Tommy Wilson: Let's support TECT

Our team at TTW took a Christmas break when we could, last week aboard "Providence". Photo/Supplied.

One of the most common questions asked at this time of the year (besides how are you handling the hot weather?) is: "Did you have a good break at Christmas?"

The answer to the first one is easy. "I love the heat, and before you can say feijoas and jack frost it will be winter, so soak it up and get your annual dose of vitamin D".

The second question comes with a boomerang frown given the homeless don't have a holiday at Christmas, and that puts our team at TTW in the same picture. We take our Xmas break when we can, and did so last week aboard Providence, my Ngati Skippy mate Chief Wherowhero's flash waka.

This is a testing time for the homeless, as it is for all organisations who offer providence to people. To dress up in culturally cool costumes and let our hair down, was like unloading a huge backpack of other people's problems and sending them out to sea on Tangaroa's tide off Rabbit Island.

As my staff said all day: "This is epic!"

Given providence means to take care of and provide for your people, it was very much part of the other kaupapa (cause) we supported this last week, when one of our backbone supporters in TECT was seeking support for future proofing the providence they provide for those who need it most in the community of Tauranga Moana.

In a world where instant gratification and self-centred satisfaction is shaping society, it is crucial if not critical we hold on to the taonga (treasures) like TECT, Bay Trust, Acorn, Legacy and other community kingpins who provide the lifeline for us to hold on to when helping rescue those in need.

The very existence of NGO's like ourselves who have been operating since 1990 is reliant on the koha they receive from the likes of TECT, not to be confused with their mothership Trust Power - a totally separate waka who are much more commercially focused.

As far back as 2002 the wise words of our much-respected Kaumatua Colin Maugapohatu Bidois, spoken in a letter of support of the TECT taonga, are very relevant today. When recognising the benefits for tangata whenua by developing a healthy relationship with potential funders, Colin understood how organisations like Te Tuinga, who are at the front line of fighting homelessness and sowing seeds of hope and providence for Maori, needed the support of TECT.

For all of us who stand for something, at the risk of falling for anything, retaining our sense of community, in my opinion, is everything. The korowai (cloak) of our community is woven together by providence, and each strand or feather makes up this treasured taonga, and all of us can give something to add to the fabric of our societal korowai.

To keep TECT as our taonga will ensure the longevity of loyal organisations who step forward and stand up for those who struggle to stand on their own.

For some, the annual TECT cheque is a green card for self-indulgence. For others, it is a godsend for Christmas gifts. This year $2,500 will go a long way to brightening up the budgets of many homes - if it is spent wisely.

As for the big bonus come September, I have put the challenge out to our marae. I will koha (donate) my TECT cheque to our marae if 50 others will tautoko (support). This will give us $125,000 putea (funds) to fix up our marae and ensure it can continue to be the cornerstone of our hapu and iwi - alongside the other 25 marae in the wider rohe of Tauranga Moana.

There are so many positive opportunities to be part of by pooling the bonus payout and hopefully put in place a platform to build on if the TECT proposal is approved.

As the consumer pack states: "This is a once in a lifetime transformational opportunity to effect meaningful change in Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty."

Providence as it is in this proposal only sails by when the tide is turning in the right direction, and the waka is in the water.

All aboard whanau, let's tautoko/support TECT so they may tautoko Tauranga Moana.

Tommy Wilson is a best-selling local writer. broblack@xtra.co.nz