This week something very special happened.
On Wednesday morning I received a beautiful photo from Aukaha champion – the Manager of Health and Social Services – Chris Rosenbrock. [www.aukaha.co.nz]
“I wanted to share this picture with you that I took of the sunrise yesterday here in Dunedin, when I see scenes like this, I sometimes wonder what Helen would write about them. …. this photo reminded me of how one small thing such as watching the sunrise or set, a kind word, a kind look can make someone else’s day. That’s how I feel when I read your emails and hear the stories you tell of what other like-minded whanau are achieving. I sometimes don’t read your emails straight away leaving them till I need a bit of a pick me up or encouragement to keep going when a day has been challenging”.
It was such a burst of positivity and purpose; of passion and kindness. The feeling stayed with me all day, keeping me warm with the beauty of its intent.
I remember reading a rulebook once, which described how to find the joy within:
“For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you will never walk alone.”
It made me remember over 21 years ago, when our baby girl would soothe herself to sleep by pulling (tight) at my hair. Her chubby little fingers would grasp at a handful of hair, and we would both fall asleep, connected, close, loved and loving. The memory lingers, taking me back to such precious moments as we grew together, into the roles of parent and child.
The morning message from Chris reinforced to me how vital it is that we are able to share our stories together; to speak of love; to celebrate every little step our whānau make towards the future they seek to create.
Just across the street from Aukaha is Moana House, where our Navigator Coordinator, Huata Arahanga, this week caught up with the team that believes in – and achieves – transformation.
Moana House provides a residential therapeutic community for adult male offenders who want to change their lives. Many of the residents may also have a history of alcohol and/or drug abuse. Moana House provides a supportive family environment and a safe place to change.
Our newest Whanau Ora Navigator is based at Moana House. Tameti Teweti is also our first ever Kiribati Navigator. She will be focusing on supporting the whanau of the tāne that attend the Moana House residential programme.
Huata also caught up with the Whānau Ora Navigators and team at Corstorphine Hub in Dunedin. Corstorphine provides a community centre which is constantly humming with activity. From local gang members coming in to do so gardening or construction work, to kuia coming in for a cuppa, to local whānau collecting supplies from the free pataka kai – this is the epitome of Whānau Ora.
Vaccine rollout
While in Dunedin, it was so positive this week to hear some of the significant steps that Te Kaika is taking to ensure equitable vaccination within Māori, Pasifika and low income communities throughout Ōtākou/Otago.
Te Kāika is a partnership between Ngāi Tahu (Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou), Ārai Te Uru Whare Hauora and the University of Otago with support from Pasifika, low income and refugee communities. Te Kāika always acknowledges Te Pūtahitanga o Te Wāipounamu for providing the seeding funding to establish the vision of their communities to deliver their own high quality affordable health and social Services.
Some of the ideas Te Kaika is championing is to promote Rakatiritaka: A Māori led co-ordinated response. Like the roll out of swabbing and hygiene packages, which covered 2500 Māori households throughout Otago, more effective uptake of vaccinations can be supported via Te Kāika leadership with direct partnership with other Māori health providers throughout Otago.
Iti s also about Kotahitaka: Community inclusiveness and herd immunity. Te Kāika’s response, as an iwi led response, needs to be open to the wider community at sites of vaccination.
Registrations are now open for Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu Whānau Ora Annual Symposium 2021 in Otepoti 8 – 10 April, and we invite whānau to register via the following two ways:
WEB: please go to Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu website to register via this link:
https://www.teputahitanga.org/2021symposium
Or APP:
Download and register via the Symposium APP – via the following links.
Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu Ora App
Download app iOS link: https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/ora/id1455628967
Downlaod app Android link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=hr.apps.n207400511
Search: Te Putahitanga and look for the Ora App image as per below here
For all symposium enquiries please contact Michelle Branford, events@tro.org.nzor 020 41835664
Te Reo Matatini me Pangarau
In 2018 Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust contracted Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu to engage three schools in Ōtautahi to provide tailored numeracy and literacy initiative for tamariki that required support in this area. Te Pā o Rakaihautū, Haeata Community Campus and Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Waitaha participated in the initiative and the results for the tamariki showed vast improvement in the focus areas.
On 14 December 2018 Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu was then provided with an opportunity to engage an additional five schools over a three year period.
The schools that are engaged in this partnership are
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Te Kura Whakapūmau i te Reo Tuturu ki Waitaha trading as Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Waitaha;
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Te Pā O Rakaihautū;
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Haeata Community Campus;
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Te Whare Kura o Arowhenua – Invercargill;
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Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ōtepoti;
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Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Whānau Tahi;
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Pa Wananga – Blenheim;
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Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Tuia Te Matangi – Nelson.
Recently, two more schools have come on board: Te Kura o Arowhenua in Temuka; and Hapuku School in Kaikoura. The focus for all ten schools is threefold:
• Percentage of students with an improved attitude to their learning as a direct result of the initiative;
• Percentage of whānau who report increased engagement with the education of their tamaiti as a direct result of the initiative
• Percentage of schools /kura who can report a heightened sense of engagement with whānau as a direct result of the initiative.
For reporting purposes this quarter, however, we did something different. We commissioned digital stories from each of the original eight kura – to tell their story in film. While we are still fine-tuning the production, the following photos give an indication of just how enthusiastic and passionate our kura are – the kaiako, the tumuaki, the tauira and the whānau.
Christchurch
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Mondays, 11am-1pm (weekly) Starts: Mon, 15th February 2021
Rowley Resource Centre, 89 Rowley Avenue, Hoon Hay, Christchurch
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Thursdays, 12pm-2pm (weekly) Starts: Thurs, 11th February 2021
Te Puawaitanga ki Ōtautahi Trust
153 Gilberthorpes Road, Hei Hei, Christchurch
Call/Txt TERESA on 027-733-1829 for more information.
We also offer a pregnancy incentive programme to any pregnant woman in Canterbury to support you through a SMOKEFREE journey. Email: Teresa.Butler@omwwl.maori.nz
https://www.stopsmokingcanterbury.org.nz/meet-our-practitioners/
There was a really heart-warming story out of He Waka Tapu in Christchurch this week, demonstrating the generosity of people.
The article came from The Brotherhood: A network of good people providing practical donations for tāne in the Christchurch community.
“We recently received a request for clothing and underwear for two tāne. It was an urgent situation, as they were having to share clothing with other whaiora. So we put the call out, and two awesome wairua responded.
We received a bag of new undies and socks, and bags of new clothing and shoes from The Warehouse (specially ordered). This is a big deal for us to know that there are such supportive humans out there, and it’s a REALLY big deal for the tāne.
Keep an eye out on our Facebook page for fresh support requests”.
You are invited to a joint Waka Toa Ora and Child Poverty Action Group seminar:
Equity in early childhood education:
How can we improve children’s wellbeing?
Exploration of a local case study with Dr Mike Bedford, Senior Tutor in Health Sciences, Massey University
A CDHB case study of a Christchurch early childhood education setting was released in February this year. The study seeks to illustrate the urgency and complexity of issues faced by children and families in early childhood education and highlights the stories of three children. Read the full study here.
Jenni Marceau, Early Childhood Health Promoter at Community and Public Health will briefly introduce the study considering in particular:
• How are our children doing in Christchurch?
• What are we hearing from teachers?
Date: Tuesday 9 March 2021
Time: 12:45 to 2:15 pm
Location: Aldersgate Centre, 309 Durham Street (corner Chester Street West)
Register online here or email tracy.abbot@cdhb.health.nz
A calendar appointment will be sent following registration.
During the 2019 measles outbreak in Aotearoa, over 2000 people were infected and 700+ hospitalised. Pacific and Māori were particularly hard hit.
To prevent future outbreaks, DHBs are leading year-long campaigns across the country to give free measles immunisations (MMR) to people aged 15 to 30 years. These run July 2020-July 2021. PHARMAC sourced more than 350,000 additional doses of the MMR vaccine for the campaign. There are currently more than 430,000 doses of MMR vaccine in the country.
Measles is only a plane-ride or boat trip away. As countries around the world respond to COVID-19, many immunisation programmes have been paused including measles campaigns. When international travel recommences, Aotearoa is at risk of outbreaks of diseases like measles.
A number of people born in the 1990s and 2000s were not fully immunised when they were children. Back then, there wasn’t a national immunisation register to effectively track immunisations and some parents avoided immunising their children because of misinformation linking the MMR vaccine to autism. These people are now aged between 15 and 30 years. A number were impacted by the 2019 measles outbreak, with Māori and our Pacific communities particularly hard hit. Unless we improve immunity in this age group, many are at risk of catching measles and spreading it to others who can’t be immunised because they’re very young or have a disease that affects their immune systems.
Maranga Mai Te Waipounamu
This week Maranga Mai made it to Parliament.
Maranga Mai is excited to share the amazing perspectives of our rangatahi connectors from across Te Waipounamu. This is our creative digital platform! A ‘call to action’ by rangatahi, for rangatahi to rangatahi.
The call to action this week was around conversion therapy.
“Conversion Therapy includes a series of practices used in an attempt to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Not only is it unethical, but it has been linked to serious long-term mental health issues. Aotearoa should be a place where everyone is accepted no matter who you are or how you identify.
Maranga Mai Te Waipounamu supports our Rainbow whānau & communities. Rise Up Aotearoa and sign this petition to prioritise this piece of legislation”
Magic in the Air
Finally, the whole whare was buzzing last weekend at Tuahiwi Marae with the House of Shem wananga. Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu is so proud to have sponsored a number of the artists who took place, including House of Shem itself, Trinity Thomson-Browne, and Hone Hurunui (pictured). Friday night, they all got together and composed a waiata specifically for Tuahiwi Marae. This kaupapa attracted about fifteen rappers, singers, church goers, soloists and outright fans of House of Shem. We can’t wait to see the results come out across our airwaves…
