The Kindness Institute has supported thousands of rangatahi in the 10 years it’s been in operation but is now seeking urgent support as the government has unexpectedly pulled its funding.
Atawhai, a kaupapa Māori and tikanga-driven resilience and mental health programme based on Te Whare Tapa Whā, is one of the programmes the organisation runs.
Te Aorangi-Kowhai Morini (Ngāti Hauā, Ngāti Tamaterā and Ngāpuhi) was referred to Atawhai when she was 16 and struggling with anxiety. Now a graduate, she’s come back to The Kindness Institute as a board member and tuakana, passing on her learnt skills to other rangatahi coming into the programme.
In June, the organisation was notified that funding would be discontinued, so it’s turning to the community to help fundraise $250,000 to continue its work for the year.
Since 2021, the organisation has been funded by two agencies, with $230,000 from the Ministry of Youth Development and $100,000 from Te Puni Kōkori in the last funding year.
But one agency said, “for the next wee while, all Crown investments are either emergency response or emergency recovery-focused”, while the other said its “limited funding has had an unprecedented demand in recent months” so all funding is committed until June 2025.
The Kindness Institute can’t wait that long, Morini says.
“We are now taking the youth mental health crisis into the hands of people of Aotearoa.
“By stripping away our funding, we’re unable to create that compassionate world for our rangatahi and mokopuna.”
Solutions ‘proven to work’
Director Brady Polkinghorne says that in a climate of ambulance-at-the-bottom-of-the-cliff solutions, The Kindness Institute leads rangatahi away from that cliff.
“The problem isn’t the lack of solutions,” he says. “It’s directing funding into solutions that are proven time and time again to work. We’re endorsed by academic studies, community leaders and iwi, not to mention the thousands of rangatahi we’ve supported since 2016.”
Morini is one of the tuakana who led the project to build strong mental health, resilience and leadership skills in Māori and Pasifika rangatahi and their whānau.
The programme caters for rangatahi aged 13-18, tuakana trainees aged 17-20, tuakana trainers aged 19-21 and adult mentors.
“This kaupapa looks like our rangatahi going out and caring for their people and feeding their whānau with mātauranga – with all the tools that they’ve been taught.
“They’re teaching the tools back to the community and I feel like no other organisation has executed this model of tuākana-tēina [mentoring approach] as well.
‘People power is permanent’
“It’s that model of tuku iho [handing down] and giving back to the community because we can only take on so many people.”
Youth development manager Zane Wedding says there will never be enough money for mental health. “But people power is permanent: Receiving funding from people who believe in the kaupapa will allow us to grow without relying on funding that can dry up at the change of a government.”
Founder Kristina Cavit adds, “We know what we’re doing works and the data backs it up. We’ve seen kids turn around their anxiety, depression, antisocial and criminal behaviours.
“In 2018, over 14,000 New Zealanders agreed that our programme needs to be funded, through the petition we gave to the government’s inquiry into mental health.
“We’ve been let down by the government again and its last-minute diversion of funds means that very soon we can’t pay our staff and cover our basic programme needs.”
Morini says she’s seen too many people lose their lives to mental health battles.
“I believe that our rangatahi don’t deserve to live in a world that doesn’t value youth mental health programmes like Atawhai.”
The Kindness Institute is seeking koha, 1000 regular donors, and major funding opportunities to continue existing programmes.
