Urban Māori have been out gathering street intel from their communities. Photo / Supplied
Urban Māori have been out gathering street intel from their communities. Photo / Supplied
West Auckland urban Māori organisation Whānau Waipareira are delivering what their communities have been asking for - whanaungatanga and connection through a series of Whānau Street parties.
For the past six months Te Whānau o Waipareira have been visiting and gathering vital information from neighbourhoods from Henderson to West Harbour.Along with feeding and entertaining whānau at the impromptu street gatherings, the kanohi o te kanohi aspect is what has shaped this week’s community hui.
CEO John Tamihere said that approach has yielded some surprising results.
“Whānau want to feel safe in their own homes and connected to their communities. They have weathered Covid, floods and Cyclone Gabrielle along with the normal struggles in this current economic climate.
“Our people don’t want to go out of their immediate areas right now and I don’t blame them. To be effective we don’t rely on information being fed out of Wellington, we initiate engagement with whānau where they feel comfortable; in their homes and at their local recreational areas”.
Locations for the rest of the week's Whānau Street Parties. Photo / Supplied
Waipareira director of frontline services Irirangi Mako recognises the information they have been collecting is invaluable to providing the right support and resources.
“We earned the trust of whānau because we got off the phone, we stepped away from our desks and we walked those streets, sitting on their front doorsteps and listening to them. All up, since October last year, we have engaged with over 1200 different whānau who have shared their stories with us across 122 locations. This was done in addition to our daily workload because it is a priority and these parties are just the beginning”.
Six Whānau Street Parties start today, 10am until 3.30pm at Henderson Valley Park with kai, exercise classes, support services and kids activities, all of which will be at every event.
