When Josh talks of Visionwest and the Pae Aronui rangatahi training course, the first thing he mentions is manaakitanga and how that love and acceptance transformed his life. Josh had been with Visionwest’s youth training courses on and off for a...
For the first time in my life, I can think about the future. The first thing I want to do is help rescue my whānau from carrying the same weight I was carrying when I first came in here. They can see how I’ve changed, and it is both challenging and...
Since November 2019, Faye has been the Mātanga Oranga Whānau specialist at Visionwest; a role that was established to enable Visionwest to provide a programme to whānau in West Auckland that would address the urgent need to support those living...
Happy Matariki to everyone. Signalling New Year, Matariki is a time of renewal and celebration in Aotearoa New Zealand that begins with the rising of the Matariki star cluster and the rising of a new moon. A number of the team from our Glen Eden...
Gina* was quiet and reclusive when she moved to Auckland, preferring to keep to herself and avoiding too much contact with others. Then she joined the Pae Aronui programme at Visionwest Waka Whakakitenga. Awhina, one of the Pae Aronui Kaiarahi...
Prior to lockdown, Damon* had been sleeping rough for a long time. His sister had noticed his declining health and wellbeing and became so concerned that she urged him to visit Visionwest. The reluctance Damon felt when he first visited...
Most people come to Visionwest with a variety of complex financial, physical and emotional challenges. Staff in each of our support services often find themselves stepping outside of their usual role to provide extra support. That’s what happened...
From being helped to being a helper, Michelle has chosen to walk a different pathway since she received support from Visionwest. Michelle knew her life wasn’t going great. She was homeless, sleeping in her car or in the garages of friends until a...
As an 18-year-old, Hine was living on the street. Three years later, she is securely housed in an immaculately kept West Auckland flat managed by Visionwest. Friendly and articulate, she says her biggest goal is finding a regular job and, one day,...
Shannon* had been receiving food parcels from Visionwest’s Pātaka Kai to help her through a really tough time. Shannon is a single mum who, whilst looking for work, found herself struggling to make ends meet. Rising living costs and increasing rent...