The first time Paul Stanley visited the Waipareira Trust, he was a young man down on his luck and in need of help.
The West Aucklander of Ngaiterangi, Tainui and Croatian descent was also in need of a bit of "attitude readjustment".
Fourteen years on and the once rebellious teenager
has returned to the West Auckland social service provider, as trust health and social services general manager.
And he acknowledged his new appointment would not have occurred had it not been for the guidance he received 14 years earlier.
It was the strong guidance from the late Jack Wihongi, respected kaumatua and trust founding member, that set him on the right path.
"He took me under his wing when I was a bit of a rebel," Mr Stanley said.
Armed with financial support and better direction, what followed was an impressive and diverse educational and career path.
That included a masters degree with honours, appointment as a gambling commissioner, chairman of Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health Organisation, becoming a weapons and explosives expert, a prison officer, community worker, policy adviser, researcher, lecturer and most recently operations manager for Tauranga-based iwi Ngaiterangi.
Trust chief executive John Tamihere said Mr Stanley's appointment was crucial to bringing new blood and direction into the trust.
"Paul is well known in health circles and he will be overseeing the integration of our services," he said.
The appointment follows the launch of a family management plan being tested in low-decile West Auckland schools. Mr Tamihere said the programme was tasked with identifying at-risk children and connecting with their families to ensure they were accessing social services and support networks.
"If a child is turning up to school with no food or clothing, or is showing clear signs of abuse, we will follow their support back to the family."
Mr Stanley's appointment ends a rapid decline in staff numbers at the trust, which had to make drastic cuts to stem losses of around $2.5 million a year. In July about 50 jobs went.
Mr Tamihere was confident the trust would be out of debt by mid-December.
