A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
The staircase at Tauawhi Men’s Centre is steep, narrow and a bit rickety. Tauawhi is based in roomy premises upstairs but has no street frontage, so there is a sign outside at 71 Peel Street. You enter, straighten up and climb to a landing, then climb again. The walls upthe stairs have posters of Tairawhiti men promoting supportive friendships, positive change and non-violence.
Forester Wade Brunt told the audience at the Tairawhiti Men of the Year Awards last night how he was overweight, unhealthy and in a dark place back in early 2017 when he decided to seek help at Tauawhi.
He sat in his truck outside, not sure of what he was doing. He climbed the stairs, slowly, and read on one of the posters that “It’s OK to not be OK”. It spurred him onwards, to a conversation with Tauawhi co-ordinator Tim Marshall and the start of an inspirational turnaround in his life — discovering a passion for health and exercise that he is spreading to fellow workers in his industry — which was acknowledged last night with one of 10 “men of the year” awards.
It can take a lot of courage for troubled men to climb the Tauawhi staircase, or a court order, but hundreds of Tairawhiti men have done so over the past nine years and many have stepped back down with a different perspective on life, and a little hope that they are on the start of a new journey.
It will take many trips accessing the free and confidential services upstairs to achieve real, lasting change — as much as you know, or come to know, that you have to stop the harmful behaviours that are hurting you and your family.
The journey for last night’s Tauawhi People of the Year started with that staircase, too.
Peniana Brown climbed it six years ago to see if she could do something to help Tauawhi, quickly realised that would be more appropriate for her husband waiting outside in the car, so returned and brought Allan up the staircase. The former pastor has been a rock for the service in mostly volunteer administrative roles, and Peniana has put her energy into supporting parent agency Family Works, a non-government child protection, social work and counselling service.
