Ten years reaching across the hill

RISE celebrates a ten-year anniversary of partnership with Blenheim’s Maataa Waka

For nearly 40 years, RISE has been providing family violence services across the top of the South Island. This year we celebrate a significant partnership developed 10 years ago with Maataa Waka Ki Te Tau Ihu Trust to provide family violence services in Marlborough.

In 2012 RISE, then named SVS – Living Safe, was introduced to Maataa Waka, a kaupapa Māori provider based in Blenheim. Formed in 1990, Maataa Waka had a vision to develop a health and social service for whānau living in Marlborough with connections to iwi outside of the area. Since receiving its first child health contract in 1995, the organisation has grown from strength to strength. Today it offers a wide range of social services to the community of Marlborough, including family violence services/programmes developed over the last 10 years working in collaboration with RISE.

RISE General Manager Dee Cresswell remembers being contacted in 2012 by a contract manager for Child Youth and Family (CYF), which is now Oranga Tamariki (OT). The contract manager told her about a gap in services for Pacifica and Māori in Marlborough. At the time, RISE only offered services in Nelson and Tasman, but the contract manager asked if Dee would meet with Maataa Waka to discuss a contract sharing arrangement in Marlborough.

“We didn’t know that there was a gap in family violence services over the hill,” Dee says. “We were very focussed on our own community and building our services here. I took it as a compliment that we were asked about it and I went to Blenheim to see how we could help.

“I met Gail MacDonald, who was the manager of Maataa Waka at the time. Right away I thought the partnership potential was attractive. It seemed a win-win for both our teams, and I know Gail felt the same way. She seemed very interested in expanding their services to meet the needs of the community.”

RISE was not a kaupapa Māori organisation and Dee felt her team could learn from Maataa Waka. And Maataa Waka was strongly integrated in its own community but lacked the family violence specialty her team could provide.

Gail MacDonald is now the Kaiwhakahaere Pakihi (Business Manager) for Maataa Waka and remembers when OT gave the go-ahead and funding for the joint project.

“We knew there was a need for kaupapa Māori family violence services in the area as there was only one other service offering men’s non-violence programmes at the time. That organisation closed and the demand for services within Maataa Waka increased instantly. We were pleased that we’d already connected with RISE and started the process of upskilling our team. We were able to pick up quickly and, as a result, the family violence service grew quite significantly in the years after.”

The pilot programme at Maataa Waka began with a staff member, Malcolm Pitman, who had experience working with men who used violence. Malcolm co-facilitated a Men’s Non-Violence group with a RISE facilitator in Nelson as part of attaining his Ministry of Justice Accreditation. After 12 months Malcolm achieved his accreditation and begun to deliver the Non-Violence Programme at Maataa Waka.

Dee says it is ideal for the non-violence programme to be co-gendered (a male and female jointly lead the group) to ensure both perspectives are represented. So, Malcolm was soon joined by colleague Emma-Jaye King, who started with Maataa Waka as a kaimahi rangatahi (youth worker) and rose to become the organisation’s Pouārahi (General Manager). Under the guidance of Malcolm she co-facilitated the programme in Blenheim and attended training and group facilitation at RISE as part of achieving her accreditation. 

Emma-Jaye says, “At the start it was Malcolm and I working with male respondents. Then we were offered funding through OT to deliver a child safety programme in Blenheim too. Dee and RISE supported additional training of our team to apply for this contract, which we were granted.

“At the same time Maataa Waka kept increasing staff numbers so that we could deliver the women’s adult safety programme too. Again, with help and training from RISE we became qualified to do this work as well.

“Growing our knowledge and partnering with RISE has also helped us obtain a contract with Ministry of Social Development to do more whānau centred work. Today we have six people alone working on the non-violence services team and 35 throughout the organisation. We’ve grown tremendously in size and in knowledge over the last 10 years.”

Emma-Jaye says, “The Marlborough community are more aware of Maataa Waka non-violence services due to good relationships with our stakeholders, promotion of community events and past participants of the service.

“It could be this is due to the increased visibility of family violence in recent years. Either way, more people are asking for help and we are fortunate to be here in Blenheim, in our community, helping people who need us.”

Maataa Waka has adapted the non-violence programme to include a kaupapa Māori model that is woven through the mainstream model, this provides a safe environment catering to the culture needs of others.

Today, RISE continues to hold the contract with the Department of Justice and Corrections to deliver the programme in Marlborough and sub-contracts the work to Maataa Waka. Both organisations are in different places professionally, operating independently, but still working closely together.

“Our relationship is based on mutual respect,” Emma-Jaye says. We’re on the same page and we support each other, enhancing each other’s services and knowledge.

“Still, it doesn’t seem like it’s been 10 years! I think if we hadn’t attended that meeting with Dee, I’m not sure we’d be in the same place that we are today. It was one of those things that changed the course of both organisations.”

Dee is grateful that the partnership has enhanced her team’s kaupapa Māori framework and they have continued to embed this knowledge into their many programmes.

“RISE and Maataa Waka have shared trainings, joint hui, and we talk with each other frequently. They have helped us think about how to deliver a service for Māori in our community that is respectful and open. Every day we look at how we can increase our knowledge and capacity in this area, thanks to their help.”

Dee says eliminating family violence takes everyone doing their part. RISE has invested time and money into Maataa Waka maturation in the area and the investment has paid off.

“I’m proud of what we have achieved together and I hope we share another ten wonderful years working together.”

For more information, hang out here a little longer on our website and visit Maataa Waka’s website.