Exciting News to Share
Visionwest Waka Whakakitenga is pleased to announce that, as of 30 June 2026, Iosis has formally become part of the Visionwest whānau.
In welcoming Iosis into the whānau, Visionwest receives a rich taonga of Baptist care, community connection, and practical experience.
Formally incorporated in 2006, Iosis brought together the experience and legacies of several historic Baptist mission initiatives, with roots that reach back to the 1890s. This longstanding legacy of care can now continue, strengthened by shared purpose and a wider network of support.
Throughout the recent months of consultation between Visionwest and Iosis, we have been struck by the strong alignment in kaupapa, history, and purpose.
This includes:
- a deep commitment to embedding and embodying kaupapa Māori and honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
- strong Baptist whakapapa and a clear commitment to faith-led service.
- a longstanding focus on supporting whānau facing hardship, trauma, or complex challenges.
A Positive Opportunity for All
This marks a significant moment for both organisations and for the communities we serve. It brings together two stories of practical compassion, local presence, and long-term commitment to whānau wellbeing.
It is not simply one organisation merging with another. Rather, it is about carrying forward what has already been built, honouring the relationships already formed, and strengthening the support available to whānau in the communities Iosis has served.
For Visionwest, this creates an opportunity to strengthen the connection between our existing housing services in South Auckland and locally based wrap-around support for whānau. The services previously offered by Iosis dovetail well with those offered by Visionwest in West Auckland, including youth development, kaupapa Māori trauma-informed counselling, financial mentoring, parenting support, and other practical services that help whānau move toward stability and wellbeing.
Over time, this development will create clearer opportunities and pathways for whānau to access the right support at the right time, whether that begins with housing, counselling, financial mentoring, parenting support, or another point of connection. It also gives Visionwest the opportunity to learn from the Iosis team, their history, and their relationships in South Auckland.
Our Heart for Partnership
Visionwest is deeply committed to partnership. This is reflected in several key relationships we continue to nurture and strengthen:
- Our relationship with Glen Eden Baptist Church, which is integral to the Visionwest story and remains at the heart of who we are.
- Our care for the whānau we serve, offering support not from above, but by coming alongside people as they identify the solutions that best meet their needs.
- Our work to honour our responsibilities under Te Tiriti o Waitangi through the establishment of our Tauihu model of shared leadership and our commitment to embedding kaupapa Māori in the life of our organisation.
- Our internal relationships, as the various teams within Visionwest seek to work cohesively, creatively, and professionally with one another according to our values of whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, aroha, and mana.
- Our collaboration with the government of the day, other like-minded organisations, donors, suppliers, and partners, so that together we can carry out our work with whānau in ways that are practical, respectful, and effective.
Welcoming Iosis into Visionwest sits within this same heart for partnership. It is a reminder that good community work is never done alone. It grows through trust, shared learning, local knowledge, and a willingness to serve alongside others for the good of whānau and communities.
A New Chapter
This marks the beginning of a new chapter for both organisations. It brings together experience, capability, and shared purpose, while keeping the needs of whānau and communities at the centre.
As Iosis becomes part of the Visionwest whānau, we are grateful for all that has gone before and hopeful about what lies ahead.
We look forward to continuing this work with integrity, care, and hope, together.
Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou,
Lisa Woolley (Tumu Whakarae, CEO) & Fred Astle (Tumu, DCE)
