Tauranga woman named patron of SuperGrans

Wayne and Chloe Wright. Chloe has been announced as the patron for charity SuperGran. Photo / File

It's official – Tauranga's Chloe Wright is a SuperGran.

The chief executive of the Wright Family Foundation was recently named patron of SuperGrans, a collective of charitable trusts aimed at strengthening life skills to help families flourish.

The grandmother of eight felt humbled to be presented with a heart-shaped pounamu taonga at a special ceremony to mark the occasion.

Wright said SuperGrans' mission was to share valuable skills between generations and improve the lives of families.

"Having been raised in a village atmosphere I understand the comfort and resources that come to bear when any one of the villages is in need.

"Respecting the knowledge and skills of the older generation and connecting that to the journey of young parents is vital in maintaining a healthy and happy community."

She believed SuperGrans epitomised the circle of life and gave hope to young who could be struggling.

"Simply put, they are the glue that binds."

SuperGrans Aotearoa's national coordinator Martha Kelly said the organisation waited years to find a patron that would fit with the ethos of SuperGrans and found Wright through her commitment to direct the resources of the Wright Family Foundation into achieving the best outcomes for families.

"We work for families too, so we thought 'what a wonderful patron to have'."

SuperGrans started in Lower Hutt in 1993.

Volunteers, which include men and non-grans too, work with young families to teach them life skills such as cooking and growing their own food, budgeting, household routines, clothes mending and basic repairs around the home.

"Even though we're not all grans, we've stuck with the name because it represents the sharing of inter-generational knowledge," Kelly said.

"It's about sharing knowledge and sticking with people until they know how to use their new skills in their everyday life."

SuperGrans relies on fundraising, grants and sponsorship, such as that offered by the Wright Family Foundation.