Rik TeTau, the new GM for PNMSS, reports on changes at PNMSS as his team works to support the ever-changing – and increasing - needs of their community.

It has been a privilege to work with such a forward-thinking innovative team and I look forward to what we will achieve together over the coming months. As we farewell Hayley and Bryleigh, we welcome Fiona, our Birthright and Community Liaison Social Worker, and Kiriana, our new Foodbank Coordinator.

Our foodbank is getting busier and busier, and we are making changes as we head towards Christmas. A new-look reception at the front entrance to our building ensures our service is more mana enhancing and community-driven. We extend a huge thank you to MSD, Foodstuffs, Pak’nSave and the Salvation Army Palmerston North for their support in ensuring that food is always available to meet our community needs. We are also grateful for community grants that have enabled us to purchase chillers and other items to support the growth of foodbank, community engagement programmes and to extend our education groups.

There has been a huge demand for counselling services over the past months as we start to see the true effects of the past two years. The community is adjusting to the new normal and our team is working hard to see as many people as they can. At present demand is far greater than we have capacity to provide for so we are looking at enlarging our team to try and meet this increased demand. We hope that by early 2023 we will have employed one or two new counsellors.

By early 2023 we will also be looking at opening our interactive therapy room. This is a specially designed space where whānau and young people can be fully interactive with a range of supportive therapies.

With the start of our new relationship with Birthright Palmerston North, we have been able to support more rangatahi, whānau and Rangitāne (our local iwi) into recreational engagement, meet the needs of school equipment and engage with schools around supporting camps. Fiona has been busy building relationships and supporting whānau to access what they need to support their young people to thrive.

We have been lucky enough to receive some funding to support the disability community through Covid isolation and support whānau while isolating. This has given us the opportunity to open our supports to a wider community and engage with them fully.

Highbury House continues to grow as we look to fill the store with more furniture to meet the growing need of whānau in our community.