Courses on smart phone use, helping people connect with government agencies, joining under-5s with old codgers, visiting outer settlements, providing blood donation and financial support services, interfacing with Age Concern and hosting Digital Seniors _ part of a long list already stacked up by a new service in Martinborough.
Heartland Community Hub duo Hana Makin and Pip Maynard are pleased with progress in helping the community make connections across the board in their first four months of operation.
Hana: “It’s been very well received and people coming in have been pleased to have somewhere and someone local to talk to.
“Obviously we’re still getting to meet people, we’re still new so there are still plenty of people who still don’t know that we’re here – and some people who do know we’re here don’t (yet) need our help.
We’ve got a few services that are available weekly now so that helps people knowing what we can do. So we’ve got Digital Seniors in here once a week, the building and financial capabilities team here once a week, doing free budgeting advice and education so they work with people to help them get on top of their finances.
We’ve got Youth to Work once a week and they help people into sustainable employment – so they work with young people and with businesses to help them employ young people as well.
Pip: “We have Te Hauora Runanga o Wairarapa, they’ve actually held two 8-week courses here since we opened (in January).
“They’ve been rongoa (Maori health) courses and really well received as it’s been more traditional harvesting and things like that, some sometimes here and sometimes (fieldwork) out in the district.
Hana: “We’re still actively talking to serives and inviting them to be here, like IRD is now here once a month.
“When people come in the door and say what they want support with, that’s when we jump into action and try and make sure that service is able to get here.
Hana: “We have people coming through and that will get busier the longer we’re here and the more people know that.
Pip: “ We’ve had more than 100 people come through since we opened which is really positive,
People seek help in filling out government forms, contacting or phoning government agencies, scanning documents and providing support during calls “because we’re completely confidential and free. That’s a real privilege.”
Hana: “ It’s not really really busy yet – but we’ll get there.”
Pip: “Every fortnight we have our ‘Little laughs, wise Words’ … an inter-generational morning tea for caregivers with littlees under five and anyone 60 and over and having that interaction across the ages. It’s a hot drink and a chat.”
Hana: “Some young families don’t have local oldies they can connect with and some of our older community don’t have grandchildren they can connect with so it’s just a way of making that connection a possibility.”
Pip: “Last month was neighbours’ month, so we went to Pirinoa first, to the Pirinoa play group, to let people know we’re here now and touch base. Then the following week we went to Ngawi and a week later to Kahutara which has a very busy play group.”
Hana: “We’re trying to get out there and tell people we’re here, it’s a confidential service and it’s free for people to come in and have our support. We’re not here to make money.”
Pip: “ We understand that building trust is very important and that’s why we’ve gone out and met people and groups, like the Martinborough Lions. Volunteers are the backbone of any community and they should be held up – and celebrated.”
The Hub is funded through MSD (Ministry of Social Development) but there have been no indications of funding issues.
Hana: “Heartland (Services) has been around for a long time – since 2002 – and there are 40 Heartland Services (hubs) across the country. We’re heard nothing about that (funding issues) so no news is good news.”
Pip: “There seems to be a view that there needs to be support for our rural communities to give them a hand and keep them moving forward – so we’ll take that as a positive. We’ve had no negatives.”
Hana: “The Heartland Services team has been really supportive.”
Pip: “We held a PhonesSmart course over four weeks just so people can understand how to use the new technology covering the basics. It went really well and we’ll look at doing that again. With courses, we hope to be able to bring them out to areas that need them.”
While the older community has dominated the Hub’s first period, the staff expect their customer base will broaden out.
Pip: “The rural community are really, really confident about it, when they hear what we’re here for.
Groups like Hospice Wairarapa have also been using the service, running an intial course and indicating they will do so again “for access to a specific community,” while Age Concern has also indicated it will use the Hub’s facilities.
New Zealand Blood Foundation has also connected with the Hub, and “we’re hoping to run a blood drive here in Martinborough – and that will be really cool,” Pip added.
With the limit on blood donation lifted for the U.K. “mad cow” cohort, “there’s a group that haven’t had the opportunity before (to donate blood) and who are very much excited about being able to do it. It will definitely happen,” Pip said.
