Christmas Appeal 2023: How Northland people can help the Taimahi Trust

The Taimahi Trust team at their Taimahi Fresh + store in Whangārei. Photo / Karina Cooper

To celebrate Christmas, every day for 12 days the Advocate is sharing with readers a Northland charity or organisation that supports those in the community. In turn, you can learn how best to help them this festive season. Today we speak to the Taimahi Trust.

Seven years ago, Whangārei mum Rachel Hill was determined to find meaningful work for her son with Down syndrome. Today, her plight for one child has led to employment opportunities for many.

Hill began her mission by purchasing a coffee cart with which she taught her son and his friends to provide coffee at the Northland Regional Council’s Driver Reviver fatigue stops at Uretiti.

Taimahi Trust people co-ordinator Tari Stowers said this had a positive impact on the group as they learned new skills they could practise in a meaningful context and interact with others.

The venture’s success led Hill to team up with mum Alison Faithfull, whose son, too, had Down syndrome. The duo called on their backgrounds in business management, health and psychology to eventually establish the Taimahi Trust in 2017.

The aim of the trust is to provide training for individuals with learning disabilities to prepare for the transition to employment.

“Taimahi is more than just a charitable organisation. It is a community hub dedicated to empowering individuals with learning disabilities,” Stowers said.

In 2019, funding from the Provincial Growth Fund allowed Hill and Faithfull to set up a home for the trust in Bank St. The base houses a fresh-produce store, commercial kitchen, and herbarium.

Stowers said the spaces provided a hands-on learning environment that fostered practical skills, emotional intelligence development, independence and personal growth.

The Taimahi Fresh + store offers first-hand retail experience as trainees develop their customer service, communication, merchandising and retail skills. Lessons learned in the commercial kitchen include food preparation, cooking, food and kitchen safety, skill development and teamwork. Whereas the herbarium provides a unique space for exploring horticulture, plant care, and environmental awareness.

“Through applied workplace training and financially sustainable enterprises, Taimahi aims to attract, train, and eventually employ young school leavers with intellectual disabilities,” Stowers said.

“The vision is clear — there are real jobs in diverse businesses that fully embrace people with learning disabilities as viable workers.”

While Taimahi is supported by grants, the micro-businesses create the true difference.

“The small margins they make are reinvested back into these businesses, ensuring the continuity of opportunities for people with learning disabilities,” Stowers said.

So this holiday season, people can help make a difference by simply visiting the store and enjoying the array of fresh produce, speciality pies, baked goods, or sipping on Taimahi’s unique Cognition coffee blend — all providing good bang for your buck.

Alternatively, people are able to donate to the trust via its Givealittle page.

“Your support will not only contribute to the sustainability of this initiative, but also help in creating a more inclusive and supportive community,” Stowers said.