Kua whakaputaina e Presbyterian Support Northern tā mātou whakapahā ki te Pūrongo Whanaketia e pā ana ki te hunga i tūkinotia i roto i ngā ringa ātawhai a te kāwanatanga. Ko te tuku i te aroha te ara tuatahi, heoi, ko te aronganui kia kitea te mahi, e kore ai tēnei āhuatanga e ara ake anō.
Kua mutu katoa ēnei ratonga mahi a PSN, kua katia e mātou tā mātou kāinga whakaruruhau i te tau 2001. E ūkaha ana mātou ki te tautoko tonu i ngā whānau e noho whakaraerae ana i a mātou hapori ā, e aro nui ana mātou I roto I te wairua whakahaumaru. Ka mutu, kua tīmataria e PSN tētahi hōtaka e aro turuki ana a mātou tikanga, tukunga hoki e hāpai ana i ngā whakakitenga a Whanaketia.
Ko a mātou tirohanga tuatahi e tohu ana e whakaū kē ana ētahi o ngā whakakitenga a Whanaketia. Hei tauira: ko ngā whakaritenga e tohu ana ko ngā aromatawai Pirihimana, Ngā akoranga whakahaumaru tamariki, ngā akoranga a Te Ao Māori, te rēhita ngaio me te aro matawai hoki. Ko ētahi atu o a mātou punaha aro turuki i a mātou ratonga me te whakapakari ia mātou pūnaha raraunga kōrero. Ina hoki rā e ū tonu ana mātou ki te whakapakari tonu ia mātou anō.
I whakatūria tā mātou kaupapa i roto o Aotearoa i te tau 1884, ā, he mea whanake ake kia toitū ai. Ina hoki ka whakanuia e mātou te 140 tau e whakahaere ratonga ana a te Noema e tū mai nei, ā, e ūkaha tonu ana mātou ki te whakapakari i a mātou i raro i tā mātou whakakitenga me ō mātou ūara: Kia pai te orange mō te katoa | A better life for everyone.
Presbyterian Support Northern (PSN) recently issued an apology in response to the release of the Abuse in Care Report (Whanaketia). Apologising is an important first step, and we recognise that people want to see this followed by action so that this does not happen again.
PSN is no longer involved in residential services, having closed its last residential facility in 2001. We continue to support whānau in our community who are vulnerable at times and we are very focused on doing this safely. To this end, PSN has started on a programme of mahi to review our practices and policies in response to the recommendations within Whanaketia.
Our initial assessment is that many aspects of the Whanaketia recommendations are already in place. For example: standard practice dictates Police checks, child protection training, Te Ao Māori training, professional registration and supervision where required. Other monitoring systems include external audits and continued improvement of record keeping systems. However, we are determined to make further improvements.
Our organisation was established in Aotearoa in 1884 and has continually evolved and innovated to remain current. As we celebrate 140 years of service in November, we are committed to continued improvement in delivering our mission and values: Kia pai te oranga mō te katoa | A better life for everyone.
Pam Elgar
Interim CEO | Kaiwhakahaere Mātua