From Our Chair

It is with pleasure that I present my fourth Annual Report for Kootuitui ki Papakura.

I would characterise the 2018-2019 financial year as being one of consolidation and enterprise. Using a sporting analogy, it may also be described as a game of two halves, as we moved from the almost full financial and organisational support of the Middlemore Foundation in the calendar year 2018, to almost complete independence in 2019. As I have articulated in other forums, our ‘training wheels’ have been removed following the completion of the three-year support of the Foundation to a fully stand-alone operation that we now have in 2019.

I want to fully acknowledge the enormous support of the Middlemore Foundation has previously given the Trust, both financially, organisationally and in many other ways. It was the Foundation that first initiated, together with the Manaiakalani Education Trust, the three strands concept of homes, health and education. The Foundation continues to work alongside us today.

In becoming independent of the Foundation’s financial support, I want to acknowledge my fellow Trustees, but especially our Executive Officer, Angela Gattung, in successfully raising the necessary funding to continue operating the Trust activities. Angela’s role in working and engaging with our funding partners has been immense. Thank you Angela.

I wish to acknowledge all our staff, our contracted service providers and our whaanau support volunteers for what they do every day in efficiently and effectively delivering the services we are committed to providing: excellent learning experiences through digital enablement, health support for every child in our six schools, and a range of home strand support we provide to whaanau in Papakura. The range of activity and impact is truly humbling.

Our influence and impact within our Papakura community continues to grow. I thank all the different agencies and organisations we interact with in the community, as well as those from outside Papakura for your support.

I want to acknowledge our funders especially. Without your support we could not exist. I especially want to recognise the strategic commitment that funders are prepared to make, giving us the confidence of committing to what we do beyond the one-year cycle. I recognise in particular Foundation North which have given us a significant three-year funding commitment, and also acknowledge the many other funders listed in this Annual Report.

The Trust acknowledges the role and support of Principals and teachers in the six Kootuitui schools, notably Edmund Hillary Primary, Redhill Primary, Papakura High School, Park Estate Primary, Kereru Park Campus and Papakura Central Primary. I thank Raina Nock, the Principal of Edmund Hillary Primary for her ongoing leadership within Kootuitui ki Papakura, in her role as the Principal Education Convenor. Raina spends considerable time in working with the Manaiakalani Education programme, a programme now encompassing over 85 schools throughout New Zealand. I also wish to acknowledge the various organisations involved in our health services, in particular the Counties Manukau District Health Board, the National Hauora Coalition and the Papakura Marae. Good health comes for tamariki provide for better educational outcomes in our schools. And in our homes strand, we could not operate without the commitment of our volunteers, coupled with the support of a range of organisations such as Westpac, Beacon Trust, The Southern Initiative and Habitat for Humanity. We thank you all.

Finally, I wish to acknowledge our Trustees. There have been several changes during the year, and I thank those that have retired for various reasons, and welcome the new Trustees that have joined. Successful organisations require good governance, and we are fortunate with the quality of our Trustees.

Ngā mihi nui

Leigh Auton

Trust Chair