The Hokonui Huanui (Highway) is the metaphorical pathway that young people travel along towards adulthood. The Hokonui Huanui project aims to ensure that no young person (age 0-24) is “left behind” by enabling the collaboration of services available in the District and filling gaps where services may be required, to provide improved support through transition periods.
Since the end of the Social Sector Trial work has been underway to understand how best to achieve these outcomes in a community-led way, and so the Hokonui Huanui project was born, with the overall goal of “success for all” by delivering a range of services and supports to Eastern Southland’s young people. The development of a business case and funding application to the Provincial Growth Fund was successful and funding to the tune of $2.1 million over a three year period was confirmed in April 2019.
Initiatives
The Hokonui Huanui will deliver a range of initiatives in three workstreams:
- Right Service Right Time (family/whanau Navigator) – enabling intensive support for families and individuals with particularly complex challenges
- Learning to Earning – supporting work-readiness of individuals aged 16 – 24 and looking at ‘whole person’ preparedness, including addressing mental health, resiliency and other barriers to employment
- Health, Wellbeing and Resilience – will support the increased uptake of a range of nationally available tools to support low level mental health, addiction and resilience challenges.
The project is led collaboratively between the Hokonui Runanga, Gore District Council, Community Networking Trust, Eastern Southland Kahui Ako (Community of Learning) and supported at implementation level by the Ministries of Social Development, and Education, Oranga Tamariki, Police, SouthernDHB, and local primary and secondary school principals. At an operational level a large number of local organisations and agencies will be connected and involved.
Lisa McKenzie is the overall project lead and can be contacted at lisa.mckenzie@cnt.org.nz
