Cyclone Gabrielle: Mental well-being support essential for tamariki and rangatahi in impacted regions

Damage over Waioeka Gorge from Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Kiri Allan

Nearly four months on from the effects of the cyclone within the regions, mental well-being concerns of whānau are being felt. Barnardos, a service which offers child and family care, support the idea of a move into the damaged regions by offering mental health support for both tamariki and rangatahi who have been left with nothing.

Barnardos General Manager, Jo Harrison, says it is important that these services move into the regions affected.

“Yes, there is the immediate needs which is happening right now in terms of food, shelter, warmth. Those absolutely fundamental basics but all of that adds to stress. So we were delighted to see the budget announcement to the extension of funding for Mana Ake - which really focuses on tamariki years 1 to 8 within all education systems, kura and in mainstream schools across Tairāwhiti. And certainly, our experience in Christchurch suggests it’s a really effective model,” she says.

Over the recent months, 236 homes in the Hawke’s Bay alone have been condemned and Barnardos knows very well the difficulties families are facing when left with nothing.

“The implications and ramifications of losing your home, your safety, your place of security, all of those things - of ‘I’m tired, I really want to go home, get lost’. And it’s so fundamental to have that sense of safety and security. So for all of those families and all of those whānau who have had to be displaced into rental properties, motels and staying with extended whānau, all of the things they normally take for granted have been taken away from them. And that’s a significant number of people across those 236 homes,” says Harrison.

“So within the Hawke’s Bay region, I think that’s going to ripple for so many years and as the adults are experiencing stress within the whānau then the tamariki and the rangatahi pick that up. That means less time for them, and less attention to them and, of course, they’ll be picking up their parents and whānau worry.”

Over the past four months, many fundraising events have taken place for cyclone relief such as, for example, Maranga. However, there is still an issue that hasn’t yet been addressed, like that of the schools that have had to shift due to the floods.

Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi chair Bayden Barber says he has seen the damage left behind for kids in their learning and the stress this causes.

“Omahu primary school and Hukarere Girls College are those who are currently under a lot of stress because they are unsettled away from their schools. They don’t know when they can return or when their schools will be cleaned,” Barber says.

Barnardos supports the idea of establishing a place in areas affected by the cyclone for children and youth and are looking to follow through by working alongside iwi.

“And if any extra support is needed, we’ve been able to use our social workers who already sit in Tairāwhiti to support them.... We never do any of that on our own, we absolutely work with iwi, with Māori providers, all of those who are already in the community. And I think one of the strengths, particularly for Tairāwhiti, is a fact that that community partnering is so strong,” says Harrison.