News Archive

• The Reluctant Gardener
• Good Cents Tackles the Budgeting Blues
• Turning Point - Symposium notes
• Wesleyhaven Honoured.
• Matiu Island Review
• WATCH – well worth looking at.
• Wesley Highly Commended
• "Methodist Church Does Give a Stuff About Human Rights for Gangs"
• Wesley to achieve Te Wana Quality Improvement Accreditation.
• Strengths Based Conference - 5-7 November 2007. Palmerston North.
• Working her way to Wainuiomata
• Age no Barrier to Wesleyhaven’s 86yr old Bungy Jumper.
• Wesley withdraws from Children’s Film Festival Fundraising
• Latest News from Wesley Community Action

April 2010

The Reluctant Gardener

One of the first things Russell did when he got his current State House was to mow over the garden and turn it into a lawn, yet he now finds himself enjoying regular visits to Wesleyhaven Village where he tends his own patch of vegetables and finds solace.

“It’s so cool there, it’s a place to sit, a place where I can take time out, listen to the tui and woodpigeons. I’ve even got to know some of the residents there.

From the mowing over a flower garden, to now planting a garden and growing vegetables, there seems to have been quite a change in Russell’s approach to life. Russell readily admits that ongoing battles with ACC over a 2008 leg injury had left him frustrated, and when ACC told him that they had suspended all his claims, this news combined with losing his home help entitlement left him at a very low ebb.

Fortunately for Russell these same changes of circumstance led him to be reassessed by the Nurse Maud organisation, who in turn recommended regular visits from Wesley Community Action’s Community Worker, Anne Ross. It was from those humble beginnings there have been some recent positive changes in Russell’s life.

At the stage when Anne entered his life, Russell by his own admission was prone to, “mope around a bit..... the whole ACC thing mucked me around big time.”

Since then Russell says the assistance provided by Anne and Wesley, “has been “brilliant...... really supportive it’s not so much the advice that she gives, but that she gives me other ways of looking at things, it’s really turned me around.”

Russell jokingly relates that when Anne first introduced to him the idea of gardening his approach was more like one of the Tui beer advertisements, “Yeah Right”, he thought, and promptly put the idea, “on the back burner.” However a persistent Anne arranged for a trip to the local plant shop, seedlings were purchased and things literally grew from there, to the point where he proudly relates, “I’ve even given some of the lettuce I’ve grown to my cousins.... ‘I say hey bro, I grew this!’”

As Russell’s vegetable supply improved so too has his outlook on life. There are still battles for him to face, however now he seems better equipped to face them. He recently received a call from his local MP Trevor Mallard to attend a meeting to discuss his ACC claims and a long stalled hearing regarding re instatement is nearing culmination.

When Wesley Community Action recently put the call out for the donation of a ‘freezer’ for the Wesley Community Foodbank at Porirua, it was Russell who responded and donated his largely unused freezer.

Russell’s lounge proudly displays his National Certificate in Mental Health Support, and it is his hope that he can re enter the workforce as a mentor to those worse off than himself.

January 2010

Good Cents Tackles the Budgeting Blues

Completing a Good Cents budgeting programme has had many benefits for Kay (not her real name.) A $2,000 debt with the IRD has been re-accessed; she has managed to repay outstanding debts with 2 loan companies that were costing her $110 per week; and perhaps the main benefit; she has regained confidence in herself.

Wesley Porirua Manager, Makerita Makepulu noted that when Kay started the 8 week programme, she was by far the quietest in the group.

Life had not been easy for Kay. Her mother died when she was 12 years old, and although her working father could sustain the family financially, Kay chose to leave home at the age of 14 to go and live with a sister.

Leaving home and learning to cope on her own was a huge ‘wake-up call’ for Kay and she found herself struggling. A brief attempt to return to school at 15 was unsuccessful, and by the age of 16 she found herself ‘on the benefit.’ By 18 she was pregnant and living with another sister to make ends meet.

Sharing accommodation with others is not something that a much wiser Kay now recommends, “I won’t share my home again. I like to do my own thing.” Sharing accommodation back in those days often meant loaning money to help friends and family. It was perhaps during this time, that Kay developed a habit for borrowing money, without being fully aware of the consequences.

“I remember on occasions being asked by a friend for money, so I would give it to them even though I was often in debt myself,” recalls Kay. However, as Kay later realized, her friends’ money worries often occurred because their partners were “playing the pokies, or drinking,” and Kay’s loan money only served to encourage these bad habits. Kay now recognises that her priority is looking after herself and her two sons, and that loaning or borrowing money is not as easy as it seems. There are repercussions.

Over the years Kay had approached Wesley Community Action in Porirua on several occasions, either for counseling assistance, or more recently for food bank assistance. On one of these visits in 2009, she was asked if she would like to participate in the Good Cents budgeting education programme, and decided to take up the opportunity.

One of the first exercises she completed was to record every item she was spending money on, for a whole week. She had never done this exercise before, and was amazed at what she learned.

“It really opened my eyes. I had got into the habit of short term loans and was in debt with three different loan companies,” recalls Kay. It wasn’t big debt, but she was loaning money to spend on things like video games for her oldest son. Her loans were costing her $202 per week.

The exercise also showed her how to cut back on her unnecessary expenses, and she quickly began to pay-off two of the loan companies. However it wasn’t easy to turn her back on the comparative ‘easy money’ provided by the loan companies and during a weak moment, she re-borrowed from one of the very companies she had just paid off.

However the short term joy of having ready money again was followed by the realisation that she was back on the treadmill, struggling to pay debts. This learning was shared with others in her Good Cents group, and Kay moved quickly to repay the money she had just borrowed.

Part of Kay’s Good Cents programme involved learning to communicate and to talk about the issues of debt. Skills which she put to good use when debt collector Baycorp rang her demanding payment of overdue school fees for her son’s education. Armed with her Good Sense skills, Kay quickly realized Baycorp were requesting weekly repayments that were well beyond her means, and negotiated a better outcome.

In the same way Kay faced up to an old debt with the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) that had been ticking away for 16 years and had grown to a debt of over $2,000. Negotiations with the IRD followed and eventually the debt was cancelled on hardship grounds.

What Kay liked about the Good Cents programme is summed up in her own words, “while other courses tell you what to do; Good Cents, helped to put me in charge of my money, so it was me making the decisions, not someone else.”

In the process, Kay has found her confidence, and is clearly proud of her achievements. She has regular work in a local supermarket, her family is eating cheaper more healthy food, and life is good. Looking ahead, her first priority is paying off the remaining loan, and beyond that she plans to save enough to take her family on holiday.

Given Kay’s new found confidence and her Good Cents skills, there is little doubt she will achieve her goals.

16 September 2009

Turning Point - Symposium notes

On 14 & 15 September 2009, Dr Barry Duncan and Wesley Community Action hosted a 2 day symposium based in Wellington to support greater effectiveness in the Social Services.

To obtain a PDF version of the presentation, click on the relevant topics below;

1.) The Heroic Client - The Heart of Change. Click here.

2.) Reliance on the Alliance - The Soul of Change. Click here.

3.) The Heart and Sole of Change - Becoming better at what we do. Click here.

4.) Becoming a better helper - Helping every single client. Click here.

14 September 2009.

Wesleyhaven Honoured.

Wesleyhaven has been honoured as winner of the Telecom Community Connections Award and also joint winner of the INsite Overall Excellence in Aged Care Award announced by Health Care Providers NZ at its September 2009 conference.

The ‘Overall Excellence’ award means that Wesleyhaven has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to achieving excellence in aged care, and the Telecom Community Connections Award recognises exceptional effort in catering for residents needs and preferences by creating an environment which promotes inclusion and choice for older New Zealanders. This also includes the creation of a feeling of community within a facility, or the outreach of a facility to the surrounding community, to connect residents with their families and friends.

Congratulations to the team at Wesleyhaven!

Matiu Island Review

In January 2009 two groups of 'hard to reach' youths were bought together for a week long programme of diver training, mentoring and learning based on Matiu Island in Wellington Harbour. To download a PDF review of the event, click here.

26 November 2008

WATCH – well worth looking at.

Since October 2006 Wesley Community Action’s Newtown staff have been working alongside young adults appearing in court who have drug and alcohol issues in an initiative called WATCH.

WATCH is the result of Judges being concerned that sending a person to prison who has drug addiction issues - is not the best option.

A recent independent review of Wesley's WATCH initiative sums up its effectiveness;

"The overriding testimony from the clients who participated in the evaluation is that, because of their involvement with the WATCH, their lives are better and they have developed beliefs, attitudes, understanding and skills which have been positively life-changing. Critically, these changes have included positive shifts with respect to alcohol, drug use and offending behaviour" .

Wesley Community Actions Director, David Hanna commented; “I believe we should all be proud of this service and it's achievements with 'hard-to-treat' young adults.”

“This is a great example of our work aimed at developing just and caring communities.”

To see a PDF copy of the full report on WATCH – click here

3 November 2008

Wesley Highly Commended

Wesley Community Action, which provides social services to the greater Wellington area, was highly commended in the 2008 EEO Trust Work & Life Awards recently

"Wesley has successfully fostered an inclusive and diverse culture which permeates its services to a wide range of clients, from troubled teens to the elderly," says Dr Philippa Reed, EEO Trust Chief Executive. Wesley's emphasis on diversity enables it to recruit and develop committed staff who reflect the community.

Prime Minister Helen Clark presented the awards during a gala dinner on Thursday, October 30 2008, at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Many of New Zealand's largest and most influential employers were represented.

The EEO Trust Work & Life Awards, now in their 11^th year, celebrate organisations which actively help their employees achieve balance between their work commitments and their diverse and varied lives - an approach which EEO research has shown aids recruitment, retention and the bottom line.

"There is now a much greater understanding of work-life issues. Increasingly, employers recognise the benefits of structuring work in such a way that people are able to fulfill their responsibilities at work and elsewhere," says Philippa Reed.

1 Oct 2008

"Methodist Church Does Give a Stuff About Human Rights for Gangs"

In response to Wanganui MP Chester Burrows’ comments on TV3 last night (29/9) that "he doesn't give a stuff about human rights for gangs", Methodist Church President, Rev Brian Turner and Wesley Community Action Director, David Hanna, said that the Church cares deeply about the human rights of all people, including those whom society has labelled as gang members.

"When we have politicians openly supporting the denial of human rights for one segment of our population then we as a society should be very worried” remarked Brian Turner.

Over a number of years Wesley Community Action has developed positive relationships with a range of members and leaders of ‘gangs’, said David Hanna. “It is very clear from this experience that there are members within these groups that are very committed to being positive members of communities. This is hard for people to hear and accept because the general public has been fed a very limited view of their lives.”

Last week, Wesley Community Action organized a public workshop to hear some of this ‘other side’ of the story of ‘gangs’. “This was a rare opportunity for the 150 participants to hear directly from people within these communities (Black Power and Mongrel Mob) of the positive differences they are making. This was not a gathering of 150 apologists or do-gooders – it was a wide cross section of citizens who value having respectful conversations and hearing the full story before we rush to simplistic and draconian solutions,” said David.

Brian Turner believes that the legislative moves being planned against gangs are a knee-jerk slap-them-down throw-away-the-key approach which will only drive gangs underground and into more extreme behavior. It will also undermine the sound efforts of Wesley Community Action and other organizations who are working to support the positive initiatives occurring within these communities.

“Yes – let’s not kid ourselves, there are behaviours within these communities that are negative and harmful to the individuals and wider communities. And yes – we all have a right to want this to stop. But we want initiatives to address this negative behaviour to be effective. Sweeping ‘zero tolerance’ and ‘get tough’ approaches haven’t worked – let’s use our collective intelligence, our compassion and the insights from many perspectives to enable us to move forward positively,” emphasized Brian Turner. “Chester Burrows and other community leaders ought to take a leaf out of Rob Muldoon's book. The late National Prime Minister established good relationships with a number of gangs and always tried to work constructively with them.”

15 Feb 2008.

Wesley to achieve Te Wana Quality Improvement Accreditation.

After a three year process, Wesley Community Action (WCA) has received accreditation to the Te Wana Quality Improvement programme, which in turn is affiliated to the Quality Improvement Council of Australasia (QIC) and the International Society for Quality Health Care (ISQua.)

The Te Wana and QIC Accreditation certifies that Wesley Community Action has met (and in many cases exceeded,) the relevant Standards set by Te Wana and has participated in a 3 year continuous quality improvement audit and service improvement programme to reach this achievement.

The name ‘Te Wana’ grew from a 1999 Health Care Aotearoa national hui at Omahu Marae, where a group of kaumatua led by Joe Topia ( Hauora Hokianga) said that the name “Te Wana’, “embraces one and all, Te Tiriti O Waitangi, all the partners within Health Care Aoteoroa and encompasses challenge and progress.” At this hui. Health Care Aoteoroa identified quality programmes as a priority for its members and determined that the most appropriate model was the QIC model.

Since these beginnings Te Wana has been adopted by over 20 New Zealand organisations, while QIC has accreditied over 200 Australian Health providers.

In gaining accreditation, Wesley joins other New Zealand organisations such as Plunket, Health Pacifica, Te Runanga o Toa Rangatira, the Mental Health Co-ordinating Council, Newtown Union Health Service, Ngati Porou Hauora, and Pacific Health Service Porirua.

Strengths Based Conference - 5-7 November 2007. Palmerston North.

Wesley Community Action is pleased to have supported the Strengths Based Conference at Palmerston North. The Conference attracted over 250 people, and was deemed by all to be a great success.

Strength Based practice represents a way of seeing, a way of thinking and a way of engaging with people. Since the first New Zealand conference in 2003 a movement has grown for whom this way of seeing, thinking and engaging has sparked meaning and value. The 2007 Conference asked 'is this the next frontier? '

Keynote speakers included; Whaturangi Winiata, Michael Durrant, Barry Duncan, Tania Thomas and David Hanna.

For further information; http://www.fromstrength2strength.org.nz
For a PDF copy of Wesley Director David Hanna's keynote speech to the conference CLICK HERE

14 December 2007

Working her way to Wainuiomata

For most of us tending a garden is a chore, but for the last 11 years, 94 year old Mavis Rushworth has been gardening acres of native bush clad hills between Wainuiomata and her residence in Wesleyhaven Village Naenae, turning gorse clad slopes into a maze of flower clad paths, and shady dells.

The undertaking would daunt most young able-bodied people, but from dawn to dusk, seven days a week, Mavis has worked hard at her self imposed task even though her sight was failing and she struggled to walk without the assistance of two walking sticks.

Despite poor eyesight that prevented her seeing the results of her handy-work or even the splendid views that she has created, Mavis knew all the plants by sight, feel and smell. “I don’t mind not being able to physically see the garden as I can still visualize it. For me that’s enough,” said Mavis.

On occasions Mavis had been known to lose track of time while gardeing much to the concern of her daughter who resorted to phoning in the evenings just to be make sure that her mother was down off the hill. Mavis’s daughter often joked that her mother will only rest, “when she reaches Wainuiomata.”

Over the years Mavis has cleared back the scrub and gorse that covered the foothills and has created a series of meandering paths and gardens that now run underneath a canopy of tall manuka trees.

“I’ve always been a keen gardener,’ smiled Mavis, “even when I was a toddler my mother said I was only happy when I was dirty.”

For several months Mavis was assisted by Bruce Burroughs who used to help her until he succumbed to cancer. As a result she has erected a sign naming one of the paths “The Bruce Walk’. Mavis recalls that like her, Bruce felt he was playing a small part in creating a slice of heaven, and he often used to look up from a hard days work and comment, “all this; and heaven to.”

Currently the garden that Mavis has created is quiet. No longer is Mavis found tending the hillside. Instead Mavis has taken the opportunity to leave Wesleyhaven village and join her daughter in a new family home in Tauranga. Parting with her garden was not easy, but the opportunity to be with her family and take a well earned break was an opportunity that could not be refused.

However, knowing Mavis, it won’t be long before she finds another garden and starts heading south, “gardening her way to Wainuiomata.”

8 November 2007

Age no Barrier to Wesleyhaven’s 86yr old Bungy Jumper.

Bungy jumping at any age is not for the faint hearted, it can be a scary, risky and a potentially dangerous activity. However, for 86 year old Nelson Renner from Wesleyhaven Village, Naenae, the temptation to jump was a challenge that simply had to be taken.

Nelson is normally a careful and prudent man as befits a person who has reached the golden years of 86, so he first sought his Doctor’s blessing for his plans and whilst his Doctor expressed some caution to Nelson’s delight he also said, “There’s no reason why you couldn’t jump... indeed, I would love to see you do it.” To Nelson this encouragement was all he needed, and he replied (possibly without thinking,) “be at the Taupo Bungy jump ... at 1.00pm and you will.” The Doctors words had in Nelson’s mind now become a challenge that he was eager to win.

On the chosen day, at the chosen time, the doctor was unable to attend, but undaunted, Nelson purchased his jump ticket (no doubt taking advantage of the cheaper pensioner rates,) and when asked the options of whether he wanted to be dunked into the water or not, Nelson sensibly replied, “ no dunking please, I don’t want to get my hair wet.....this would have been a good precaution had I enough hair to worry about,” laughs a reasonably bald-headed Nelson. In the event, Nelson’s caution proved unnecessary as a steady drizzle of rain provided the equivalent of a dunking.

Later trussed securely to the bungy cord, Nelson shuffled to the edge of the 47 metre drop over-looking the Waikato River near the picturesque Huka Falls. The view is spectacular, but Nelson was intent on the huge fall opening up at his feet and even though the jump assistant advised, “just go in your own time,” Nelson freely admits that he, “dithered just a bit.”

After making a spectacular jump Nelson was keen to be reunited with a friend who had accompanied him, but this reunion was delayed by hoards of tourists who wanted a word and a picture with their ‘hero.’

Later, Nelson who lives independently at Wesleyhaven Village, admitted that he had done the Taupo bungy jump once before, “I did the jump first on my 80th birthday,” said Nelson, adding that, “just because you are old you don’t have to stop living life to the full.”

Nelson now has a new mantra for life: “Assess (the risks), Dare and Win”

8 March 2007

Wesley withdraws from Children’s Film Festival Fundraising

After a review of its fundraising priorities and policies, Wesley Community Action has made the difficult decision to end its association with the Wesley Christmas Children’s Film Festival, with the 2006 festival being the last to be supported and managed by Wesley Community Action.

Each year it is estimated that the festival enabled up to 1,000 children and their family members from the wider Wellington region to have a treat, by being transported into Wellington to view a movie, with entertainment and refreshments provided.

“Wesley Community Action has been very appreciative of the many businesses and people within Wellington that have contributed to supporting this event,” said Wesley’s Director, David Hanna. “However, we have decided to take a different approach to future fundraising which will reduce the cost of raising money. At the end of the day people giving to charity want to ensure that as much as possible of the money they give to an organisation goes directly to that organisation and not a separate fundraising business.”

In making this decision Wesley is ending its association with fundraiser Michael Hawkins and his related fundraising companies (Midas Fundraising; M&R Fundraising; and Pegasus Fundraising.)

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