Atareta Kemp, Barnardos Gisborne social worker.
Seeing whānau achieve goals and “stepping into their own mana” are among the highlights of the job for Barnardos Gisborne social worker Atareta Kemp.
“The most rewarding part of my work is seeing whānau achieve their goals, stepping into their own mana, and finding peace and self-worth,” Kemp said.
“Sometimes it’s the small steps from within my mahi ... like a child that starts laughing again, or it could be whānau finding their own pathway forward. That means the most.”
Today is Aotearoa New Zealand Social Workers’ Day, which is marked by the Aotearoa NZ Association of Social Workers on the third Wednesday of September each year.
Kemp works across women’s safety programmes and the Footsteps to Feeling Safe [children’s safety programme] and Barnardos’ Leap social support service.
“I facilitate the safety programme ... supporting whānau and tamariki, women and children affected by family violence.
“These programmes help to increase safety, teach ways to manage conflict, connect our whānau with extra support and promote positive relationships.
“I also work with the children’s programme. That’s our Footsteps to Feeling Safe with tamariki.”
Kemp graduated as a social worker in 2014 after studying at Waikato University and doing bicultural social work at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
She began her career in Tauranga, then went to work in Tairāwhiti six years ago, where she is originally from, at Muriwai.
Her social work career included working at Family Works in Gisborne before she joined Barnardos in 2024.
She also works with whānau where parents have separated.
“My main mahi here is about empowering our people and connecting them with the right tools and services, and helping them to build positive relationships.”
She helps families affected by issues like trauma, poverty, mental health and addiction.
“It’s helping them navigate through. Often our children, our whānau, they already hold the solutions. So my role is to help them realise their full potential ... knowing that I can make a small difference in someone’s life, that keeps me coming back.”
Her work was rewarding, she said.
“Every day is different. You never know who you’ll meet or what their journey will be. I guess that’s why I enjoy that social work.”
The work also came with its own set of challenges, she said.
“Social work can be tough. It’s not easy. You see whānau go through very difficult situations.
“I guess for a lot of services the system is stretched, the family carry heavy burdens, right? There’s a lot of that going on. But the challenge also motivates me at the same time.”
Social workers were there to help, Kemp said.
“It’s not about praise. It’s to provide hope, support and practical help. And I think, that’s why Social Workers’ Day is important. It’s to pause and acknowledge the mahi social workers do.”
Kemp said social workers were there for compassion and advocacy and “standing up for our tamariki and our whānau”.
“It’s about celebrating the resilience of whānau we work with because they’re at the heart of everything we do at Barnardos.”
Those who need the services are put in touch with Barnardos in a variety of ways.
“They can either be self-referred, or they come through another agency, or we get the agency ringing us.”
A range of help and services are offered through Barnardos Aotearoa.
“It’s a children’s organisation working with tamariki and whānau to ensure every child in Aotearoa has the opportunity to thrive, no matter their circumstances.
“Our unique combination of social services and early learning provides the broadest range of child-centred services in Aotearoa,” she said.
“I really am humbled to be at Barnardos because I’ve got a really good team here.
“The values we’re brought up with — kotahitanga and manaakitanga — guide everything I do.”