Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei find silver lining in Auckland's four Covid-19 lockdowns

Wednesday, 24 March 2021

At the tail end of Covid-19 alert level 4, those who lost work were more likely to feel depressed and alone, and people in essential roles were more stressed and angry.

Auckland’s four lockdowns have been tough on residents, but for one iwi they’ve had a silver lining.

Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei said the lockdowns have given team members a chance to connect with the community and find out what they need.

While the iwi doesn’t wish a return to level 3 or 4 on anyone, having people in one place – at their homes – and reasonably receptive to any outside contact means its social workers could connect on a level which they previously hadn’t been able to.

The workers reached out through the iwi’s social and and cultural arm, Whai Maia, during each lockdown to do welfare checks and connect.

Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei’s Tom Irvine said the lockdowns gave the iwi a chance to connect with the wider community.

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Food deliveries were also rolled out to kaumātua (elders).

During Auckland’s recent alert level changes, Whai Maia connected with more than 70 per cent of the iwi’s population, with 163 of those asking for added support.

Workers distributed PPE and hygiene packs and assisted with access to Whānau Ora or health support, as well as employment and SME assistance.

They also distributed $13,000 worth of meals through the iwi's kai support programme.

“In the first week we rang lots of them and they said ‘Oh no, we’re OK’. Then they saw the images of the kai being delivered and they realised they didn’t want to miss out,” Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei’s chief operating officer Tom Irvine said.

“It’s not just about kai, it’s about connection, they see it comes from our whānau and it’s showing that we care for them and we love them.

“You could see the joy in their eyes when you turned up every week, and they could see their whānau looking after them.”

On top of that, the iwi has already handed out its year’s allocation of study grants for those retraining or needing support during their current studies.

Just as importantly, the lockdowns acted as a catalyst in forming closer working relationships with some of the governmental agencies who were previously a little disconnected from Ngāti Whātua’s operation.

Work had already been done to build a relationship with urban Māori across Tāmaki Makaurau, Ministry of Social Development regional commissioner Mark Goldsmith said.

But the alert level changes were “instrumental” in helping move the relationship between the ministry and iwi forward, he said.

There is now a member of Work and Income’s Mana in Mahi programme who works out of the iwi office once a week, with other agencies also making regular contact.

“It fostered a deeper partnership, understanding and trust in delivering our services by Māori for Māori,” he said.

Irvine said it has helped build trust among the wider community.

People were happier to discuss their issues and engaged with social workers to help find solutions and ease burdens they faced in their lives.

The data the iwi has collected has also helped inform its path forward, Irvine said, and will allow the Whai Maia team to pinpoint the areas with the greatest need.

“The data will allow us to provide what the community needs, not what we think it needs.”