STAND Tū Maia An Essential Service, Say School Principals

School Principals are shocked that ‘Stand Tū Maia' is under threat and their new three-year contract may be cancelled after six months. The organisation provides specialised treatment, intensive family wraparound support and family therapy for approximately 4,000 vulnerable children and whanau from 1,000 families.

"The number of whanau, children and schools that have benefitted from STAND Tū Maia is immeasurable," said Leanne Otene, President of the New Zealand Principals’ Federation.

STAND Tū Maia’s contract is worth $21 million a year. A spokesperson for the organisation said that there are no questions about their performance. It’s just all based on budget constraints. They intend to seek an injunction to stop the Ministry cancelling the contract.

"In the Northern region, STAND Tū Maia provides a village including a woodwork and bone carving programme, an indoor climbing wall, sports hall and an art room and pottery kiln," said Otene.

Programmes are run both inside and outdoors. Outdoors activities include hiking, biking, fishing, surfboarding, kayaking, cultural and educational visits, skateboarding, music and drama and Kapa Haka. These activities are used as therapies by professional social workers to address the damage caused by child trauma, family violence and other issues related to poverty," said Otene.

"Children stay on site for up to five weeks, which gives them so many opportunities to develop skills necessary to heal and enhance their academic lives in school," she said.

"Children will greatly increase their language and conversational skills and they learn so much from all the activities that they can later write about in school," she said.

While the children undergo their therapy programme in the village, whanau are also taken care of by trained social workers who help them with past trauma and how to be better parents.

"It is one of the best models in the country to address the complex and traumatic lives of some of our most vulnerable families," said Otene, "and it would be an absolute tragedy if this was shut down."

"I cannot understand any Government that would walk away from a programme that has been so successful in helping to heal damaged children and adults so that they can become more responsible adults raising happier and healthier children," said Otene.

"In a country with yawning inequities and growing child poverty, STAND Tū Maia is a bright light of hope that we must protect and cherish," she said.

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