May Update
Greetings from the team at Whakamana Ora
We’re excited to share some of the progress we have made since our last update in February. Thank you so much to everyone who has been keeping us in your prayers!
(double rainbow snapped over Len & Pris’ house!)
Community Leadership Programme (CLP) Update
We have completed our first term of the Community Leadership Programme with 44 people participating in the programme across two groups, meeting week-about. We also provide mentoring, counselling, coaching and support for all our community leaders.
Group One
Our newbies! This group of 17 people from our community are enjoying the wonderful hospitality and feeling of “home” and family. There are already strong connections building and people feel safe to share their stories and struggles openly, being met with love and acceptance by the group.
Group Two
Group Two
Our originals (plus a few extras). We combined our original CLP groups so we now have 27 amazing community leaders in this group! We are bursting out of Len and Pris’ house and are looking for a local community venue that still feels “homey” and has plenty of safe parking.
“Stories of Hope” Online - coming soon!
With so much negativity and despair in world, we have decided that part of our work will be to share good news stories online and shine a light on local heroes. We have already started recording some powerful stories from our community leaders, and can’t wait to share them with you!
A huge thanks to the talented James Raea who has been working with Pris to capture stories from our community. First up was Kasalina’s moving and inspiring story, which was filmed at Clendon Community House where we have a little office - just look at that sunset! James is currently working on editing the video to get it ready to share online. Paul and Rob will be next with so many more stories still to be told.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok so you can see the videos as soon as they drop!
Introducing our amazing team & volunteers
We want to introduce you to our wonderful team, who have been working behind the scenes to establish this new organisation and serve our community. Until we secure funding we are all working as volunteers, using our gifts, strengths and experience wherever they are needed.
Len and Pris Moodley are leading the team. Len is working on the organisational stuff and building partnerships, while Pris is developing and facilitating our programmes. They are both engaged in counselling and helping whānau from the community who need support.
Margaret is helping Pris with all the logistical and admin work keeping us all organised; Simone is helping Len with funding and looking after our website and communications. Rob is helping support whānau and serving at the Community Leadership Programme, along with our key volunteers: Angel, Wiremu, Ngaire and Georgina (not pictured). These guys show up every week to serve our trainees with so much love - we couldn’t do it without them!
Meet our Board of Trustees
We are so thankful to be supported by a wonderful group of Trustees who share a passion to serve and make a difference in our community.
Left to Right: Te Hurihanga Rihari, Elyse Stubbington, Devs Charles & Jenny Horst
Jenny Horst has been elected as Board Chair. Jenny has over 20 years of senior leadership experience in the charitable sector and has advocated for change on critical issues at government and community levels. She is currently the CEO of Upside Youth Mentoring Aotearoa.
Te Hurihanga Rihari (Ngāti Torehina) is our kaumatua/advisor; he is a well-respected leader from Te Kupu Ministries in the North, who brings with him incredible wisdom and mana.
Devs Charles is our Secretary. Devs is Deputy Principal at a special needs school; she has a huge heart for people and over 15 years experience serving on a Trust Board.
Elyse Stubbington (Ngāti Apakura): Elyse is Manurewa born and raised, and is one of our first CLP graduates! She has first-hand knowledge of the needs in our community, and a heart for reconciliation in Aotearoa enabling tangata whenua and tangata tiriti to thrive. She is also on the Board of Christians Against Poverty and works in the community as a family violence educator.
We are now a registered Charitable Trust!
After applying to become a registered charitable trust all the way back in November, we are at last officially registered! This means that any donations you make to Whakamana Ora are tax deductible (for donations over $5).
Become a supporter
You can donate online through our website using a bank card or make a donation directly into our Trust bank account. You can set up an automatic payment for weekly or monthly amounts, or make a one-off donation - every little bit helps us cover our expenses as we serve our community. Be sure to send us your email and postal address so we have your details to send out a receipt - then you can claim your tax refund at the end of the financial year!