Last week brought us Mental Health Awareness Week (6-12 October).

It’s a good reminder that mental wellbeing should be critical part of all our lives, individually, as whānau, and as a community.

Expanding support for rough sleepers is an important step towards ensuring more whānau have access to safe, stable housing, says the Porirua Whānau Centre.

This year marked the 50th Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week, and kaumātua came together to honour the milestone in a way that reflected both tradition and revitalisation.

As has now become tradition, our kaumātua celebrated with a hangi prepared especially for the occasion.

The Porirua Whānau Centre extended its Te Rēhia – Rangatahi Breakaway Programme into the October school holidays, even though it is usually offered only in summer and April term breaks.

The programme creates opportunities to learn new skills, grow confidence, and build friendships, while offering an alternative to the risks that can come with boredom and disconnection.

Health inequities don’t have to be permanent but change only happens when communities are given the tools to lead it.

So says the Porirua Whānau Centre, a Kaupapa Māori organisation that has been supporting whānau throughout the greater Wellington region since 1994.

There’s a whakataukī I often return to: Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini - My strength is not as an individual, but as a collective.

It reminds me that real change happens when people move together with purpose. That’s what local elections are about. And this year, they matter more than ever.

For 85-year-old Betty, tackling complicated paperwork and tangled finances was becoming increasingly overwhelming, until she found help through the Porirua Whānau Centre.

Each week at the Porirua Whānau Centre, a group of wāhine gather, not just for connection, but for healing.

Families from across the community gathered at Porirua Whānau Centre in July for a special Evening with Te Whatu Ora, focused on everyday health and wellbeing.

Every Tuesday, Porirua Whānau Centre becomes a hive of activity as up to 60 kai boxes from Kiwi Community Assistance are packed and prepared for distribution.

Seven young tane in the Mana Mōtuhake programme stood a little taller this Matariki, delivering personal introductions and karakia in front of an audience of staff, childcare whānau, and more than 20 participants from the Whānau Centre’s Mana Wāhine programme.

Esther is one of the Whānau Centre’s three counsellors. She provides a calm, kind presence that meets people where they’re at and gently walks alongside them as they work through life’s toughest experiences.

Troy Wairau-Laga works with tāne through the Porirua Whānau Centre to keep building on what they’ve learned (whether through the Whānau Centre or elsewhere), and continue their journey toward becoming more open, honest and connected to themselves and their whānau.

This month’s stories are all about people and the journeys they’re on. Their stories are also a good reminder of the challenges they’ve faced, and the strength they’re discovering along the way.

One story that really stands out is about our new men’s programme, Te Huringa ō Te Ao – Supporting Men’s Behaviour Change, led by the incredible Troy Wairau-Laga.

Welcome to the very first edition of our Porirua Whānau Centre Panui!

When Harmony first connected with the Porirua Whānau Centre, she was sleeping on the floor at her job site and had no place to call her own. But the Whānau Centre have since helped her into transitional housing and enrolled her in their Ready to Rent programme, which gave her the skills and support to find a long-term rental.

The Porirua Whānau Centre’s new budgeting service, Building Financial Capability: Budgeting, is a free programme designed to support whānau across the Greater Wellington region through tough financial times.

Tiaki Mokopuna (at Porirua’s Whitireia campus) is one of two childcare centres operated by the Porirua Whānau Centre. With a kaupapa grounded in aroha, culture, and empowerment, it provides more than just childcare. It also creates a nurturing environment where tamariki thrive.

Through the Whānau Centre’s support, Taimua Pupi Holi (known to most as Semi) has earned his First Aid certificate, secured both his learner and restricted driver’s licences, and enrolled in an entrance-level carpentry course at Whitireia in Porirua.

The Whānau Centre has also now helped into his first job.