The Pulse's future must be secured

The Raumanga community can no longer use this pool on the site of the old Raumanga Primary School.

It would be disastrous if services provided by The Pulse cease or are reduced because of impending lease and land changes.

The Pulse is one of those Northland groups that embodies the Maori whakatauki "Kāore te kumara e kōrero mō tōna ake reka (The kumara does not say how sweet he is)."

It is a youth and community epicentre, where services ranging from youth social workers to graffiti busters have been based over the years.

Staff from The Pulse quietly go about their business, with a kaupapa based around providing a one-stop shop for youth.

They are based on the former Raumanga Primary School grounds, which the Ministry of Education is subdividing and may sell off.

That means an uncertain future for The Pulse, which is so much more than a youth service.

At times, The Pulse has worked closely with its campus neighbours He Matariki Teen Parent School, in Raumanga, and Pulse staff are also involved with the running of Te Kakano, the child care centre for the kids of He Matariki students.

For the past nine years, The Pulse has also organised Christmas in the Valley - an annual community celebration.

And it's had a hand in making the old Raumanga Primary School pool a safe and happy place for local families to hang out in summer.

But this summer, the pool is closed and the future of The Pulse is uncertain, as the Ministry works through the future of the old school land.

Throwing a cloud over The Pulse's future has sent ripples of anger through the Northland community.

The work that is done by The Pulse is not work that gets shouted from the rooftops.

But it is work that changes lives, and it is work that is essential not just to individuals, but to the well being of the Raumanga community.

If the Ministry of Education has a duty to consider the best use of the Raumanga land that The Pulse sits on, then it equally has a duty to consider how the work of The Pulse continues with as little disruption as possible to the many people that its work is essential to.

Anything less is not acceptable.