Change is the only constant. I have heard this phrase being quoted for more years than I care to mention but in the first two months of 2023, it seems more true than it has ever been.
Our plans for 2023
As we entered into 2023, I thought the change we were going to experience was that in 2023, we would be driving the change. After a very hectic 2022, I had started to talk about 2023 as the year when we celebrate the past and re-imagine the future.
Specifically, I expected by the end of 2023, we would have:
• Have created a new sustainable foundation for Te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa (Playcentre Aotearoa)
• Have a new governance structure in place
• Have a new operating model in place
• Have a new strategic plan
• Have a new organisational structure
• Have had a lot of fun and job satisfaction along the way
Impact of flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle
Then in January, everything changed as it was declared the wettest month ever in central Auckland by NIWA, with a total of 539 millimetres of rain, surpassing the 420 mm recorded in February 1869. Yep, not 1969 but 1869. The flooding across Te Tai Tokerau and Tāmaki Makaurau was extensive with multiple centres impacted.
My natural inclination was to go and be with our people as soon as I could, to understand the impact at the local level and see what we could do to help. Our Regional and Property teams were already engaged to assess and support local centres and I wanted to be part of that.
I had all my travel plans set up for the 12th February when everything changed again. Cyclone Gabrielle has been heading towards us but I was one of those who thought “how bad could it be?” and was fully intending to make my trip as planned. As the cyclone hit, it became very clear very quickly that my travel plans were the least of our worries and the only sensible option was to postpone. As the full impact became clearer over the days that followed, that turned out to be a good decision as the cyclone smashed across the top of the North Island and claimed 11 lives. Many of our whānau, Rōpū and centres were impacted, either directly with flood related damage or indirectly as thousands of people were uncontactable.
We are now dealing with insurance claims for over 80 centres meaning that nearly 25% of our organisation was directly impacted. That is a massive challenge for even the most well-resourced of organisations.
Our response
In the face of that overwhelming change, I am so proud of our response. Our Property and Regional teams have been at full stretch, we worked closely with the Ministry of Education, we waived the insurance excess to remove any stress in the claims process, secured agreement to use our own assessors to avoid the delays in using insurance company ones and provided almost daily communication to keep people informed.
On the ground, stories started to come in on how our local communities responded, getting stuck in, supporting each other and providing care and support. We launched an appeal for financial support from centres not directly impacted and those funds have now been collected and distributed to centres in the flood affected areas.
On the 20th February, I was able to get up to Tāmaki Makaurau and visited a number of centres impacted and saw the amazing response with the recovery already underway but most importantly tamariki playing, laughing and growing together with their whānau. This coming month, I will be visiting more areas affected and my expectation is that I will see more of our values shining bright in the face of unprecedented difficulties. I do not underestimate what our people have faced and want to be there to support them and ensure we continue to do all we can for a full and successful recovery.
We have a lot of work in front of us but despite the setback that the January and February weather events created, I am now even more confident that in 2023, we will continue to progress positively. With the launch of our Grow Your Centre campaign and increased national support for Playcentre Open Week, we are well placed for growth.
A recent article showed that with 10,626 licenced places, we are the 3rd largest ECE provider behind Best Start (18,147) and Te Kōhanga Reo (12,229) and yet our funding level was only $16m compared to their $242m and $131m respectively. We will be making that point very clear to the Ministry of Education as we progress the co-design process.
Whilst we are focused on reimagining the future, we need to celebrate the past, even the most recent past. I want to acknowledge and thank every single person who has responded so amazingly to the massive challenges you have faced in the first two months of this year. My personal commitment is to do all I can to help and support your recovery. I know that the whole of Te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa (Playcentre Aotearoa) stands with me in that.
I look forward to meeting many of you as I visit the areas impacted in the month ahead.
Ngā mihi nui me ngā mihi aroha,
David Moger
Kaiwhakahaere Matua | Chief Executive
Te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa | Playcentre Aotearoa