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Welcome to Hononga Hapori, our December New Plymouth update
Kia ora,
We know you will all be looking forward to the Christmas break, it has been a very busy year!
As we approach the end of 2024, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the progress we've made together. It has been a year filled with hard work, collaboration, and positive change, all made possible through the support of our customers, communities, partners, and stakeholders.
- Collaboration with key stakeholders across the Taranaki, Whanganui, and Manawatu region to deliver community development activities that enhance neighbourhood safety and empower communities by teaching new skills, such as learning how to grow kai and how to use this kai to cook delicious family meals.
- Our partnership with YMCA Taranaki, who manage the Leach Street community space in New Plymouth, is designed to bring people together, strengthen local connections and foster a sense of belonging for customers and community.
- The successful delivery of 200 new warm and dry homes across the region in 2024, providing whānau and individuals with a place to call home.
As we celebrate these achievements, we would like to thank everyone who has been part of this journey. We are proud of the partnerships we have developed and the difference we are making together.
As we look ahead to the festive season, we wish all our customers, communities, stakeholders and partners a safe and happy holiday. Check out our tips for keeping cool and safe this summer here.
We look forward to continuing our work together in the year ahead!
Ngā mihi,
Lauren Darrah
Stakeholder Relationship Manager – Kaitūhono
Community Engagement and Partnerships
021 870 792 or 0800 801 601 (ask to be transferred)
Marfell community gets inspired to eat well on a budget
We joined forces with Marfell Kindergarten and WITT to organise free cooking classes so that Marfell residents, including some Kāinga Ora customers, could get tips, tricks and inspiration for nutritious meals they could make for the whole whānau to enjoy.
Over three classes in November, Mike Sutherland, a chef tutor who teaches in WITT’s hospitality programmes, wanted the participants to gain some confidence in the kitchen.
Sam, Head Teacher at Marfell Kindergarten, says the feedback from the participants was really positive.
“These cooking classes were so empowering for our whānau, and I'm so proud of each of them. They enjoyed learning new skills and trying kid-proof recipes using different types of meat that are cheap to buy. All participants took the cooking home each week for their whānau to enjoy.”
Local students brighten holidays with handmade Christmas cards for the community
F-L-T-R: Cathy (Kāinga Ora customer), Lauren Darrah (Stakeholder Relationship Manager) and Sue (Kāinga Ora customer).
Local students spread holiday cheer by creating handmade Christmas cards for over 250 Kāinga Ora customers and neighbours across Taranaki, Whanganui, and Manawatū.
The initiative, involving schools like Carlton School in Whanganui and Parkland School in Palmerston North, was a heartfelt way to foster community spirit and bring joy to those who may not otherwise receive holiday greetings.
“This feels like an early Christmas for us,” said New Plymouth customers Cathy and Sue, who were delighted with their cards. “It is such an honour that local school students used their creativity and time to create this, and the cards are now sitting prominently on our kitchen tables. It makes us smile when we look at them.”
“We saw this as a beautiful opportunity for real purposeful consideration of others (one of our school values) and promoting kindness amongst our community,” adds Parkland School Principal Sonia Mudgway.
“Children of all ages across the school volunteered to make cards and wrote meaningful messages of hope and love to brighten the receiver's day. Our staff were keen to support this great initiative and saw it as a real-life way for our children to think of others, not just themselves, at this time of year.”
A new home for Christmas
More people and families in Taranaki, Manawatū and Whanganui will celebrate Christmas in warm, dry and healthy homes as we recently delivered new state homes across the region.
Raewyn manages the local team responsible for matching people from the Ministry of Social Development’s Housing Register with the new homes.
“We’ve been working hard to move as many families as possible into the new homes before Christmas. It is rewarding to know that more tamariki now have a stable home, feel safe and don’t have to worry about where they will be sleeping.”
Have a look through an accessible home
Across the Taranaki, Manawatū and Whanganui region, we have got a number of wheelchair accessible homes, which means they have additional requirements to support customers living with a disability.
For us, accessibility is about providing safe homes that enable our customers to live independently, invite whānau and friends to visit, and be part of their community without barriers.
So what makes an accessible home different from any other Kāinga Ora home?
Let's keep cool and safe this summer
As the summer sun shines bright, it is important to keep safety in mind while enjoying everything this season has to offer.
From protecting yourself and your whānau from UV rays to staying safe around water and fire. And with more activity around the home, it is also the perfect time to tackle any maintenance tasks to prevent small issues from becoming big problems.
Connect with us
Our community drop-in sessions are a great opportunity to come along and share your thoughts and ideas around how we can better support your communities and ask any questions you may have.
Date – Our first session of the new year will be held on Tuesday 21 January 2025. From then on, we will be there weekly on a Tuesday.
Time – Call in any time between 12pm and 1pm
Location – Leach Street Community Space, Ground Floor, Unit 1, 66 Leach Street
We would love to see you there!
Discover what's happening in your area by visiting our website
Our frequently asked questions and online interactive mapping tool are great ways to ensure you stay up to date with what’s happening in your area.
Pro tip – save both pages to your favourites tab now so you’ll always have the latest information at your fingertips!
Questions?
If you have questions or would like to discuss anything further, you’re welcome to contact me:
Lauren Darrah
021 870 792
For more information about our proposed developments in New Plymouth please visit – New Plymouth | Social Pinpoint or by scanning the QR code below:
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