Deputy Principal for Ōtāhuhu College, Mrs Moana Va’aelua, says families were anxious about how they could support themselves while in self-isolation.

“There was a lot of anxiety around how they were going to get through the lockdown while self-isolating. Families reached out to us and we also had teachers contacting everyone to check in for any support they required.”

But Mrs Va’aelua was reassured through the existing partnership they have Pasifika Futures (PFL) – the Whānau Ora commissioning agency for Pacific families – who made immediate contact and offered food packages, utility relief and mental health care for the Ōtāhuhu College community. 

“We did not anticipate the amount of families who were needing support. PFL gave us Covid-19 lockdown funding and I am so grateful for the work they did for us.

Without even having to ask, PFL already knew what needed to be done because they understand the community”, says Mrs Va’aelua.

Principal for Tamaki College, Mrs Soana Pamaka, expressed her gratitude to PFL for the lockdown support their school received as well.

“The help from PFL was instant. We went into lockdown and I got a call from PFL offering their support immediately.

Through the PFL lockdown fund, we were able to equip our Tereora Academy as our communications team. They reached out to the families of our school and we were able to respond to their needs from that.”

Despite the lockdown challenges for her school community, Mrs Pamaka says PFL’s support eased that pressure.

“We were enabled to serve our community with the fund given by PFL. With their trust in us, we were able to minimize the challenges that came about because of the lockdown.”

PFL’s Director of Partnerships, Mr Craig Sionetuato, says because a lot of families were required to self-isolate, they had no time to prepare themselves.

“Access to food was a big concern for families so it continued to be our biggest form of support. We also provided utility and mental health support,” he says.

Mr Sionetuato emphasizes that the trusted partnership between PFL and these two schools in particular, allowed them to mobilize support with urgency and effectiveness.

“The support we offered was able to happen because of our meaningful and trustworthy partnerships with these school communities”.

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Date: Saturday 4 September 2021