I te tīmatatanga, nā tētehi kaituku ratonga pāpori o te rohe, arā, ko Te Oranganui Iwi Health Authority, te kirimana i tuku ki te rōpū mō te 10 wiki, ā, nā te āwhina i te tari ā-rohe o Te Puni Kōkiri te wā i whakaroatia ai tae atu ki te 11 o Hakihea.

Nō Whanganui tonu a Lee Ashford, no Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi. Kei te noho ōna mātua ki Parikino – he kāinga iti noa kei waho tonu i Whanganui.

I kuraina ia i tētehi kura o te rohe, ko Hato Akuhatina (arā, ko St Augustine’s). I mua i tana uru ki te kaupapa Enhanced Taskforce Green he kaiako hākinakina ia i mahi ai i te taha o te hunga taiohi kua raru i te YMCA o te rohe.

Ko Lee tētehi o ngā kaimahi ka keri, ka raraku i te parahua i ngā ara me ngā pātiki, ka āwhina hoki i ngā marae o te rohe.

Hari koa ana ia i te whakaroanga, ā, ka kī ake ka riro i a rātou ko ngā tama tētehi wā roa atu hei āwhina atu i te takiwā.

“Kua tino pākarukaru ētehi o ngā w’are puni ki ētehi o ō tātou marae, ā, ka ngana tonu ō tātou marae kia kakama te whakatika tika, kia taea ai e ngā whānau ngā mate te whakahoki, ki te pīrangitia.”

E ai ki a ia, kāore te tokopae tāngata ki ētehi wāhi hei āwhina atu i a rātou. Kua hūnuku atu te nuinga o ngā whānau, kotahi, e rua rānei noa iho ngā whānau ka noho ki te marae, ā, ka whakakīia e rātou ngā whāruarua ina taea ana.

I te 20 o Pipiri i tēnei tau, i te 24 haora noa iho, i heke te ua o te kotahi marama te rahi. I taua pō rā, me te ata i whai muri mai, ka paria ngā tahataha o te awa o Whanganui, ā, ka waipukengia te waengapū o te taone. Ko te mutunga iho ko te waipuke kino rawa atu o ngā waipuke kua kitea, kua mau ngā korero.

I katia te taone nui e te waipuke, ā, ka āhua 400 tāngata i whakatahia, ko te nuinga i Pūtiki, i Aramoho, i Whanganui ki te rāwhiti hoki.

He nui tonu te tukitukinga, te kī a Ashford, “Tē taea e ētehi kaipāmu te mahi ki ō rātou whenua i te mea kua pakapaka ngā papa uku o te one i te whitinga o te rā.”

Ka wātea wā roa a Lee i mua i te waipuke, ā, ahakoa tāna mahi nui mō te kaupapa Taskforce Green, ka tūpono noa te whai wāhitanga ki te uru ki te kaupapa nei.

“I tautapatia au e te whānau, ā, tāria te wā, kei konei tonu au,” tana kata. “He mahi nui.” tāna e whāki ana.

“Ka taurite te mahi o nāianei ki te wā i tīmata tuatahi ai te rōpū he māninia ngā ara, engari kua maroke me he uku ināianei. Kātahi ka heke te ua, nā, ka māniania anō ngā ara.”

Engari e ai ki te taitama nei 21 tau te pakeke, ehara i te mahi noa iho, Ka kī ia he wā tēnei hei whakahoki whakaaro atu. “Ko te āhua reka tonu o te mahi ko te whakahoki whakaaro ki te hapori. Koirā pea te whakaaro o te katoa. Tekau mā rua mātou, he rangatahi Māori katoa e āwhina ana i tō tātou rohe.

Ahakoa kua pakaru te werawera i te mahi, i kī a Lee ko te nuinga o ngā tāne i tōna rōpū ka whai hua pai ā-ohanga, ā-pāpori hoki, me kī, he hua ka maiohatia e te whānau whānui.

“E pārekareka ana te nuinga o ngā taitama e mahi mai ana ki te kaupapa nei. Kua whai oranga rātou. Ka ara rātou i te ata, ā, ka rite rātou ki te puta ki waho, whakapau kaha ai ki ngā mahi o te rā.

“Ka hīkaka katoa ngā tama ki te hoki ki te kāinga, ki te whakapau moni mā ō rātou whānau, kaua ki te noho noa ki te kāinga me te kore mahi.”

Nā te iwi kāinga, a Ngaa Rauru, tētehi hākari motuhake i whakarite mā te rōpū Taskforce Green hei whakawhetai ki a rātou nā rātou te mahi nui me te tūhura i ngā whiringa ka puta pea mutu ai tā rātou kirimana.

 

E ai ki te Kaikōmihana ā-rohe mō te Ministry of Social Development, arā, ko Gloria Campbell, “ He māmā atu te whai mahi mai i te mahi, i te whai mahi mai i te kore mahi noa iho.”

Kua manawareka te Kaiwhakahaere ā-Rohe a Willis Katene i whai wāhi ai ki te kirimana te whakawhanake pūkenga. “Ka whiwhi ngā kaimahi i te Tiwhikete Āwhina Tūroro (arā, ko te First Aid Certificate) me te whakangungutanga Wāhi Mahi Hauora, Haumaru hoki (arā, ko te Site Safe health and safety training), e hāpaitia ai rātou ina kimi mahi ai kia tū motuhake ai rātou.”

Ko te Enhanced Takforce Green he kaupapa e ārahina ana e te kāwanatanga ka whakamahia te hunga kimi mahi o te takiwā, ā, ka āwhina i te kaupapa whakatikatika e whakahaerehia ana ki te rohe o Whanganui.