Te Rūnanga Group Staff

Earthquake Trauma Counselling

26 April, 2011

Free Earthquake Trauma Counselling at the Harakeke Centre.

Message from Mike Sang and Greg Campbell

12 April, 2011

Kia ora koutou,

This is just a short pānui to give you an update on accommodation at Wigram.

First however, our thanks to everyone for staying upbeat despite the onset of some wetter, colder weather. Obviously there is a lot of work continuing on the portacom village, including the installation of heating and phone lines.

Around mid-year we expect to have access to a floor of the former Wigram Control Tower as well as the larger portacom complex being assembled in front of the tower. In the meantime, hardworking people are doing their best to make the buildings we do have access to as comfortable as possible.

Please keep an eye on any signs or notices relating to carparking. As we acquire more facilities, the builders will remain on site and so please stay away from those areas under construction or fitout.

To help those of you who remain offsite but who are visiting regularly, we have attached a diagram with some indication of where people are, but please be aware that some of us will be shifting to new portacoms as they become available so we expect this map will continue to change.

If you have any questions or work related issues, don't hesitate to contact your manager or one of the People and Performance team.

Understandably, people are asking about access to Te Waipounamu House and we are attempting to gain regular access but this is not easy. So far we have had very limited access in which taonga, Whakapapa files and critical business equipment has been retrieved. If you believe you have a critical item in Te Waipounamu House, please contact your manager and let them know, so that they can pass that information on to those in charge of the priority list.

Ngā mihi,
Mike Sang and Greg Campbell

Practical Advice & Support Workshop Invitation
- 10:00 – 11:00am, Wednesday 6th April

We have all heard in the media the messages of "take care of each other…", "offer practical support…" and "be patient…", in response to dealing with our reactions to the February 22 quake.

But if we are honest, it is often hard to understand and make sense of our own reactions and to try to do that for others, whānau and friends, often proves to be even more difficult…

If you would like to understand more about the reactions that you and others are having and what steps to take in reaction to them, you are welcome to join our interactive workshop, Wednesday 6th April, Wigram Airforce Museum at 10:00 – 11:00am. The Air Force Museum is approximately 450 metres away from our base here at Wigram (head down Corsair Drive, then take the first right onto Harvard Ave, the Museum is on the right).

Suzanne Pitama (nee Meihana), Ngati Kahungunu will run a short, practical workshop, focused upon explaining both the physiological and psychological reactions to traumatic events and strategies to create the plans and to build resilience to take us forward.

Suzanne is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Māori Indigenous Health Institute (MIHI), University of Otago – Christchurch. Her approach is practical and jargon free, offering practical solutions that can be used to help ourselves, our colleagues and our whānau. Suzanne will speak for the first 40 minutes of the session and then we will open the floor to general questions that are of interest to those in attendance (you are welcome to email to me your questions in advance Suzanne.pitama@otago.ac.nz, if you would prefer that they are asked anomously).

This workshop is open to staff and whānau of the Te Rūnanga Group and related organisations, everyone is welcome !

Nga mihi

Justine Whitaker
Group General Manager People and Performance
Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu

Health and Safety - Construction at Wigram

31 March, 2011

Please note further restrictions are in place on site at Wigram from today as we take delivery of a large portcom structure from Auckland. The portacom is being delivered bit by bit in smaller units. Before being re-assembled, the units will be stored in front of the Control Tower (the hatched area on the map below).

Please can all staff stay clear of this area from today until further notice. Site works will also commence in coming days in the area where the large portacom is detailed, so this is also off limits.

Thank you all for your on-going patience whilst these works are being completed.

Please direct any questions to Scott Johansson.

28 March, 2011

Please note new restrictions are in place on site at Wigram from this morning as contractors have started working on an extension to Corsair Drive. Restricted areas are marked in grey on the map below. All staff are to stay clear of these areas. The contractors will have the road blocked off, but staff need to be mindful of the machinery that will be operating.

If you need to access the hangars/portacoms etc by vehicle, please use Mustang Ave.

Apologies in advance for the noise this will create.

Thank you all for your on-going patience whilst these works are being completed.

Please direct any questions to Scott Johansson.

25 March, 2011

Further to Greg Campbell's message around health and safety at this week's all staff meeting, (and for those that were not present), I would like to reiterate the importance of health and safety in and around our premises here at Wigram. As a good employer, we are obligated to ensure we take all practical steps to ensure our employee's safety in the workplace.

RESTRICTED AREAS

There are two restricted construction areas on site that staff need to be aware of;

• The area where the portacomms are located;
• The area where the red prefabricated building is being put in place.

It is important that staff stay away from these areas during this period of construction, and do not cross (or remove) any barriers that are put in place to restrict access i.e. areas marked with red tape.

This is also an important time to remind staff that if you are expecting manuhiri on site at Wigram, please ensure they are aware of the hazards that currently exist.

Any questions can be directed to myself or another member of the Health and Safety Committee. The Committee members are as follows:

• Greg Campbell
• Mike Sang
• Sophie McGregor
• Jasmine Burgman

Ngā mihi
Rachel Hewett

Staff hui update

23 March, 2011

View the staff meeting sheet »

Recovery of vehicles from Wilsons car park

19 March, 2011

http://www.police.govt.nz

Register your vehicle here »

Operational update from Justine Whitaker

March 16, 2011

1. Operational meetings at Wigram have begun, and will continue to be held every Wednesday for those staff on site.
2. Portable buildings continue to arrive and staff will be continuing to move into these.
3. The portable buildings will be getting heating/cooling units. For the moment staff should not bring their own heating or cooling devices as these may disrupt the power supply.
4. Te Waipounamu House is not to be accessed by staff unless they are included in any official access party. The building has a yellow sticker and is in the no-go zone.
5. Please take care when driving to the Wigram site, do not speed down Corsair Drive. We need to be mindful that we have arrived in a new neighbourhood.
6. New parking is being arranged.
7. We continue to gain access to our IT systems and expect to have intranet access next week and CRM access later this week.
8. All help is greatly appreciated when containers arrive with essential supplies for the relief effort.
9. Tomorrow (Thur) is St Patrick's Day and all staff are encouraged to wear green. There will be a BBQ at lunchtime.
10. A noticeboard with jobs for staff will hang outside the main portable building (next to the brick building). This main portable building is also the reception area.
11. Keep an eye on the Ngāi Tahu website as tips on accessing grants, accessing help and other important information is being posted there.
12. We have contracted Suzanne Pitama to provide Maori-specific counselling to those staff who would prefer that. Suzanne is based in Christchurch. If you would like to contact her, please email her in the first instance: Suzanne: Suzanne.pitama@otago.ac.nz
13. If you hear of any whanau having problems accessing support, please ask them to call the 0800 KAI TAHU number.
14. Next meeting is Wednesday 21st , 10am (this is a combined all staff/operational meeting).

Te Korowai Āwhina

He aha te mea nui o tēnei ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata
What is the most important thing in this world? It is people, it is people, it is people

March 14, 2011

Kia ora koutou katoa

This pānui provides a summary of some relevant updates, insights and resources we have been made aware of that you might find helpful. It is focused upon information which is relevant to personal and whānau recovery, it is diverse covering access to pūtea as well as free weekends in the Hawkes Bay…read on. If you have any questions or would like support with the various grant application processes please feel free to contact Nicole Evett, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, People and Performance team, phone: 0800 KAITAHU, nicole.evett@ngaitahu.iwi.nz.

If you are aware of any other useful information that we can share please send it to Nicole and we can ensure it is included in our next list. Finally, a site has been established to provide the opportunity to say thanks to the hundreds of unsung heros, the messages of thanks will be printed online and in the Star http://thanks.apn.co.nz/.

People & Performance Team.

Ngā Taunakitanga (Where to Go for Support)

Housing

• All Housing New Zealand tenants will receive 3 weeks grace from rent.
• If you are looking for rental accommodation they have over 3000 homes available for rent, check out http://www.housinghelp.govt.nz/. Housing New Zealand will attempt to match you with properties that have been volunteered by members of the public, you do not have to be an existing HNZ tenant to access this service.

House Checks

• Ngāi Tahu Property have offered support to assist with checking damaged homes. If you would like some assistance please contact David ph 021 484 560.

Electricity

• Meridian – have implemented a power price freeze for at least six months and are also offering extensions of a month, on discount time to pay bill.
• Contact Energy – if you are struggling to pay your power bills, call on 0800 80 9000 they can help with payment term's.
• Mercury Energy - April price increase for customers in the Orion network have been cancelled.

Hot Showers

Portable hot showers are now available to the public at the following locations around Christchurch:

• Cowles Stadium – Pages Road
• Wilding Park – Woodham Road
• Avondale Golf Course – Cnr of Wainoni and Avondale Road
• New Brighton – Cnr of Hawke Street and Shaw Avenue
• South New Brighton Motor Camp – Estuary Road
• Shirley Rugby Club – New Brighton Road and Cresswell Ave

The portable showers will be operational between 7am and 7pm, seven days a week. All shower facilities are operated by professional staff and have security on site.

OPSM

• Are offering free glasses for those who have damaged or lost glasses due to the earthquake, contact the store nearest you.

Mortgages & Credit Cards

• Some banks are offering mortgage holidays and credit card holidays, call your bank and make sure you are aware of your options.

Emergency & Hardship Grants

Red Cross Hardship Grant: Available to those are living in their homes without power or water or sewerage, or to those forced to leave their home because of damage or because they have no power or water or sewerage.

Type		Entitlement
Per single occupant household		$500.00
Per 2 or more people in a household		$1000.00

Site: http://www.redcross.org.nz/earthquakegrant

Civil Defence Payments: These payments are to meet the immediate needs of people who are affected by the Civil Defence Emergency. It can be used to replace food, clothing or bedding lost in the quake.

Type		Maximum entitlement
Single		$400.00
Married, civil union or de facto couple		$600.00
Married, civil union or de facto couple, and sole parents, 1 or 2 children		$900.00
Married, civil union or de facto couple, and sole parents, 3+ children		$1,110.00

Site: http://www.workandincome.govt.nz

Billet Grant: This grant is paid to hosts who had whānau stay with them during the quake.

		Maximum weekly		Maximum daily
Child		$73.00		$10.43
Single adult		$146.00		$20.86
Married, civil union or de facto couple		$247.00		$35.29

Site: http://www.workandincome.govt.nz

Tiakina Koe i te Kāinga (Looking After Yourself At Home)

Counselling & Support

• Anne Marie from OCP is our dedicated counselor and can be reached on ph 021 980 063.
• Clinical psychologist available from Monday. Her name is Suzanne Pitama (Ngāti Kahungunu). If you would like to talk with Suzanne please contact her via email at Suzanne.pitama@otago.ac.nz. Please ensure you include your contact details and Suzanne will contact you directly.

Exercise & Wellness

Quake Workouts

"Because I want as many people to try Quake Workouts as possible the first session is Free on Monday night! Just come along to Hagley Park on the corner of Deans Ave and Moorhouse Ave, be ready to start at 5:30pm." Site: http://www.bevanjameseyles.com

Circuits

Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10AM: Boot camp/Circuit style workouts Location: South Hagley Park Corner of Deans Ave and Moorhouse Ave (by the car park along the road). Run by Les Mills, open to member and non members and its free. Site: http://www.lesmills.co.nz/news_content.cfm?&newsid=1346

Osteopath

Mike Inman is offering FREE ACC Treatment (initial consultation, diagnosis and treatment) for ALL Earthquake related injuries (soft-tissue, muscle, joint, injuries + any neurological effects, including stress and exhaustion) and discounted surcharge rates for any continuing EQ related treatment. Mike's phone no: 03 980 2425. Site: http://www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz

Travel

Air New Zealand Domestic Standby Airfares

Air New Zealand has extended its special domestic stand-by $50 one way airfares on direct services to/from Christchurch for booking and travel through until midnight Thursday 31 March. Customers wishing to purchase the special standby fares can do so via the following channels:

• Air New Zealand Contact Centre: 0800 737 000
• Air New Zealand Holidays Stores: 0800 737 767
• In person at your nearest Air New Zealand Holidays Store

Free weekend in Hawkes Bay, flights included..!!
http://www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz

Pānui 1: Support For Staff

March 9, 2011

1. Ngā Tohu o te Māharahara (Normal Reactions to the Earthquake)

Everyone's reaction and experience is a very personal one. However, the following list is a guide to possible normal reactions:

• Preoccupation with the earthquake and its results
• Anger and irritability
• Anxiety
• Increased emotionality, feelings seem to be of a greater intensity than is usual; or, conversely, a numbing which prevents awareness of feeling 
• Over-talkativeness or, its opposite, isolating from others
• Sleep disturbance, with or without nightmares
• Survivor guilt
• Recalling of past traumatic events or grieving
• Difficulty with concentration and/or memory
• Confused thinking and difficulty making decisions
• Depression or grief

Remember that all responses are NORMAL to an ABNORMAL situation.

2. Tiakina Koe i te Kāinga (Looking After Yourself At Home)

Unfortunately, there is no simple fix to make things better right away.  But there are actions that can help you, your whānau, and your community heal:

• Follow a normal routine as much as possible.
• Eat healthy meals – be careful not to skip meals or to overeat.
• Exercise and stay active.
• Help other people in your community as a volunteer – stay busy.
• Accept help from whānau, friends, co-workers, or other people you trust – talk about your feelings with them.
• Limit your time around the sights and sounds of what happened – don't dwell on TV, radio, or newspaper reports on the tragedy.
• Take care of your mental health – Learn about normal and abnormal reactions to disasters.  Don't ignore your own emotions. Know when to seek help. 
• Take care of your spiritual self  – Make time to reflect.  Meditate.  If you find it helpful, pray.  Find spiritual connection or community.
• Increase your resiliency – Do something that will help you to regain a sense of control.  Focus on your strengths and positive coping skills.
• Do things you find comforting - exercise, read, listen to music.  Be with people whose company you enjoy.  Practice stress reducing exercises.

3. Tiakina tō Whānau (Looking After Your Whānau)

A few simple things will help your whānau recover from crisis:

• Keep communicating:  Talk about what is happening, how whānau members feel, what they need from each other. This avoids feeling alone, isolated and not understood.
• If you are concerned about yourself, your partner, tamariki or parents do not hesitate to contact someone trained to assess the situation and advise you. A little early help from a trained person can avoid long-term difficulty and give the whānau member back confidence in themselves and each other.
• Do things together e.g. walk on the beach.
• Allow expressions of emotion: Encourage and support others to honestly share their feelings.

Below are some sources of support:

Justine Whitaker, Group General Manager People & Performance: 021 989 725
The Occupational Counselling Programme (OCP): Anne-Marie Holland: 021 980 063

Personal Possessions left in TWP House

If you haven't done so already, please complete and return to your manager »

Update from Anake Goodall

March 8, 2011

Kia ora anō koutou,

By now all staff should have been contacted regarding the "official" return to work date from our temporary premises 50 Corsair Drive, Wigram on Wednesday 9 March.

To welcome everyone to our new digs and to catch up together all Te Rūnanga Group staff are invited to a staff briefing. Kai and coffee and tea will be available from 9am with the formal briefing commencing at 10am.

We encourage all available staff to attend this briefing, as it will provide an important opportunity to be updated on plans regarding premises, Ngāi Tahu support for whānau and to respond to general questions you may have regarding our way forward. Office staff who are unable to attend should let Justine Whitaker know via seanandjj@xtra.co.nz.

Eventually all TWP staff will be located at Wigram. However on day one there will not be room for all staff to resume work on-site. Your manager will be in touch with you before Wednesday to discuss with you the specific plans for your transition back to work. At this stage, we will be working with a minimal staff numbers at Wigram, with many staff working remotely and some staff deployed to dedicated quake related mahi.

Please be aware that there is limited parking space at Wigram. Ideally staff should either arrange to travel in car pools or by bus (see the information below). The site is also effectively a construction site so please take care and follow any instructions relating to health and safety in this context.

TWP House continues to be strictly off limits to all staff as it is inside the Red Zone. We are attempting to get dispensation to enter the building to retrieve some taonga and some vital computer equipment. In due course we will be looking to retrieve other items including personal items and vehicles. This will be done under strict supervision for both health and safety and security reasons. We will update staff on Wednesday on these issues.

It would be appreciated if you could share this information with your colleagues who may not have internet access.

Many staff have worked tirelessly though the quake and we wish to extend our thanks for their dedication and professionalism and for the extra effort that has gone into getting us a new base so quickly.

See you all Wednesday,
Anake.

Te Rūnanga Group at Wigram

50 Corsair Drive, Wigram, Christchurch.

Bus Route: 5 Hornby

Busses stop on Springs Road.

To Hornby: services depart from Hospital Parkside at :20 and :50 minutes past the hour.
To City: services depart from Hornby at :20 and :50 minutes past the hour.

Latest bus services » 11 March, 2011.

Te Waipounamu House

Te Waipounamu House lies within the cordon and remains closed. Access is prohibited.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ENTER THE CORDON ZONE.
You can view updates from the landlord CBRE here: www.cbre.com.au

Counselling Services

We have established a first line of clinical support for the staff of the Te Rūnanga Group. Counselling services will be provided by Anne Marie Holland of OCP.

Anne Marie is a Registered Clinical Psychologist and an experienced trauma Counsellor. We have worked with her extensively before and she is well known and trusted by us and is based here in Ōtautahi.

Anne Marie will be available to provide dedicated telephone support on 021 980 063

It is important to note that this is a first line of support only and that Anne Marie will work with each individual to determine their specific needs post this initial contact.

The aforementioned times have been established as dedicated service to our staff, so should the line be engaged, Anne Marie will only be speaking to another from our whānau, so please leave your number and she will call you back as soon as she is free.