From Acting General Manager Thomas Tawhiri

Kia ora tātou katoa e te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa

Ka nui te mihi ki a koutou katoa ahakoa nō hea, nō tēhea takiwā o te motu. He mihi miharo hoki tēnei ki te tini me te mano i whakanui i Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori me ngā whakaaturanga i whakairihia e koutou i runga I te paetukutuku me te pukamata, nā tēna ka rawe hoki. Ko te wiki nei ko te Mental Health Awareness Week he wiki hei arotahi ki ngā tangata e noho mōrearea ana.  Kei te mōhio kē au he wā mānatunatu tēnei mā tātou katoa i runga i ngā piki me heke. Heoi anō rā ka raruraru ana ahau i tētahi āwangawanga ka huri ōku whakaaro ki ngā kupu o ngā whakataukī kia āwhina i au. Nā, he mea miharo hoki au ki ngā mātauranga o ōku nei tīpuna, ka tau.

I would like to begin this week by acknowledging all our whānau in Playcentre who participated and contributed to Te Wiki o te Reo Māori. Many of you sent through images, photos and videos of your activities and celebrations and posted these up on social media or sent them via email. What an amazing week it was and I’d like to thank all of you for your efforts in making Te Wiki o te Reo Māori a success in Playcentre. I would like to make a special mention of the Te Ao Māori Field Workers – Keri Milich, Jean Yern, Faith Tupou, Sacha Harbott and Erana Rattray for their mahi in supporting Centres and the regions during Te Wiki, our regional managers who have been supporting the initiatives and finally, Communications Manager Gael Woods for her work in helping with the website and resources.

Keep sending through your entries for our Te Reo Māori competition – it closes at 5pm on 2 October

 Mental Health Awareness Week

This week is also Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) where we focus on our wellbeing and use the time to reflect on issues around our mental health. He Tirohanga Anamata – Reimagine Wellbeing together is the focus of MHAW this year as we continue to face challenges with COVID-19 in a year which will be remembered as a particularly difficult year for Playcentre.

When I feel troubled, I often turn to words of wisdom that inspire me to think more deeply on an issue. I often find solace in the words of my ancestors like whakataukī (proverbs) that help me navigate through difficult situations. For example one that comes to mind is “He Moana pukepuke e ekengia e te waka” – A choppy sea can be navigated. I believe we are currently experiencing choppy conditions in Playcentre. However, the whakataukī alludes to the notion that with skill and collective focus we can navigate through and things will come to pass.

 Phase Two

 And that brings me to the roll out of Phase Two.

Many will remember an Update from our General Manager Sean McKinley in August where he recognised the anxiety and stress that the Phase Two restructure was causing kaimahi. He mentioned Phase Two as being very much a STOP, START, CONTINUE and CHANGE affair but wanted to assure everyone that we were working hard to get it right.

Although there has been a further delay now to Phase Two we will continue to update you on progress.  

“Whāia i a tātou te pae tawhiti” – getting through together

Christchurch Playcentre winners in garden competition

Some great news this week – Lyttelton Street Playcentre in Christchurch was the first winner in the New World Little Garden competition, collecting $1,000.

Playcentre parent Bec Phillips nominated the Centre and says she was surprised and excited to win. Lyttelton Street also had a visit from The AM Show, a clip of which you can see here.
Here is the link:
—https://www.facebook.com/388007011332288/posts/2150297105103261/?sfnsn=mo&extid=74ax67LA7b255fGv

Bec says the Centre is in the process of developing its outdoor space, adding different types of play spaces and creating an edible garden.  

“We will use the prize to create our vision of a sensory garden, which will include different size and coloured stones, rocks, grasses, wood rounds, slate pavers etc  This will add a different element to our outdoor space,  something we have talked about in the past, as well as a nice addition to our sandpit, mud kitchen and loose parts area.”

Well done Lyttelton Street Playcentre!

With the third school term finishing today, I hope everyone manages to have a stress-free and relaxing holiday.

Ngā mihi me ngā manaakitanga o te wā

Thomas