Siaola is a working arm of the Vahefonua Tonga Methodist Synod, under the umbrella of the Methodist Church of New Zealand, and is partnering with the Tāmaki Makaurau Recovery Office as an official provider of the Storm Recovery Navigation Service. Navigators help storm-impacted whānau get back on their feet with much-needed practical support and advice.
Responding to the floods
When they realised how bad the Auckland Anniversary floods were, Tongan Methodist support group, Siaola, kicked into action.
Storm Recovery Navigator, Norma Sialetonga, was a frontline volunteer with Siaola assessing the needs of families coming through the Māngere hub at the Assembly of God church.
“We called all the families we had been working with straight away,” says Norma. “The next day we connected with Pacific Futures to get some urgent funding to help. By Saturday we were out shopping and Sunday morning all hands were on deck at our Mt Wellington food hub. We hired vans, people were shopping, packing, and doing deliveries.”
Having access to its church network across the city, country and internationally, helped Siaola move fast to assist.
“Churches donated spare mattresses and household items like kettles, which had blown with power surges. We were also able to get into other suffering regions with care packages, including supporting the Tongan seasonal workers that were stranded on rooftops during Hastings flooding.”
Picking up the pieces
Given Norma’s day-to-day work in the community with Siaola, and its experience in storm response, it was a natural step joining forces with the Storm Recovery Navigator Service to help families on their journey to recovery.
Speaking three different languages has been especially helpful in Norma’s work with flood affected communities. She’s been able to visit and assist Tongan, Mandarin, and Samoan-speaking families which has been a relief for many.
“One family living in a multi-generational home lost everything in the Auckland Anniversary floods and had to relocate to their brother’s home with their Mum in a wheelchair. Every day she was driving back to the home from another suburb to take the kids to school and try to salvage whatever she could from their yellow-stickered home.
“We went to see her to come up with a plan around support and recovery. We helped them replace furniture and household items, but the recovery plan we worked through with them was much bigger than that. It looked into their future, beyond the material things.
“She gave me a massive hug. She felt like she had been doing it all alone.”
Holistic long-term recovery
Siaola’s comprehensive assessments and family plans tackle all aspects of wellbeing. With specialist health, financial wellbeing, social and education teams, they can jump in where needed and walk alongside families getting their lives back on track.
“For example, we’ve come across children who weren’t going to school because they were still anxious. With our education and health teams we look at counselling and reading books that help with the anxiety.
“Having our access to property lawyers and advisors has also been important because sometimes there are other challenges beyond the property situation.
“These are services we’ve been offering for a long time now, so it was easy for us to continue a similar approach with people struggling from the storms.”
"We're dedicated to serving our community. While individually we may accomplish little, together we can achieve so much more. If you need support, please reach out”
Connecting for recovery
The Siaola team is out in communities right across Auckland speaking at church services, organising street BBQs, and spreading the word about the support available.
“Our people are reluctant to accept external support, it’s in our nature,” Norma says. “They are used to working hard and things not coming easy. They feel like others are worse off so do what they can without expecting. So, families don’t wait around, they usually pull together and help each other.
“Some are worried about having to pay us back for the advice and support we give. They are really surprised when we say that our services are free.”
Norma wants more people to know that she and the team are here, and want to help.
“This support is limited, and we want to make sure it reaches those that are most in need. If you are unsure, please talk to us. If you know someone that might be in this situation, spread the word. They don’t have to do it on their own.”
Contact Norma and the Siaola team
If you, a friend or a neighbour were affected by last year’s storms, and might benefit from Storm Recovery Navigator support, we would like to hear from you.
- Recovery Navigator Siaola: Norma Sialetonga - 022 463 7074 or normas@siaola.org.nz
- Recovery Navigator Siaola: Sesimani Ahio Havea - 022 475 1535 or sesimania@siaola.org.nz
- Siaola Head Office 0800 742 652
In addition to the Storm Recovery Navigation Service, Siaola provides wraparound support for core and extended families. Its support covers five key areas including education, financial wellbeing, social services, health, and language and culture.
You can find out more about Siaola by visiting siaola.org.nz.
