Hauoratanga (Our wellbeing)

As Pou Hauora I am extremely proud of my team that has worked assiduously throughout the past 12 months. The teams focus and effort has been dominated by community responsiveness as a result COVID-19.

The word COVID-19 will feature extensively throughout my report given the past year was completely dominated by its impacts. Nevertheless, our team never let it define us.

Since merging hauora services to form the Ngā Waihua o Paerangi Hauoratanga Team just over 12 months ago there has been a significant amount of mahi achieved, heavily influenced by the arrival of positive COVID-19 cases to the Ruapehu region towards the end of last year.

COVID-19 certainly placed our team and service at the coalface of the action during very trying circumstances and challenges. As a result, it forced a new way of working to ensure that we delivered the support our community needed throughout that intense period. Business continuity plans were put into action to separate the entire team into three micro-groups with very limited contact with each other. Kaimahi were dedicated to working throughout lockdown where community interface occurred mostly contactless. This would allow us to deliver COVID-19 welfare services to our community but also ensure that our kaimahi were kept safe. If kaimahi themselves contracted COVID-19 and that team was impacted, as was the case, another team could stand-up quickly and carry-on.

The impact of COVID-19 on our community continues to be supported by our Hauoratanga kaimahi. The longterm medical and social effects caused by COVID-19 have changed the way we can work with whānau. Programme based and group events had to be postponed throughout the first part of the year but most restarted again after March 2022.

Whānau Ora

Our funding agreement with the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency continues to allow our team the resource to provide wrap around support to whānau. Adopting the Whānau Ora philosophy within our service allows our team to assess priority needs to make clear decisions and deploy resources.

This support significantly increased with the arrival of positive COVID-19 case numbers to the Waimarino region. As the country went into lockdown our entire team continued to work to support whānau in need throughout this time. Throughout lockdown and moving into COVID-19 Level 2 restrictions kaimahi were able to deliver over 800 kai packs, over 500 hygiene packs (1 per whānau) and approximately 80+ loads of firewood.

Whānau Direct continues to be a resource our kaimahi can utilise with supporting our whānau who are actively engaging in our services. This resource supports kaimahi to remove barriers that may be preventing whānau from living healthy lifestyles and/or achieving goals and aspirations. This resource was valuable throughout COVID-19 supporting whānau with firewood and where income was impacted by not being able to work due to illness.

COVID-19 Rapid Response Team

This team was assembled rapidly immediately after the funding announcement that Te Ranga Tupua would lead a progressive vaccination programme amongst our collective communities.

Our team were in place prior to Christmas and worked tirelessly over 15 weeks through to March 2021. The team consisted of 3 Nurses, 1 Admin and 1 Kaiārahi. They worked as a mobile clinic setting up, in some cases, in remote locations across the region to provide vaccinations and COVID-19 education to whānau. They also used this opportunity to check in with some of our vulnerable whānau over the christmas holiday period for kaimahi that were on leave.

In October 2021 the Ruapehu district had the 2nd to lowest vaccination rate in the country. Less than 65% of the eligible population had received their first COVID-19 vaccination. As of 31 March, we achieved 92% of our community fully vaccinated over the age of 12years old.

This contract ended in April 2022 but has been extended to a similar contract from WDHB that enables us to give other types of vaccinations including COVID-19.

DURING LOCKDOWN & LEVEL 2 RESTRICTIONS WE DELIVERED:

800 Kai Packs

500 Hygiene Packs

80+ Firewood

Well Child Tamariki Ora (WCTO)

Tamariki Ora caseload numbers have been steady throughout the year with the majority of cases being Māori whānau. The Whanganui District Health Board (WDHB) provided additional resource to allow visits for us to support our whānau. Katherine has absorbed this additional mahi supporting Tina and promoting WCTO services to whānau with new babies.

During the COVID-19 lockdown our WCTO kaimahi in collaboration with our COVID-19 Rapid Response Team visited whānau and undertook needs assessments of whānau and pēpi.

Our nurse was seconded to the COVID-19 Rapid Response Team for 8-weeks over the Christmas and New Year period to help with vaccinations. Working in collaboration with Te Puke Karanga Hauora kaimahi and Ruapehu Health Limited to complete, Flu vaccinations, Covid vaccinations, Wellness and Tamariki Checks.

Our senior nurse has become a provisional vaccinator and completed the IMAC Vaccinator Foundation Bridging course. Once she completes her Clinical Vaccinator assessment, she will be fully qualified as a vaccinator, enabling her to administer Immunisation clinics within our rohe.

Kainga Ora

Our ‘Repairs and Maintenance’ programme, funded by Te Puni Kōkiri, continues to track well despite the many disruptions. Work was hampered at critical times due to COVID-19, illness, availability of building supplies and contractors. Nonetheless, 7 homes have been re-roofed, 14 insulated, 11 re-plumbed, 4 have new hot water cylinders, 2 full bathroom renovations and 3 homes have received drainage to stop their homes flooding this year. With winter upon us this will make a huge difference for whānau given the alpine climate we live in.

Our dedicated team who also assisted with Ruapehu COVID-19 welfare support over this time and are currently undertaking professional development to become qualified budgeters to provide financial mentoring services to whānau.

Programmes

Our Ngā Tini Whetu funding has been a huge part of our Whānau Ora kaupapa this year with helping a small group of whānau that were ready to excel their whānau plans.

Our Boxfit Ruahit Programme created an amazing opportunity for our rangatahi to achieve hauora goals with boxfit training in a safe and supervised environment. This programme, supported by our kaimahi and volunteers Maxine & Alex Hakaraia has rangatahi training towards their first boxing tournaments.

Tuia te Tuakiritanga is a programme working alongside 10 māmā to give them the tools to support them with setting up their own home-based businesses. Our programme facilitator has been successful conducting weekly classes, home visits and wānanga in rongoā, tukutuku, rāranga and taka kai.

Tane Pai Ora is our 10-week long, Wednesday night Mens program that is co-facilitated by our kaiārahi and Police Family Harm Prevention Officer. This is an opportunity for our tane to voluntarily attend to attain awareness and education around Family Harm. The program is conducted in a group setting which allows our tane to talk, guide and support each other in a controlled environment. This program has been very successful with these tane championing mana enhancing initiatives within their whānau and our community. Over the past 12 months three courses were run reaching approximately 45 tane from our rohe.

Kai in a Crockpot is a weekly programme that was created from the impacts of the first COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020. We designed this program to support wāhine with cooking easy, wholesome, costeffective crockpot meals. This program is co-facilitated with one of the Police Family Harm prevention Officers. We use this forum to informally talk about the impacts of family harm creating education and awareness. Each week the wāhine take their kai home. At the completion of the 8-week programs, we celebrate with a graduation ceremony, and everyone is gifted their own crockpot to keep. Three courses were run to coincide with the school terms with 30 wāhine graduating this year.

Looking Ahead

With COVID-19 demands at manageable levels, for now, I look forward to the next 12months with a more concerted focus on strengthening, developing and consolidating our team. We have held a leadership planning and a team planning conference over the past few months that has set our plan for where we want to drive our team and service for the year ahead.

Joni Takitimu-Cook Pou Hauora