Essential business giving back to our community

Essential business giving back to our community

By: Brenda McQuillan, Pūkenga Manaaki CAMHS - Whakatū (CAMHS Navigator - Nelson)

Nelson Community Food Bank Trust had been running for more than 20 years. We deliver food parcels to whanau experiencing hardship in the Nelson area. We are a partnership of six organisations, BUWT, Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paul – Nelson and Stoke, Te Piki Oranga and Whakatū Marae.

Since the lockdown came into effect we have been four times busier, the organisation's reach had expanded beyond central Nelson. We rely on the generosity of our community. The Food Bank is staffed by volunteers and funded by individuals, trusts and local businesses. The kai in our food parcels is designed to last a whanau or individual up to three days. We purchase 80% our ingredients, including meat and vegetables. We also include donated kai and grocery items. Below is an example of a parcel for a whanau of three.

Local businesses donate goods as well, we have received honey, potato chips, cheeses, treats, vegetables, and meats. Over the past year the NCFBT delivered approximately 108 parcels per month from requests from the partner organisations.

In a normal five-day week, Te Piki Oranga, Whakatu, would request between 3 – 5 parcels. The week 01 April to 08 April, NCFBT was only delivering three days per week, Te Piki Oranga requested 17 food parcels for 53 Whanau. Overall NCFBT food parcel requests have increased by 300%.

The NCFBT has also linked in with the Civil Defence Welfare Group, NCC and TDC, we have partnered with the DHB Te Oranga Alliance, delivering over 100 parcels to whanau at Franklyn Village.

We have also partnered, temporarily, with the Homelessness Sub-group to deliver food parcels to the Homeless whanau in temporary accommodation – we have been asked to supply up to 50 parcels per week. The Civil Defence Welfare Group have donated the use of the Trafalgar Park Pavilion temporarily as we have passed capacity at our current shared premises with Nelson Environment Centre.

Sturrock and Greenwood refrigeration have donated a walk-in freezer for us to use during the increased demand. One of the realisations I have come to, is that we will never return to our previous small size, we need to expand to include Richmond, and we need to look at inviting more partner organisations to join us.

The team behind this amazing mahi are our treasurer, Megan Familton, she is carrying out the coal face mahi, packing parcels, shopping for groceries and coordinating volunteer drivers to deliver the parcels. She has been ably assisted by our previous co-ordinator, Delwyn Donaldson. Behind the scenes we have our volunteer fundraising guru, Eddie Lewis, he is a funding application machine. We have another volunteer, Vince van Beek, he crunches all our numbers and manages our stats, his job is particularly challenging at this time. And I am the current chairperson, representing Te Piki Oranga.

Covid-19 Homeless wellbeing response team

Covid-19 Homeless wellbeing response team

On the 25th day of March 2020 at 11:59 pm, Aotearoa went into level 4 lockdown and many homeless whānau in Nelson, which included at least 50% Maori faced uncertain times.

The Civil Defence led a multiagency COVID - 19 Homeless Wellbeing Response team which included the Salvation Army, MSD, The Male Room, Public Health and Te Piki Oranga, who all worked alongside the Nelson Police. Within the first week of the lockdown, the team was able to relocate most of the city’s 70 odd homeless whānau from the streets into emergency accommodation. Food parcels, clothing, blankets and further wrap-around support was delivered to those affected by mental health, addictions, COVID - 19 related redundancies and those stranded in Nelson due to the lockdown restrictions. All have appreciated the warm, comfortable beds, food and support that was received, of which their gratitude is given to all the agencies involved.

Tony, an Alcoholic of 30 years and rough sleeper from the streets said, “I’m three weeks sober now, having all this support has given me the motivation, that maybe this is my chance to change. I want to do AOD counselling now. Mihi nui kia kuotou, e te Whānau o Te Piki Oranga”.

Dwayne who lost his job and became homeless said, “I was so stressed when I lost my job, I’ve never been homeless, I am so grateful to have a warm bed and have food. Kia Ora Whānau”.

Another anonymous whānau stated, “Thank you Te Piki Oranga, I lost my job, had nowhere to go, thank you so much, to be able to have food, clothing and blankets”.

Another anonymous whānau said, “I haven’t been homeless before, I haven’t touched drugs or alcohol for five years, now I split up with my wahine and kids, I went down-hill and hit the piss, but with this support you guys offer, I’m going to take this opportunity to seek AOD counselling and get back on my feet.

A whaea with her two sons stated, “We arrived in Nelson pre lockdown looking for mahi and a whare. But things changed with COVID, and we were forced to live in our car. Thank you for the emergency accommodation and kai”.

Dean, pictured in the photo below, best summed up what the majority of the homeless have expressed, “We are blessed to have all this aroha and support. Many of us are now thinking of the next step, this emergency accommodation is a good stepping stone, but it is a first step to go on to better things”.

Successful flu vax at Ūkaipō

Successful flu vax at Ūkaipō

By: Ricky Carr, Pūkenga Kaiwhakahaere - Wairau (Site Manager - Blenheim)

Tuesday, the 12th day of May dawned, and there were several people gathered at Ukaipo (Grovetown, Marlborough) from 8.00 am onward. Rangitane staff had been preparing the Ukaipo site in the preceding days for what was to become the most successful flu vax site that Te Piki Oranga has been associated with this season.

The venue owned and operated by Rangitane is situated in Grovetown between Spring Creek and Blenheim. Event's organiser Donna Grace had been in touch with Rangitane iwi regarding this vaccine clinic, there had been one hundred and five responses to the initial invitation, and as usual, we had begged & borrowed vaccines to ensure we had sufficient stock on hand to ensure no one was turned away.

The clinic was planned to commence at 10:00 am till 2:00 pm; however, we were in the middle of our karakia at 9:30 am when the first of 150 participants started arriving.

Marlborough PHO staff; Glenis McAlpine, Ange Mills, Christine Andrews and Victoria Leo were swabbing and delivering the vaccines. Te Piki Oranga staff; Mary Johnsen, Brenda Chilvers and Viv Tuhimata - Weke were supporting with logistics and administration. The Rangitane team were headed by; Nick Chin (CEO) Taylor MacDonald, Allan MacDonald, Kereana Norton and Elsie Elkington.

At about 2.00 pm, staff were thankful that there was a lull in the car park traffic, which enabled those assembled to have a hearty lunch kindly organised by Rangitane staff.

There have been several positive comments about the organisation of this clinic and how effective this made the whole process. Our thanks to both, Rangitane, MPHO and Te Piki Oranga staff for such a marvellous outcome.

While this was the largest of the clinics held during the lockdown, two further clinics were held in April at Waikawa Marae and in the Health hub carpark in central Blenheim. Overall, there were more than 300 vaccines delivered through these mobile clinic initiatives.

Wairua Hauora

Wairua Hauora

By John Tipene

I have spent most of my life in and out of the justice system, which included spending time in prison. In October 2019, I was fortunate enough to attend the Māori Tikanga Wannga run by Te Piki Oranga at Te Hora Pa in Canvastown.

Te Piki Oranga Māori Wellness Service has been supporting me with my hauora since I moved to Blenheim and have set me in a path of wellness. To be accepted into the wānanga, I needed to undergo an assessment to find out what I knew about topics such as manaakitanga, whanau, wairua, Atuatanga and many other Māori protocols, practices and processes. These Māori values were not new to me as I was brought up by my kaumatua and kuia as a young boy. As I grew older, I began to lose my way and therefore lost the things that my kaumatua and kuia taught me. I started using drugs and alcohol, which led to committing crimes to feed my addiction which in turn isolated me from my ancestors and the teachings of my tupuna and messed my life.

At the Tikanga Wananga I was able to reconnect with the values of the marae, our kaumatua Pita Pou and kuia Ngawhakaara led us through tikanga and kawa of the marae. We woke up before dawn to the sound of our kuia’s karanga and karakia from our kaumatua. We were able to listen to the first waiata of the manu as the sun started to rise.

Our tutor Sonny Alesana took us into “knowing who we are” by providing us with a session on pepeha, he guided us through a presentation on manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, atuatanga and our roles as males and our wahine were also guided through these same topics by our kuia. The wananga was very intense, but at the same time, we were able to relax with kapa haka and of course plenty of kai.

As I touched on at the beginning of this article, I spent time in prison as a result of abuse, sexual abuse, violence. I was a patched gang member; in short, I was a feared man. I suffered from mental health issues as a result of many years of drug use and neglected the teachings of my elders. My wairua, my connections to my marae, ancestors and those important aspects of who I become a burden to me, played with my wairua.

My Journey Back to Me At the conclusion of the wananga at Te Hora Pā, I was given the opportunity to meet with Ariki Te Wairemana. This meeting took place in Motueka. Pūkenga Manaaki Brenda from Te Piki Oranga supported me. I was apprehensive and anxious about the meeting. Sonny met us, and we entered Ariki’s whare. The instant I entered the whare, I was transported back to the days I spent with my koroua and kuia. Ariki was able to tell me things about myself and my ancestors that only I knew. We did karakia, we sang old waiata, we did mihi, but mostly we sat in silence, and I started to cry uncontrollably. I felt an overwhelming sense of relief, clarity and calmness that I had not felt for a long time. My stomach felt lite for the first time in a long time! I didn’t understand what was happening to me, but I knew that my journey to knowing and forgiving myself has begun. As a young boy, I was exposed to these taonga through my kuia, but I had no understanding of it. I know that my journey will have its challenges, and I know that not everything will pan out the way I want it. I know that there is a long list of people that I need to connect with to try and make right the wrong I had caused. I also know that my mental health will continue to be a barrier. Still, I do believe that my wairua healing has begun.

My goal is to wean myself from modern medication slowly. Then continue my journey into wellness through my culture, my artwork and continuing to work with my Te Piki Oranga whānau.