Te Ara Korowai Creative Wellbeing Centre needs guaranteed funding locked in beyond mid-next year

Te Ara Korowai Creative Wellbeing Centre manager Sarah Yuile. Photo / David Haxton

A mental wellness support centre in Kāpiti is celebrating its 10th anniversary, but uncertainty surrounds its future.

Te Ara Korowai Creative Wellbeing Centre, in Raumati Beach, has no guaranteed funding in place beyond mid-next year.

“The 10th anniversary is quite significant because the centre has been on the verge of closure many times,” manager Sarah Yuile said.

“When I took over, in August 2020, I was a caretaker and essentially there to see it through because the funding had run out.

“I applied for every grant I could, and then the Ministry of Culture and Heritage [Manatu Taonga], working with Arts Access Aotearoa, announced a funding package which was for creative spaces.

“We’re in the last year of that funding package, but it’s very unlikely it will be renewed.

“It was really just a Covid-focused recovery funding package.

“So we’re in this strange juxtaposition where it’s our 10th anniversary, which is very exciting, but from July next year, we have no certain future.”

Yuile said Arts Access Aotearoa was exploring different options with Government ministries.

But it had been made clear there was no expectation of funding and the centre was one of many creative spaces who would be in a similar financial situation, she said.

Yuile and the Te Ara Korowhai board were working on a contingency plan, but it was difficult.

'Tree of Life', an artwork by Te Ara Korowhai Creative Wellness Centre members. Photo / David Haxton

“Because we have no guaranteed contracts, we survive on grants, fundraising and donations, and a bit of hire income because we have tenants.

“But all of those aren’t guaranteed forms of income.”

Te Ara Korowhai was formed in 2013 when two mental health community organisations, Kāpiti Choices and Kāpiti Crossroads, merged.

“Since then we have provided support to many vulnerable community members facing mental health challenges, offering peer support and creative and wellbeing classes.”

Te Ara Korowai, over the 10 years, has had about 550 registered members with a varied age range.

“On a week-by-week basis, we have about 40 active members.”

It has a creative and wellbeing programme where members choose what classes they want to attend, ranging from art, writing, music, dance, mindfulness and more.

Eggshell-inspired artwork by members of Te Ara Korowhai Creative Wellness Centre. Photo / David Haxton

Yuile said it was an enjoyable place to work.

“I love seeing people grow and learn.

“People can come here in a really hard space, and with the support of not just our tutors and staffing team, but the support of each other, they transition through.

“We’ve had a lot of members come to us in crisis who work their way up to being volunteers and to being paid staff, and then they move out and follow their career goals.”

Despite the uncertainty beyond mid-next year, the centre was looking forward to the public celebrating its 10th anniversary.

People are invited to the centre on Weka Rd on Thursday, August 17 from 5pm to 7.30pm.

“We are holding a celebration evening/exhibition, which will be an intro/retrospective view of our journey.

“We have a lot of historical pieces of art and photographs, and the members have been working on pieces that are meaningful to them that reflect their journey with Te Ara Korowai and the last 10 years.

“Obviously, this place is really important to a lot of members and is their only support and company.

“We’re opening it to the community, who have been really supportive of us.”