/medical, social, service and system factors that contribute to wellbeing and quality of life. Complexity is more than just experiencing multiple challenges; it’s about how those challenges interact and make it harder for tāngata whai ora and whānau to access the support they need.

While this paper uses the term ‘complex needs’, it is important to acknowledge that it does not align with strengths-based language as it does not reflect the complexity that stems from systems and the wider environment. All people are complex, as well as support work. So, it may be useful to consider more strengths-based terms such as ‘people facing adversity’ or shift the focus to ‘holistic wellbeing’.