TAHANANEWS January 2011

TAHANANEWS

Delete text and place photo here WHAT IS TAHANANG PILIPINO? Tahanang Pilipino is a registered Trust in New Zealand organized primarily to construct and operate a Filipino Community Centre in Auckland.

Tahanang Pilipino Aotearoa Trust (TAPAT) was founded on November 23, 2007. The primary project of TAPAT is to construct a community centre in Auckland. This will serve as a monument of the Filipino people in New Zealand, and a functional venue for activities to promote and develop the Filipino culture for the benefit of the greater Aotearoa New Zealand society.

Tahanang Pilipino Aotearoa Trust is a Charitable Trust. Our principal office is located at 190 Barrack Road, Mount Wellington, Auckland 1060, New Zealand.

Jan u ary 2011

FROM LIBRE TO GRANADA Agnes Granada, coordinator of Migrant Action Trust (MAT), has taken over as chair of the Tahanang Pilipino Community Centre project effective January 2011 after Bro Mel B Libre, Lead Servant of TawagAwit, stepped down after serving for the past two years.

The turnover took place on January 25, 2011 at the MAT Conference Room (Mt Roskill, Auckland) in the presence of the trustees of Tahanang Pilipino Aotearoa Trust (TAPAT).

In his valedictory address, Bro Mel thanked the Board of Trustees (BOT) in allowing him to contribute towards the attainment of the long-cherished dream of constructing and operating a Centre that Filipinos can call their own. He made mention of the activities during his term: the Gathering of Leaders, Mass of HOPE, (next page)

Mayor John Banks, Mayor Andrew Williams and Mel B Libre

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TAHANANEWS From Libre to Granada…continued

Jan u ary 2011

“If the job seems overwhelming, just

Bingo Socials, and the Mayors Forum prior to the Auckland Super City election. He said that the most important accomplishment so far is the drafting of the Business Plan, a strategic document that will not only serve as guide to the BOT, but also as part of the marketing portfolio to prospective donors and other stakeholders.

Accepting the position, Granada said that she will give priority of her time to pursue the project in earnest, and asked the trustees to do as well. She immediately made a presentation of her vision on how to pursue the project, proposing specific action plans, enumerating measurable goals and designating timetables.

For 2011, Granada listed the following goals: obtain support of the community; secure site as promised by Mayor Len Brown; convert support to $ contribution; develop building structure; and finalize the business/management structures.

Granada said that if the project is to obtain support from the Super City Council, it is imperative that the TAPAT Business Plan be in harmony with the vision of the Government. She concluded her presentation with the statement, “If the job seems overwhelming, just consider it a dot in comparison to the globe.”

consider it a dot in comparison to the globe.”

TAPAT MISSION:

Our goal is to promote and preserve the Filipino culture and tradition through the provision of a community centre where facilities and services are available to the Filipino community and other groups in New Zealand.

TAHANANEWS

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WHAT TAPAT HAS DONE SO FAR The story of Tahanang Pilipino continues to be written and it is one whose characters are the countless Filipinos living in Auckland, New Zealand. It is a story that predates its registration as a trust under the Charitable Trusts Act 1957.

For the past twenty-five years, Filipinos in Auckland have dreamed of a Filipino Community Centre to project the Filipinos presence in New Zealand and to promote the Filipino culture. In 1997, Oscar and Miriam Batucan, through the NZ-Filipino Sto Nino Devotees Trust, engaged a private fundraiser, Lisa Wells Fundraising from Christchurch to undertake a project feasibility study to measure the strengths and viability of the project.

In the first six months of 2007, consultations were made among the different Filipino associations and the consensus was for the Filipino Community Centre project to be pursued. During the general assembly on June 7, 2007, Filipino community leaders elected the members of the steering committee with the mandate to form a trust for the project. On November 23, 2007, Tahanang Pilipino Aotearoa Trust (TAPAT) was registered under the Charitable Trusts Act 1957. (next page)

THE PURPOSES OF TAPAT:

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To showcase admirable and worthy Filipino customs and traditions, handicrafts, works of art and music, especially to the younger generation and other groups unfamiliar with the Filipino culture.

To be able to provide a common and readily accessible venue for activities such as education, skills training, religious ceremonies, sports and cultural events.

To develop the bayanihan spirit and promote the practice of active participation towards the common good.

To engage in fundgenerating activities to support the completion of the community centre and its subsequent upkeep and maintenance and help achieve he purposes of the trust.

Since the registration of TAPAT, the Board of Trustees met regularly to set up the mechanism towards the attainment of the project. TAPAT has conducted activities to raise public consciousness about the project, while at the same time drafted its Business Plan to guide stakeholders and as a marketing tool for prospective donors. Here is the partial list of accomplishments: Adoption of a logo designed by Jesse Enriquez; Recording of the original composition, “Tahanang Pilipino”, as official anthem; Publication of TAHANANEWS, official newsletter of TAPAT; Sense of Place Photo Competition/Exhibition; Gathering of Leaders, Bingo Socials and Mayors’ Forum. A concept of the community centre was made by Ramon Villarias, one of the designers of the world class Plantation Bay Resort in Mactan, Cebu.

While the Board of Trustees can only do so much, the success of TAPAT is dependent on the support of Filipinos in New Zealand.

Let’s build the Filipino Community Centre, let’s build our home in New Zealand. Be part of this epic story.

TOGETHER, WE ARE BUILDING OUR HOME IN NEW ZEALAND Tahanang Pilipino Aotearoa Trust Board of Trustees: Agnes Granada Miriam Batucan Fr Ruben Elago Nida Gray Mel B Libre Dr Tony Noblejas Dina McCarthy, Secretary Cora Noblejas, Treasurer

Mayor Len Brown pose with participants during the Mayors Forum hosted by TAPAT

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