Teina was the first employee at Ngā Kete, the first to take the leap when the vision was still taking shape. Her commitment wasn’t just to the work - it was to the values and the purpose at the heart of it all.
Back then, I was a stay-at-home mum, juggling school sports and coaching, making sure the kids got to where they needed to be. I also helped friends get to appointments - Dunedin trips mostly. I’d drive them up, sit with them during their appointments, then bring them home again. No job title. No paycheck. Just aroha.
Then one day, Tracey Wright-Tawha - who was working at our rūnaka in Riverton - came to me with a dream. She and her late husband Roy had this vision of creating a health and social service for our people, something led by us, for us. She spoke to my mum, and Mum said, “Teina’s just at home, doing nothing.” (Classic Mum!) So Tracey came and asked if I’d be interested in being part of this dream - doing the work I was already doing, just now as a job.
And so, it all began - just me and Tracey in a small office at TPK on Spey Street. My days were a blur of driving people to appointments, coordinating with the hospital, and picking up groceries on the way back. Most of our clients came from the rural areas of Western Southland - places like Ohai, Nightcaps, Tuatapere, and Riverton. Before diving into anything, we made it a point to go out and ask the locals what they really needed. I had the privilege of spending time with some wonderful kaumātua, many of whom missed appointments simply because they didn’t have reliable transport or needed someone to accompany them for support.
I remember our first car - a dark green Toyota Previa. I’ll never forget trying to park it in that narrow wee spot behind the building. I still don’t know how I never crashed it!
One of the early ideas Tracey had was for a free 0800 number - removing barriers for people to reach out. She wanted to call it Waka Te Hauora – the vehicle of health. That’s what our number 952 242 represents: Waka Ha.
I did that mahi for about a year and a half, until we picked up a contract for road safety. Roy took over driving full-time, and I stepped into the road safety role. That became its own kaupapa - we worked with iwi liaison officers from the police, helping young people get their learner’s licenses. We’d run the courses and tests at the marae. Later, we also worked with first-time traffic offenders turning those into education opportunities instead of punishments. We even did a project with Road Safety Southland on fatigued driving, which we took all the way to Hui-ā-Iwi in Christchurch. That campaign was called Arrive Alive.
By then, we had moved from Spey Street to Don Street, then on to Victoria Ave, and eventually Yarrow Street. As we grew, our kaupapa grew too. In 2005, we took on the stop smoking service, and that was a turning point for me. Shan Loach was running the Aukati Kai Paipa programme. I joined as a participant and stopped smoking after 30 years. About nine months later, Tracey asked me if I’d be keen to take over Shan’s role because she was leaving - she believed in me before I even fully believed in myself.
I took a week to think about it. I knew if I took the job, there was no going back to smoking. But I thought, bugger it - I can do it. And I’ve been doing it ever since.
Over the years, Ngā Kete expanded into mobile nursing, addictions services, driving programmes - so many pilot projects, so many communities, so many stories. In 2016, we secured the contract for the Southern Stop Smoking Service. And today, I’m proud to say I’m still here. I’ve been the manager since just after COVID - coming into my fourth year now.
Somewhere along the way, I became a certified driving instructor through our He Tangata programme. Just another opportunity I said yes to, because why not? Every role I’ve had here has let me give back in ways that feel meaningful.
I honestly don’t know where the time has gone. It’s flown. But looking back, from our little back room in Spey Street to the organisation we are today, I feel so proud. We’ve stayed true to our values. We’ve grown, adapted, and remained passionate. People still talk to me in the street about those early days, about the help they received, the appointments, the laughs, the care.
I love what I do. I love the people. I love the aroha that lives in this place. Our CEO, Tracey, believed in me from the very beginning and has backed me every step of the way. I’m still not ready to retire. This isn’t just a job. It’s my whānau.
