Oprah Winfrey is coming to New Zealand.
Henare O'Keefe, QSM, New Zealand's Community Hero of the Year 2012, foster father of more than 200 children and U-Turn Trust ambassador, sits opposite me. My mate looks tired. His KPIs with U-Turn is that he takes his annual leave.
Right from when I first started working with Henare, he has expressed how he would love to have Oprah Winfrey come to Flaxmere. I sit opposite him taking notes while he speaks. He describes how a voice came to him all those years ago "Bring Oprah to Flaxmere". He has even envisaged what she was wearing during her visit "purple, the colour of royalty. I can almost touch her."
For Henare, the desire to meet Oprah goes back nearly six years ago when he heard she was to visit Australia.
He approached the newly- elected Prime Minister John Key, who supported his idea to bring her to New Zealand. Mr Key apparently asked Tourism NZ to get behind a bid to bring her here. But Oprah did not come to New Zealand and Henare has never given up on bringing her here. He feels her visit to Flaxmere could provide a great opportunity for the community. So, Henare has written to Oprah to ask her to extend her visit to New Zealand in December to come to Flaxmere. The main reason he wants her to come here is to spread her powerful messages for/to our women.
Henare believes women are the cornerstone of the home and the community. He believes her messages have the ability to heal and to restore. Her words and presence could be a healing affirmation. Flaxmere needs mothering - it needs a matriarchal touch.
He believes Oprah could show us what it is she has been through and how she has been able to rise above her past. He tells me his letter to Oprah describes how Flaxmere creates the gaze of the media for all the wrong reasons.
"We cannot remain victims of our past. We need to somehow take total responsibility for ourselves and for our actions. There are so many positive stories and good people that reside and originate from Flaxmere. Oprah has such an amazing profile. She has the ability to spread good will wherever she goes. She uplifts, she inspires. Poverty is about justice. And I am not talking about financial poverty. I'm meaning poverty of giving loving caring sharing benevolence patience forgiveness and understanding. We need a hand up not a handout."
Henare has always admired Oprah from afar. He readily takes in her messages.
"She confirms a lot of my feelings - serve without want or reward. Her story is really deep and sincere. Her testimony is the bridge that will walk across her heart to ours."
He tells me the mere thought that she may come is exciting.
We discuss how we all need to have aspirations and dreams. Te Aranga has aspirations to own the Flaxmere HNZ houses. We believe by building trust with these families we will be able to support them towards achieving their ambitions.
For those of you who are hoping to influence her visit - sorry, Henare has every detail of her 24-hour itinerary planned. Her visit includes a powhiri to Te Aranga Marae where the schools and community will come out in force. A discussion and welcome in the whare and then a visit to our much loved Te Aranga Community Garden. Describing the history of the garden will be important. These community gardens grew from an unfortunate act of violence. A positive outcome from a negative situation. Her time will also include a visit to the Flaxmere Boxing Academy where the majority of our members are women. These women are our community champions. Our U-Turn Trust community initiatives have all been developed as a result of community request. For the community by the community, with no government intervention.
Those letters to the editor that boo-hoo Henare's dream make me smile. Having worked with Henare for the past 18 months, I believe if anyone can do this, Henare it will be you. We all need a dream to aspire to.
-Ana Apatu is chief executive of the U-Turn Trust, based at Te Aranga Marae in Flaxmere.