Supporting Mangawhai
Words Sarah Bray | Images Jonny Davis
Mangawhai is now one of the fastest growing towns, in the fastest growing region in
New Zealand. In the past ten years, the local primary school enrolment at Mangawhai Beach School has skyrocketed from 250 to nearly 700 students, with more than 100 students requiring additional support due to disabilities or medical conditions.
Back in 2015, at the cusp of all of this development, a group of dedicated community members gathered around a kitchen table to address the increasing need for food assistance and support for older people in the area. Their response was the creation of Te Whai Community Trust.
Nine years on, Te Whai Community Trust is now the sole provider of comprehensive social services based in Mangawhai. The recent demographic shift has introduced a wide range of social needs, including increased demand for occupational therapy for children, counselling services, and support for rising issues like family harm and suicidal ideation.
The expanding family demographic brings new challenges for older people, youth, and individuals with disabilities, putting a spotlight on the rapidly increasing need for wide-reaching community support.
Kiri Eriwata, general manager at Te Whai, explains the range of services the Trust currently provides to those living in Mangawhai: “Along with our much-needed food baskets, we support older people to tackle isolation and loneliness, provide counselling and well-being coaching, social work, occupational therapy for children, youth work, parenting support, playgroups, driver training and Te Reo classes. Te Whai also acts as a hub for government services including WINZ and IRD clinics.
“In the 12 months from June 2023 to June this year, we carried out 3,262 episodes of service - that includes everything from visiting a lonely older person, providing driving lessons and well-being programmes, to clinical appointments for social services.
“We are so grateful for the generous support we currently receive from the local community, but the continued challenge we have is generating sustainable funding that will enable us to provide ongoing social services, at a time when demand is at an all- time high.”
To help build a thriving, healthy Mangawhai community, Te Whai has launched a selection of support packages for those who wish to contribute donations to the Trust. Ranging in price from $55 to $1,500, donations will help Te Whai continue to provide valuable services in Mangawhai.
Purchase a package and help strengthen Mangawhai’s community by visiting Te Whai’s website.