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Rātū, 20 Oketopa 2026 | Tuesday, 20 October 2026
"Gahua auloa ke fakaako fakamalolō e Vagahau Niue"
Working together to diligently teach and strengthen Vagahau Niue
This week, we’re celebrating Niuean language, culture and heritage as Vagahau Niue Language Week runs from 18–24 October.
Across Aotearoa, schools and communities are coming together through language, cultural showcases and events to celebrate and keep Vagahau Niue thriving, more information and link to resources can be found here.
Local commissioning: by Porirua, for Porirua
How can local knowledge, relationships and resources work better together for whānau? Through our local commissioning discovery and design work with the Social Investment Agency (SIA), we’re exploring how communities can have a stronger say in the support and investment that shapes well-being in Porirua.
This week, local social sector executives met to discuss what matters most as we begin this journey together. Lealamanu'a Caroline Mareko's words, “the pathway to leadership is service,” grounded us in our shared purpose: serving and uplifting our community so that Porirua is the best place to raise a whānau.
This is the spirit we want to carry into local commissioning: by Porirua, for Porirua.
Our next steps include bringing people together around Community Resilience and Rangatahi Resilience, two priorities identified by our community and validated through the Porirua Community Leader's Forum.
Upcoming kaupapa group hui will be an opportunity to share experience, build connections and help shape collective action.
Community Resilience focuses on strengthening the connections that support everyday community well-being and help us respond together when challenges arise. Rangatahi Resilience focuses on creating the relationships, belonging, identity and opportunities that help young people thrive, particularly those navigating difficult circumstances.
Whether you bring lived experience, local knowledge, skills or an interest in contributing, we’d love you to be involved. Sign up through the relevant page below and we’ll send you the upcoming hui details.
We’ll also be hosting fortnightly community drop-ins, beginning Wednesday 21 October at 11am at Mungavin Hall. Come along to find out more about local commissioning, ask questions, and share your thoughts and ideas.
Your contribution will help shape what local commissioning could look like for Porirua.
Opinion piece by Dr. Isaac Smith
What we call a young person - can shape what happens next
On 25 September 2026, the Oranga Tamariki (Responding to Serious Youth Offending) Amendment Bill passed into law. It creates a new 'Young Serious Offender' designation and a military-style academy order for some young people who commit serious offences.
The law has prompted debate about how effective military-style academies are at preventing youth reoffending, and how the Young Serious Offender label might affect those who receive it.
Now that the law is in place, what can communities do about youth offending?
To answer this, we need to look at the whole system.
Picture an iceberg in the ocean. The tip floating above the surface is the only part we can see, and is what people react to first. This represents youth offending and the immediate responses to it. But this is just one small part of a much larger system beneath the surface.
Just below the waterline are the patterns. These are the circumstances that keep appearing when we view an issue over time. Many young people in contact with the justice system have navigated very challenging circumstances. According to a 2026 Ministry of Justice report, almost all children, and close to nine out of ten young people referred for a youth justice family group conference had previously been the subject of a care and protection report of concern.
Patterns like these are shaped by the structures and relationships around a young person. These include whānau, friends, schools, services, sports clubs, workplaces and neighbourhoods, and how they all connect and influence one another. This is where we can act. Addressing youth offending means looking beyond individual behaviours to focus on building environments where young people can find what they need to thrive, even when times are tough.
Deeper still, mostly out of sight, are the beliefs, values, and stories the whole system runs on. This is the deepest layer, and the hardest to see. A label built on a single act tells a narrow story. Research suggests that labels can influence how young people see themselves. When communities hold a hopeful, positive picture of who a young person is, and who they can become, they help them build their own powerful identities.
Helping young people chart a positive course means looking beyond the tip of the iceberg and paying attention to what lies beneath. So, when it comes to youth offending, instead of asking: "what do we do about these young people?", let's ask "what support, opportunities and stories can we create around them?" That's a question we can all help answer.
How you can get involved: Rangatahi Resilience Kaupapa Group
Resilience isn't about making Rangatahi tougher as individuals. It's about making the communities around them safer, stronger and accountable to what they need. Positive early experiences can counter the effects of hard times, and communities can help shape bright futures by creating the conditions for resilience, connection and opportunity. Small challenges might be weathered alone, but the more complex and overlapping the challenges, the more these conditions matter.
Rangatahi who encounter Aotearoa's justice system have navigated some of the most challenging circumstances of any young people, so we're focusing on those facing the roughest waters.
The Porirua Community Leaders' Forum has identified Rangatahi resilience as a priority area for collective action, and we're forming a group to act on it. As a starting point, we're exploring how our communities can help Rangatahi thrive through:
- Strong relationships: Having healthy relationships with whānau, friends, and mentors, and seeing healthy relationships modelled around them.
- Powerful identities: Knowing and feeling pride in who they are and where they come from.
- A sense of belonging: Feeling genuinely connected, safe, and valued within their communities and environments.
- Direction and purpose: Having the support, opportunities, and confidence to shape their futures and play a meaningful, valued role in their community.
The Rangatahi Resilience Kaupapa Group will bring together providers, iwi, community leaders and people with lived experience to share learning, tackle barriers to access and shape practical solutions.
If you'd like to be part of the solution, join us here.
Tū Rangatahi – Rangatahi for Rangatahi
Join Te Waka Whaiora for a free, rangatahi-led event supporting alcohol and other drug (AoD) awareness, mental health and suicide prevention.
- When: Wednesday, 25 November 2026
- Time: 10am–3pm
- Where: Te Rauparaha Arena, Porirua
Speakers with lived experience. Local Rangatahi services booths. Goodies and prizes to be won.
If your service or organisation is interested in being part of this event, contact Tyla: tyla@tww.org.nz.
See the flyer below for more information.
Each month we'll introduce a member of the Porirua Community Leaders' Forum (PCLF) Kaitiaki Rōpū
The Porirua Community Leaders’ Forum recently established a Kaitiaki Rōpū. The Rōpū provides strategic stewardship for the shared vision of making Porirua the best place to raise a whānau. Over the coming months we will introduce members of the Kaitiaki Rōpū and share more about the diverse perspectives, experiences and leadership they bring. This month we are introducing Aditi Tiwari.
Aditi Tiwari is a first-generation migrant wahine, youth advocate, public speaker, community organiser, and governance practitioner based in Porirua. She is passionate about strengthening communities by creating spaces where rangatahi and diverse voices are meaningfully represented in decision-making.
Aditi works in the community and not-for-profit sector as a Youth Engagement and Project Coordinator, where she leads initiatives that empower young people from diverse ethnic, migrant, and refugee backgrounds. She serves in a number of governance and advisory roles, including as Vice Curator of Global Shapers Wellington Hub, an initiative of the World Economic Forum; Central Area Councillor for New Zealand Red Cross; a member of Greater Wellington's Public Transport Advisory Group; and Regional Liaison for the Oceania-Caribbean Climate Alliance, covering Polynesia and Micronesia.
In 2025, Aditi also stood as a candidate in the Porirua City Council elections, driven by her commitment to ensuring young and diverse voices are represented in local decision-making.
As a young person living in Paremata, Aditi sees the beauty and strength of the Porirua community every day. She is committed to giving back through meaningful leadership and collaboration and is passionate about contributing towards the shared vision of making Porirua the best place to raise a whānau.
Please join us on Saturday 05 December, 1pm at the Porirua Community Leaders' Forum Hui where you can meet Aditi, and other members of the Kaitiaki Rōpū.
Reducing methamphetamine harm across Aotearoa
The new national F. Meth prevention campaign was launched in Porirua on Thursday 17 September. The campaign is part of the Government’s action plan to reduce methamphetamine harm across Aotearoa, with a focus on preventing people from trying meth in the first place, alongside efforts to disrupt supply and strengthen enforcement.
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says meth causes significant harm to individuals, whānau and communities, highlighting the importance of reducing demand and preventing use before it starts.
For more information, head over to the website here F. Meth
A brand new blood and plasma donor centre opens in Porirua
Donating blood and plasma is about saving lives and from 5 October, it will become more convenient for people living in the Wellington region.
NZ Blood Service are pleased to announce that a new donor centre is opening at 3 Heriot Drive in Porirua.
Their local team are looking forward to welcoming new and returning donors to the Porirua Donor Centre aimed at helping more people make a lifesaving difference through donation.
- Where: 3 Heriot Drive, Todd Park, Porirua
- What: Whole-blood and plasma donations
- When:
- Mondays and Fridays 7.15am - 2.30pm
- Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 12pm - 7pm
- Amenities: Free parking on-site, including EV chargers, plus a refreshment area with snacks and drinks
How to Book:
- Phone: 0800 448 325 (0800 GIVE BLOOD)
- Online/App: Book via the New Zealand Blood Service Booking Portal or mobile app
Community celebration event: To celebrate the new centre, NZ Blood Service are holding a special community opening event on 29 October from 5-7pm. Go along for some delicious kai, find out your blood type, and take a look around their new space.
Providers' Cuppa & Connect Wednesday, 21 October 2026
Join us for Porirua Providers’ Cuppa and Connect, our informal monthly get together. It's a great opportunity to connect with other Porirua providers, build relationships, and share information, ideas and insights.
Together we’ll create ways to make it easier for whānau to access the support they need without having to navigate the system alone.
Details:
- When: Wednesday, 21 October 2026 | 10am - 11am
- Venue: Mungavin Hall (Supper Room), Mungavin Avenue
No RSVP needed! Just drop in every third Wednesday of the month.
#kotahitanga #manaakitanga #PoriruaProviders
An invitation to a shared exploration of big questions
On Thursday, 29 October 2026 Wesley Community Actions' Te Hiko Learning Network will host a hui to explore the bigger picture of some of the mega trends happening in our community. And then dig into what the opportunities are.
Te Hiko prioritises learning and reflection - and experience shows it's more useful to do the learning with like-minded people.
The Te Hiko Learning Network is for people and organisations who want to:
- spark local community economic systems that truly value what makes people’s lives better
- understand and create the right conditions for those sparks by supporting the design of new community-led responses
- evaluate, measure and share knowledge about what we are all learning, and
- have a particular focus on building capability in the communities we all live and work in
If this kaupapa calls to you, please join Te Hiko Learning Network #8 hui.
- When: Thursday, 29 October. 9.30am - 12.30pm
- Where: Porirua Gospel Chapel, 88 Hereford Street, Cannons Creek
- To Register: email Kena Duignan: kduignan@wesleyca.org.nz
For more information see the invite below.
A FREE one-day workshop to increase your understanding & confidence in dealing with addiction and recovery
Addiction comes in many forms and impacts many of us - either directly or indirectly.
Addiction 101 is designed to help increase knowledge and understanding whilst reducing the stigma of addiction at home, work and everyday life.
Get a better understanding of addiction and recovery, and the confidence to respond supportively using skills you already have.
This training is open to anyone without previous training who wants to learn more about addiction and recovery. It's particularly useful for kaimahi working in social services or any role interacting with people, but also whānau who are impacted by someone else's substance use or behaviours.
- When: Friday, 20th November 2026. 9am - 4.30pm
- Where: Te Rauparaha Arena, Parumoana Street
- To Register: click HERE to register
- Cost: FREE including morning and afternoon tea
You can register via this on-line form or for more information visit this link or see the invite below.
This event is free to attend thanks to funding provided by Te Whatu Ora | Health New Zealand.
Your feedback is important to us. If you have any questions, concerns or comments, please email us at tewahitiakitatou@ngatitoa.iwi.nz
