We support Community Worker roles in and around Western, Northern, Central Southland and Fiordland, acknowledging the pivotal role they play in rural communities where there has been a continued withdrawal of services and amenities and changing demographics resulting in increasing need for support at both a community and personal level.
Northern Southland Community Resource Centre Charitable Trust is one of the the trusts that was set up in response to the need for contact, support and advice. Kim Spencer-McDonald was the Community Co-coordinator at the Northern Southland Community Resource Centre from 2015 to 2018.
"I think of the difference it makes to the whanau we work with who sometimes just need that extra support. I see a beautiful korowai enveloping all of Southland - nurturing, supporting and enabling.
2018 seems to have been a particularly tough year for many, and a lot of this fund has gone to provide firewood. This fund allows for us to use our discretion when distributing support to whanau, I think in a positive, non-threatening way. Without the trust we would not have the ability to fund whanau in times of crisis at all. We would only be able to refer them to organizations such as WINZ, which are 80 or 60 km away and may not be able to provide the support specifically required, as it may not meet WINZ criteria."
Community Co-ordinator