27th October 2021 / 10.00 AM via Zoom
1.0 Attendees
| Jan Wallace – PCA Bridget Davies – Well Woman Sophie Parish – Labour MP Office Julie Mariu – Vision College Ricarada Pickstock Shona Patterson CMDHB 2.0 Apologises Judy Boyd | Anne Doddrell – GRG Judith Tucker – CNF Kumeroa Phillips – Huakina Development Trust Robyn Hoffman – Disability Connect Nikki de la Rosa – School Start First Impressions Pania Wilson | Sonny Dhesi – Pariwaar NZ Lesh Dhesi – DIA Liz Tupuhi- CLM Community Sport Helen Pullman – Pukekohe Youth Centre Louise Edwards – FFS Cherie Milne – CNF Amanda Rich – Huakina Development Trust |
3.0 Welcome
Jan Wallace welcomed everyone to the zoom meeting with a Karakia.
4.0 Guest Speaker – Sonny Dhesi – Pariwaar New Zealand – https://pariwaarnewzealand.org.nz
Sonny Dhesi is one of the trustee from Pariwaar New Zealand had been invited to be this month’s guest speaker. He has been involved in volunteering and working in the community for a long time. The board of Pariwaar New Zealand is made up of like-minded individual with a wealth of experience from both the business and not for profit sectors.
The word Pariwaar means family and Pariwaar New Zealand is a charitable trust that is run by volunteers. It is a community-led organisation that provides a platform; to empower families to be resilient, to foster a sense of belonging, culturally assimilate into our society and embrace New Zealand’s cultural values. Mostly through on-line programmes, although the programmes are ethic based we encourage participation from the wider community by creating an inclusive environment. Pariwaar New Zealand works with minority ethic and Pacifica people providing workshops and engagement activities in an inclusive and non-religious environment and using local venues in the Franklin area.
The need was identified following a crime in the Indian community that was driven by religious views. A consultation was held with local members in the Franklin and South Auckland area. They expressed their views that there was a lack of programmes that cater for minority and activities in an inclusive environment in the Franklin and South Auckland region. Similar services may exist but there may have an underlying element of promoting religion or some essence of religion being held in religions centres. Our programmes are community lead and have a wider community involvement and benefit, aiming to collaborate with existing service providers.
Our aim is to reduce social isolation for minority ethnic groups in the Franklin area, promoting connectiveness with the wider community and helping them to feel empowered to contribute.
Some of the challenges for new immigrants are:
- Creating a new social network
- Learn how the systems work, particularly hard if English is not first language
- Health literacy not being available in other languages
- People are not aware of what services are available and where to go
- Often hard to meet new people due to language barrier
- What mental health services are available, language barrier may stop people from looking for assistance
- Trust issues – can be hard to encourage people to come forward and get involved
- Zoom has made it easier for people to connect rather than in person as they are in their own environment, and it may not be as hard as face to face.
- Immigration issues where people may have been an overstayer and may have been here for many years and have NZ born children
5.0 How do you make your space more welcoming to all?
There are also of information on Auckland Council website which lists the events that are being celebrated, with resources on organisations can plan activities. Collaboration between groups to celebrate special events i.e. various language weeks, celebrate with an appropriate opening for the meeting or greeting people using the relevant language being celebrated.
6.0 What is happening in the community in this latest lockdown?
Anne Doddrell – Grandparents raising grandchildren – Our main challenge during this lock down is grandparents having to assist the grandchildren with school work and the children being around home all the time, with them missing the social interaction they get at school and the different challenges of handling lockdowns.
Liz Tupuhi- CLM Community Sport – We are giving out Whanau packs particularly for families with limited resources or are in hard to reach areas. The packs are age appropriate and contain balls, chalk, resource card and other items that will keep the children active. There is a simple form to nominate people to receive the packs.
Nikki de la Rosa – School Start First Impressions – Our organisations operates on a referral process, and these referrals come from front facing community organisations, Plunket, Tamariki Ora, ECE’s, who have identified the families. Over this lockdown School Start First Impressions have completed an impact study, using the JR McKenize Trust resource https://www.jrmckenzie.org.nz/resources/p/understanding-your-impact, and one of the groups that is not supported well enough, not through choice, is Asian and Indian families. This has given the organisation the opportunity to go back to the community organisations to address this.
Julie Mariu – Vision College – We are working on-line working with student aged 16+, covering Pukekohe up to East Tamaki. We are currently making sure that our students are being contacted through our pastoral care and tutors. We are an education provider but need to work with community group that are metal health providers. We are sending out food parcels and also wellness packs with letter of encouragement and providing contact numbers.
Sophie Parish – Labour list MP support – We have been busy directing people to agencies that are providing food parcels. Of concern at the moment for the constituents is mandates where there is little information in the media. If social service community groups are working on a project and looking for funding Sophie may be able to arrange a meeting with Anahila Konongataa-Suisuiki who can then direct the community group to the relevant ministry. Currently accepting applications for 16-18 year old high school student to become a youth parliamentarian from March to August 2022 are being taken.
Kumeroa Phillips – Huakina Development Trust – Our service is on promoting healthy homes in the areas of Waiuku, Pukekohe, Pukekawa, Papakura, and Takanini. We do an assessment to see if the homes is healthy and help people to understand what the impact of an unhealthy home is on children.
Helen Pulman – Pukekohe Youth Group – Have continued counselling via zoom during lock down and also keeping in contact via phone calls. We have been giving out food parcels and during normal times provide lunches to schools.
Jan Wallace – Pukekohe Community Action – We are continuing to deliver lots of food parcels, referral are through other social service agencies such as Plunket. We have been able to continue running playgroup on-line, having a musical item, show how to do a craft, share a story with the children and there is a chance for parents to chat. Unfortunately the other groups have not been able to continue, Selwyn Group, Seasons & the First time mums group.
The meeting was closed by Jan Wallace at 11.35.
Next meeting will be 24th November – 10.00am to 12.00pm