Healing hands guide Kawhia youth to Hawaii

[Kawhia]

Tuesday, 17 July 2007
By Amy Thomsen

In light of a tragedy which occurred in their town on New Year’s Eve, a special group of residents are taking action to protect Kawhia’s youth.

Taking a pro-active approach has resulted in 19 Kawhia residents travelling to Hawaii on a cultural exchange – giving aid and learning the culture.

After the murder that “rocked Kawhia”, in which a 23-year-old Te Awamutu man was stabbed to death, Kawhia resident Karen Bishop, among others, was concerned for the welfare of young people in the town.

“Everyone was talking about “poor Kawhia” and what it had done to the community,” said Karen.

“But it was like – what about the young people who witnessed this, and who have lost a friend?

“Nobody seemed to care about how the youth were dealing with this, and reacting to it. That gave us more reason to do something.

“Everyone in Kawhia is concerned for the young people, but there was a group of us who were pro-active enough to do something about it.”

Karen said she could feel the mood changing in Kawhia prior to that fateful night of New Year’s Eve, and many residents were concerned about what the youth would do in their town during the summer.

Their concern has culminated into a youth group, where ‘positive living for youth’ is the main teaching.

For the past six months, Karen, Lisa Panapa and other adults have rallied together as many Kawhia youth as they could to take part in a programme run by Tauranga group Island Breeze called, ‘Te Haerenga’ – or ‘The Journey’. This group is run by Te Ramaihiko Trust.

They soon had 30 young people who  wanted to get on board, and make changes in their lives.

The group has since met once per month at various marae in the North Island, where they have had motivational speakers inform them about the effects of drugs, alcohol, gangs and other negative influences.

The group has also been learning kapa haka and mau rakau (Maori martial arts).

“We have been trying to expose them to the support that is out there for them, and link them with communities with similar issues to ours,” said Karen.

“As a result, the youth have now made some real life changes for themselves.”

Karen is proud to say that 26 of those who started the programme have completed it.

As a result of a lot of hard work, 11 Kawhia youth, plus eight adults and children from the group have spent 10 days in Hawaii. They returned on Sunday.

While in Hawaii, they carried out community work, giving aid and learning about the Hawaiian culture.

Staying at the Makapala Retreat Centre, they visited New Zealand’s version of kohanga reo, primary schools, colleges, attend a luau, work in a soup kitchen, clean up a site ravaged by earthquakes, visit a Hawaiian church, and much more.

“The children will got to experience the culture from the ground up,” said Karen.

“But the biggest thing for me, and for many people, is that they went to the place where the canoes came from.

“That is of huge significance to us, especially having the Tainui waka here in Kawhia.”

The residents who have made this trip are aged from 2-60 years.

“It’s that whole intergenerational thing – whanau – a true reflection on the Maori culture,” said Karen.

The group travelled with other Island Breeze members from Tauranga, Auckland, Tokoroa, and places in between.

Karen said the trip has been a huge feat for the Kawhia group, and as a collective, they raised $30,000 – without any public funding.

“We have done everything from having stalls at the Kai Festival, mowing lawns, holding hangi, sausage sizzles, and we have had some very generous koha donated to us,” she said.

“We held a hangi night in Auckland, and raised $9500 there.

“We then had one in Kawhia, and raised another $3500 .

“More than 100 people came – they really got out and supported us. It was huge.

“And it was really good for the kids to see that. They needed to see that from their community.”

She said setting goals and seeing them through has all been part of ‘the journey’.

“A lot of the people going to Hawaii didn’t even have passports, or hadn’t been on a plane before, so even those things have been a mission,” said Karen.

“It has been an amazing experience. We’ve all had to work together…cry together…it’s been a step-by-step process.

“It’s been challenging, but really exhilarating.”

Following the group’s return, they will have a final debrief in Tauranga.

“It’s just been so successful, that we’re not giving up after we get back. We’re going to keep this up,” said Karen.

She said there are a lot of people working with youth in Kawhia – the only difference being that their project has had an overseas component.

“I couldn’t sit here, and say it’s just been us,” she said.

“It has been the work of the whole community. It truly does take a village to raise a child.

“We are all responsible for our youth, and we care about them and want to see good things happen to them.

“Let’s look high, and make it work.”