Ana Apatu: Bold action needed for challenges

Ana Apatu.

We order our first lot of pyjamas for our Flaxmere Jarmy Army, this time due to the generosity of a donation made by the Diocese of Palmerston North Catholic Charities Allocations Group.

We negotiate with The Warehouse that for every purchase of pyjamas The Warehouse will donate a set of thermals. This is our second year with the Jarmy Army. We learnt many things from this project last year, including thermals were also much appreciated by families - warm clothing that could be worn at night and during the day.

My friend Bev Te Huia emails me, "Four kiddies arrived in their jarmys for kura that day ... So we changed them into their new jarmys ... some kiddies said that this was the first pair of jarmys they have ever received and others walked around with them all day in their arms like it was Christmas."

I attend an Akina Foundation social enterprise workshop facilitated by David Clearwater. My interest stems from David's attendance and input with our Takitimu Ora Whanau Ora Collective community workshops. The aim of our whanau ora collective is to improve young people's engagement in employment, education or training. I learn social enterprise is to develop a business model which in turn impacts on community - or in particular a social, cultural or environmental purpose. Enterprise - the engine that drives social outcomes. kina - a call for bold action - helping others to identify pathways through their challenges. Akina's history begins in 2008, whereby the Todd and Tindall Foundations established the Hikurangi Foundation to support practical action on climate change and the environment. A whole range of grass roots and community led innovation was funded.

Hikurangi's mission focused on five impact areas - transport; housing; consumption and waste; land and ecosystems; energy. Incubation models were developed that supported a range of social enterprises and social entrepreneurs throughout the country. In early 2014, the Government announced funding to expand our incubation and development services for high potential social enterprise across New Zealand. Akina Foundation offers support to grow businesses and social impact. A local example of a social enterprise venture assisted by Akina is Patu Aotearoa, a national franchise model for a group exercise programme designed specifically for Mori and Pasifika. Levi Armstrong, champion of our whanau ora collective, saw an opportunity to set up this programme, attracting whanau through physical activity.

More and more I begin to really appreciate the role that social connectedness plays in developing a sense of wellbeing and self-worth. Patu as a local example of social enterprise is now being set up in Northland. Akina Foundation also offers a workshop to support social entrepreneurs. There are many gifted people in our community who have fantastic business ideas. But for many reasons businesses fail in the early stages. I originally attended this workshop to explore the idea of how our whanau ora collective could support young people into business. However, I quickly become interested in exploring business ideas that may lead to sustainable funding for our U-Turn Trust. For most of my career I have always been employed - I have never taken a business risk even though I have had ideas. It all seems too scary and hard. Akina offers learning and development programmes that focus on growing individuals as entrepreneurs and connections with their community. It offers support to create social enterprises that employ and train our young people/rangatahi. Support may include starting new ventures, developing products or services for existing organisations, or partnering with other social enterprises initiatives. Akina supports rangatahi/youth to explore social enterprise. This has also been a desire of U-Turn Trust. I leave the workshop reflecting on David's wise words of - 'you know sometimes you just need to give it a go'. kina - a call for bold action.

- Ana Apatu is chief executive of the U-Turn Trust, based at Te Aranga Marae.