Te Oranganui chief executive Wheturangi Walsh-Tapiata said the recovery phase will include ensuring people are receiving their entitlements.
Photo / File
Te Oranganui chief executive Wheturangi Walsh-Tapiata said the recovery phase will include ensuring people are receiving their entitlements.
Photo / File
KEY POINTS:
Whanau support will continue during next Covid level
Te Ranga Tupua collective will continue to provide community support when the Covid-19 response moves to level 1.
The collective, comprised of iwi leaders from the Rangitīkei, Ruapehu, Whanganui and South Taranaki regions, will ensure that whānau and the community at large continue to receive support through an 0800 number.
In March the iwi collective moved swiftly to establish a hub in response to the Covid-19 threat and its subsequent impacts.
Over that time, the hub engaged with approximately 6300 whānau. Food, hygiene, and care packages were distributed as demand dictated.
Te Oranganui redeployed 20 kaimahi (staff) to the onsite hub who in turn were supported by iwi organisations throughout the Te Ranga Tupua rohe.
"Now we are moving from response to recovery mode, we are focusing our effort on coordinating with state and community services to meet the ongoing needs of our people," Te Oranganui chief executive Wheturangi Walsh-Tapiata said.
"Demand for direct support has slowed, but the economic impacts of Covid-19 will be drawn out. We want to ensure that those in need receive the support that they are entitled to."
Walsh-Tapiata said the 0800 number will provide advice and advocacy for whanau and the wider community members struggling to access their entitlements.
Spokesman Gerrard Albert said Te Ranga Tupua has provided advocacy for iwi and community members during the Covid crisis and that will continue.
Photo / File
Te Ranga Tupua spokesman Gerrard Albert said advocacy had been an essential component of the support offered by the collective.
"The state must step up and support our community appropriately," he said.
Over the period of lockdown, Te Ranga Tupua maintained constant communications with its iwi members and advocated for the community across the ever-changing policy and legal environment of the pandemic emergency.
The support included advocating for greater numbers at funerals and tangi when alert level 2 was first announced.
Albert said the negative impact of the Covid-19 Public Health Response Act, which gave police and authorities increased powers to enter marae, papakāinga and houses without search warrants, was also addressed.
"Before the law was passed, we moved to speak with local police and authorities to secure an agreement that the new entry powers wouldn't be exercised and those authorities would work through hapū and marae leadership if an issue ever arose," Albert said.
"That is the power of advocacy and proactiveness."
Te Ranga Tupua continues to encourage the community to remain alert to the threat of the pandemic in our community
"We have done well but must remain vigilant to the ever-present threat of Covid-19," he said.
"Notwithstanding this, at this time I want to acknowledge on behalf of our iwi leadership the efforts of our kaimahi across the width and breadth of our iwi collective who did some amazing work over the past three months in an uncertain environment."
Albert said the workers went "above and beyond" to ensure that the people were looked after, from manning the hub, to phoning kaumātua, working on housing, communications, supply, finance and welfare issues.
"We are truly grateful for their selfless efforts," Albert said.
The 0800 202 004 number will be available from Monday-Friday, 8am to 5pm. After hours whānau and community members can leave a message, which will then be responded to in working hours.
