Te Rūnanga a Rangitāne o Wairau was first established in 1861 by Rangitāne leaders as a forum for representing early land issues caused by landlessness amongst the Māori of Marlborough. Since then Te Rūnanga a Rangitāne o Wairau has continued to provide representation and advocacy for Rangitāne iwi members across a range of social and political issues affecting Rangitāne o Wairau.

To further this commitment, the rūnanga has two Whānau ora Navigators whose role is to provide support for whānau to be self-determining. This includes facilitating and mentoring whānau to identify aspirations, and provide assistance to work out the steps to achieve these.

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