About us
Southern
- Mary with some of her finely knitted baby clothes.
Mary's knitting
By Kate Milton
Dunedin tenant Mary has been helping keep premature babies in Dunedin warm and snuggly for nearly four years now - she knits and donates cardigans, hats and booties to the Dunedin Hospital neonatal unit.
Mary started knitting about 40 years ago. She decided to start donating baby clothes when her budget advisor told her that one of her clients needed warm clothing for her baby.
Mary rang Dunedin Hospital to find out more about how she could help, and she now drops off her beautifully knitted clothes to the hospital as well as to Family Start in Dunedin every three weeks or so. "I really enjoy knitting and it gives me something to do at night time," Mary says.
Mary intends to keep knitting baby clothes for as long as she can. Dunedin Hospital can take up to 16 babies in the neonatal unit at one time and is a very busy unit.
If you have some wool to spare and would like to help Mary out, you are very welcome to drop it into the Dunedin Neighbourhood Unit at 426 Moray Place.
- Rangi.
Strengthening Families success
By Sandy Ward
Rangi is one of the many satisfied clients who have worked through the Strengthening Families process and found satisfaction and contentment in her life.
Rangi moved to Timaru from Napier in October 2007 to be closer to her son who had become very ill. She had many grandchildren and family members living in the Timaru area.
She initially rented a house in Timaru but when asked to move by the landlord she had no option but to move into a local camping ground with her grandson, daughter and her three children. They lived in a caravan in an isolated camping ground for many months until the camping ground shut for the winter.
It was at this stage, when Rangi felt most vulnerable, that a very supportive acquaintance referred her to the Strengthening Families team in Timaru. They discussed Rangi's issues and needs and many agencies including Housing New Zealand were invited to a meeting.
Temporary housing was found for the family but at a cost - $280 per week. This caused financial problems and soon Rangi found herself in quite a desperate situation.
All the agencies worked alongside Rangi, and together many solutions were found and Rangi's life improved.
Her 10 year old grandson Matene settled into a local school and became very involved in sport, music and the Kapa Haka group. Affordable accommodation was found through Housing New Zealand. Rangi's and Matene's health needs were sorted out by a local doctor, all Work and Income entitlements were arranged and the family finally felt settled and secure. They had regular, good food and a warm home to call their own.
Rangi recently said, "If it wasn't for the many kind people who have worked very hard with me, I wouldn't be in this lovely home and have the support in the community I now have. At last I am settled and very grateful for the Strengthening Families process."
- The West Coast team (left to right): Sharon Matson; Joan Lyon; Nia Rowlands; Michael Hill; Jan Menzies; Cairy Timpson.
The West Coast team are happy...
By Elizabeth Goodyear
Staff at the West Coast Neighbourhood Unit are really happy to be in their new premises at 84 Tainui St, Greymouth.
Their old office was very small, and with new staff coming on board it was getting very cramped. The small interview room and waiting area were not meeting customers' needs either.
The new office is twice the size and has much better facilities for staff and customers. The interview room is bigger, and the waiting area is spacious and bright.
Housing Managers Cairy Timpson and Jan Menzies look after Housing New Zealand's 333 properties in an area stretching from Hokitika in the south to Westport in the north.
Sharon Matson, Regional Manager who is based in Timaru, visits regularly and always enjoys catching up with the crew. She is very enthusiastic about the wider community benefits of the new office.
"Having space for other organisations and community support agencies to meet on site is an added bonus," she says. "This gives us the opportunity for a more comprehensive service to our customers."
Julie White is the case manager for Timaru and the West Coast, and can help if you have a disability or would benefit from additional support. Julie is based in Timaru but, being a Coaster, enjoys travelling over Arthur's Pass to work with her customers and to catch up with friends and family.
Nia Rowlands, Joan Lyon and Michael Hill make up the West Coast Housing Project team. The project assists low income home owners to address serious health and safety maintenance issues affecting their homes. They recently completed working in the Kumara area and are now moving into Stillwater. In November they held a very successful home maintenance workshop in Kumara, when 17 members of the community learnt how to fix windows, ease doors, change washers and other useful home maintenance tasks.
Feel free to pop in and say hello to the team if you are passing, or you can contact them on 03 768 0256 during office hours or phone 0800 801 601 any time.
