Te Tairāwhiti-based Te Aka Ora is celebrating 21 years of supporting rangatahi across the rohe.
The social service organisation, based in Gisborne, began working with at-risk tamariki, building on work undertaken by Te Ora Hou, and eventually came under the umbrella of Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Tairāwhiti.
Te Ora Hou was a grassroots organisation involving community and church leaders working with rangatahi in a variety of ways.
Rev. Brent Swann, one of the original board members of Te Aka Ora, was based in Ruatōria in the early 2000s. Alongside Gisborne-based Manu Caddie, he was exploring ways to develop opportunities for and engage with rangatahi.
“We had a passion for young people and we were hoping to provide other experiences, I suppose. We still had a fair bit of energy ourselves and, working alongside Manu to see what he was doing in Tūranga, it was really exciting,” he says, reflecting on the past two decades.
Among the activities rangatahi were involved in were community projects and issues, skateboarding, camping, filming and recording. A recording studio was even created.
“We were going so fast. And we didn’t have the infrastructure that was necessary.
“We didn’t always get it right, but the heart was there, and the energy was there, the wairua was there, and there was a real love for our people,” he recalls.
Glenis Phillip-Barbara, another original board member of Te Aka Ora, recalls the programme’s early days as a time when guidance was needed, while also being careful not to stifle progress and creativity.
“I remember sitting around the table with Brent, Geoff Thorpe and Dick Coates in those early days trying to figure out how to create structure around creativity without squashing it,” she says.
“It was a fairly light-touch approach, but all of those good money management principles mattered. As long as we were looking after the pūtea and were authentic in our reporting, we felt we could continue in the way we were working.”
Coming from strong Mihinare whakapapa, with Rev. Brent Swann serving as a priest and Glenis being the mokopuna of a priest, they reached out to the hāhi for guidance and support, trusting that its structures and systems could benefit rangatahi.
In 2005, Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Tairāwhiti and other community leaders came together to provide that support. In the process, Rev. Brent Swann says a new name was needed to reflect the dynamic changes that Te Ora Hou had undergone.
The name Te Aka Ora was suggested following a wānanga that explored both Māori and theological perspectives.
“It was an incredible metaphor in terms of being life-giving. That is what an aka is. We talked about pruning and how that is necessary for an aka, or vine, to flourish and grow in other areas, and for future seasons of growth.”
Other early trustees of Te Aka Ora included the late Archbishop Brown Tūrei, Archbishop Don Tamihere, Celia Koia, Richard Coates, Tracey Tangihaere, Geoff Thorpe and Rev. Sue Wolff.
Over the past 21 years, Te Aka Ora has expanded its work with rangatahi across many facets of their lives and throughout Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Tairāwhiti. It manages an early childhood education centre in Gisborne, offers counselling services and social work support, and operates a Teen Parent Support Team and the Teen Parent Unit at Lytton High School.
CEO Joleen Perry says celebrating 21 years of service is an opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of many people over the years.
“It is important to celebrate the milestone of supporting our rangatahi, tamariki and hapori of Te Tairāwhiti, and to look back on our humble beginnings. We recognise the foundations that were built through the vision of our founding board members and acknowledge the support that Te Aka Ora has gained over that time.”
The organisation employs around 30 people across five services, including Social Workers in Schools (SWiS) and school-based counsellors in Gisborne, as well as at the two Kura Mihinare in Hawke’s Bay, Te Aute College and Hukarere Girls’ College.
“Our 21st celebration is an opportunity to acknowledge the many trustees, kaimahi, volunteers and whānau who have contributed to Te Aka Ora since our inception in 2005, and the relationships and networks we have created over the years, not only within our communities, but also with external organisations and government agencies,” Joleen Perry says.
Staff, supporters and board members, past and present, gathered in Gisborne for an evening of celebration to commemorate the milestone.
Both Rev. Brent Swann and Glenis Phillip-Barbara hope that one day services like Te Aka Ora will no longer be needed. However, for as long as they are, they hope Te Aka Ora will continue to provide the support its communities need.