Janina Kopua and her Ūawa Whānau Ora kaimahi Jamie Kernohan inside her cosy new pod after her house became red stickered following Cyclone Hale in January. Pod homes are small prefabricated houses, which come as compact units that are completely self contained with electricity, water, hygiene services and some like Janina's have solar panels. Prior to moving in here one month ago Janina was homeless, but soon she will be part of a pod community as more of these whare arrive housing displaced whānau on this piece of donated land which will be officially opened and blessed in July 2023.
Despite their isolated location and size, Te Whare Hauora o Te Aitanga a Hauiti provides a wide range of services for their Tolaga Bay community. From breast screening and delivering prescriptions to firewood and a drop-in group for tane every Sunday, the needs of whānau is at the forefront of this team led by CE Rina Kerekere.
"We schedule our programmes around our community and we reach out for their voices to find out what they actually need, rather than us creating something based on what we think they need. It's responding to whānau korero and what they want to see in their wellbeing visions for the future".
