On Tuesday 14^th October Hutt Multicultural Council President (HMC) Winsome Lam and Coordinator Claire Thornton-Mills visited Pomare Taita Community House to find out more about the services offered there and discuss opportunities for collaboration.

When we arrived we saw Lana and her team busy in the māra (garden). Lana works for He Puawai Trust, supporting whānau to grow their own kai (food) and distributing kai grown in the māra to food banks and the community. Lana showed us some empty plots around the back of the house which have been set aside for members of our ethnic communities to grow their own kai. There were a variety of different fruit and vegetables growing, Winsome noticed some sugar cane and reminisced about chewing the canes during his childhood in Malaysia. 

Inside we met with Thi Phan who works with E Tū Whānau and who showed us around the facilities – a large kitchen, meeting rooms and a hall available for hire next door. Whanau Family Support Services Trust have an office at the House and can provide support with a variety of financial topics such as starting a business, budgeting and debt management. On Tuesdays they run Te Kahui Tūhono, a weekly open kaumātua (senior) support group and on Thursday afternoons they operate Kai to the Community where food such as fresh fruit and vegetables and fish frames are available to the community.   

Viet Hub NZ run a variety of services from Pomare Taita Community House including a Vietnamese community library and shared cooking sessions on the weekend. Thi advised there are opportunities for other ethnic communities to set up similar libraries or cooking sessions, so get in touch with HMC if you’re interested. A Women's Sewing Group currently also meets on Wednesday evenings and always welcomes new attendees.

It was lovely to meet some of the workers who support this community and discuss opportunities for Hutt Multicultural Council to get involved.

This article was contributed by HMC Secretariat.