June Newsletter

Mahi Mihinare
Aug 12
8 min read

Justice Through Service

Welcome to the Mahi Mihinare Anglican Action pānui.

Our Mission Statement

Anglican Action stands for Justice Through Service.

Anglican Action unites faith and Te Tiriti in a Mission committed to flax roots support and challenge from the margins of an unequal society in order to liberate and empower.

Anglican Action celebrates the spirituality of life and believes that everyone, known or stranger, of this land or another, is considered to be our neighbour.

All of creation is sacred and of equal and infinite value with a soul worthy of care and respect.

To this end, Anglican Action commits itself to the pursuit of justice through service within and beyond the borders of Aotearoa New Zealand.

We will advocate and stand in solidarity with all of creation being denied justice.

We offer hope.

From our Tumu Whakarae CEO

Peter Osborne

Ngā mihi o Matariki, te tau hou Māori.

Matariki is a time for remembrance, celebration, and looking ahead. As we reflect on the year, I’m delighted to welcome you this first edition of our e-newsletter, designed to inform and inspire, as well as keep you in close touch with our mahi at Mahi Mihinare, Anglican Action.

We look forward to connecting with you in this way and welcome your contact and feedback.

Acknowledging Matariki, together with our colleagues from other services at Te Ara Hou, we held our third Matariki planting. As our restoration clearing and planting continues, gathering for karakia and kai together is a special time for us. Planting trees is an opportunity to work for something beyond ourselves.

I also want to acknowledge and celebrate the lives of those who have passed since the last rising of Matariki. Those in our services who have passed, also our friends and former colleagues, David Sarsfield, Tia Gerrard, and Mark Woods, and our former Chairperson and staunch supporter, Gerald Bailey.

For those of you who support the Mission financially and in other ways, we are hugely grateful. We can’t be part of the Divine’s Mission without your support. Our understanding of the mission we are part of is to liberate, restore and heal all of creation. We are privileged and humbled to be part of the Divine’s Mission and all we do seeks to honour and discern our part in that.

For us faith in this land can only make sense through our commitment to honour the aspirations of Te Tiriti. Because Te Tiriti o Waitangi is about relationship and justice. It’s about celebrating and honouring different world views. Te Tiriti is about wanting what is best for the other, knowing that our wellbeing is dependent on the wellbeing of the other.

As you engage with us, what we do and who we are, I invite you to contemplate the fact that our / your wellbeing is dependent on the wellbeing of those you read about in this newsletter. These sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters are some of the most disadvantaged Aotearoa New Zealand.

We have created two new positions at Mahi Mihinare, Anglican Action to support our new Fast Track contract with Oranga Tamariki, working with 10 – 17 year old rangatahi and their whānau.

Meanwhile, we have very sadly farewelled a number of valued team members who are transitioning to work with the Department for Corrections on the unique and successful Kaainga Taupua that has served as a model for other centres. Likewise, we are about to farewell three team members who have worked as part of our EMBail service.

Our newsletter also shares updates on Whare Pukerangiora social services hub, the celebration of an incredible nine years of developing and running Kaainga Taupua and a day in the life of our valued team member Ishmael Esselbrugge.

We begin by shining a light on the revitalised Ethos Café, where our commitment to welcome and community is lived out every day.

Ngā manaakitanga,

Peter

Ethos Café: Flourishing with Fresh Flavours and Community Connectionrom

As winter settles in, our Ethos café gardens are generously providing celery, pumpkins, kumara, and apples—ingredients that are lovingly transformed into the homemade pickles, preserves, and relishes served daily.

Under the inspired leadership of Head Chef Chris McIntosh, Ethos Café has embraced a vibrant new direction, with a dynamic seasonal menu that celebrates local produce and sustainable practices. Chris puts it simply: “At Ethos, our mission extends beyond people—it’s about food, the land, and the way the system works.”

This commitment to locally grown and freshly prepared food has not gone unnoticed. Ethos has been recently featured in both the Waikato Times and Organic NZ magazine, bringing new faces through our doors. We are incredibly grateful for this recognition and the chance to share our story more widely. You can read more about our approach to community and sustainability here.

The media coverage highlights how smoothly Chris has settled into his role, with the new seasonal menu receiving fantastic feedback from our community. Ethos Café continues to grow as a hub of connection and nourishment, a proud part of Mahi Mihinare Anglican Action.

At Ethos, we believe that connection matters – connection to our food, to each other, and to the whole of creation. We’re thrilled to see our café thriving and making a real difference in the lives of those we serve.

Ethos is going to be open on Saturdays! Join us at our first Saturday opening on 19 July!

Farewelling Services This Year

In March we celebrated an incredible nine years of developing and running Kāinga Taupua; a pioneering transitional facility for people under community-based orders after finishing a prison sentence. The programme has now been transitioned to the Department for Corrections to take into the future.

Kāinga Taupua was designed to give people somewhere stable to live with access to wrap-around support services. However, it is so much more than a place to stay; it is a space for healing, restoration, and connection.

This marks the end of an era—one that began with bold vision and a belief in the power of community-based reintegration. Handing over something that was built with such care and commitment, brick by brick, relationship by relationship, is profoundly challenging.

For the past five years we’ve also been working with women on electronically monitored bail. They come to Mahi Mihinare, Anglican Action from prison and are only in prison because they cannot provide the court with a safe address to reside at while they await trial.

This contract was ended by the Department of Corrections in June.

These woman as a group have been some of the most harmed by violence and trauma that we have ever worked with. Despite this, while with us some have completed drug and alcohol and violence programmes, some have reengaged with whānau and gained access to their children and others, some have undertaken courses at the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec).

Lives have been transformed, and while some have been then sentenced to time in prison or home detention, others have been found not guilty, after their time with us. We are proud to have been able to offer support to these wāhine over the years, keeping them in the community rather than in prison on remand.

Whare Pukerangiora: A Hub of Partnership and Positive Change

In the face of today’s challenging political and economic landscape, Whare Pukerangiora is a sign of partnership and resilience. This beautiful social services hub is proving its immense value—not only to us but to our partners, the wider community, and, most importantly, the rangatahi we serve.

Officially opened last year, Whare Pukerangiora is a collaboration between our Te Ako Rangatahi service, Mana Services, and the Twenty20 Sustainable Housing Trust, and is a testament to what can be achieved through collective action.

At the heart of this hub is Te Ako Rangatahi—our team of dedicated and motivated youth mentors committed to supporting rangatahi as they navigate the youth justice system. Our programme is about more than just meeting obligations; it's about creating safe and positive environments where young people can learn new skills, explore pathways forward, and build a sense of belonging. Each mentor works one-on-one with young people, developing tailored plans that inspire growth and accountability.

Kaiarataki Team Leader Simon Thrupp reflects on the transformative impact of Whare Pukerangiora: "Since moving in last year, we have been able to host more events—stakeholder hui, workshops, and community gatheringswhich has solidified our service and expanded our reach. It’s given our team a stronger platform to build connections and drive meaningful change in the local sector."

The benefits of collaboration are clear. Sharing Whare Pukerangiora with Mana Services and Twenty20 has enabled us to break down barriers, share information quickly, and deliver more effective wraparound support for our rangatahi. This partnership model is creating better outcomes, not just for individuals but for families and the community as a whole.

The hub itself is evolving, too. With recent upgrades like updated security features, a dedicated education room, a computer suite, and private meeting spaces, Whare Pukerangiora is becoming a well-equipped centre for growth and learning. Its close proximity to the courthouse has even made it a welcoming space for rangatahi and whānau awaiting hearings—offering comfort and support during stressful times.

Additionally, Whare Pukerangiora has organically become a drop-in centre for past and current clients, reflecting its role as a trusted space in the community. Over time, shared boundaries and mutual respect have flourished, allowing for smooth cooperation among different services and enhancing the support we can provide.

We are especially proud to see the space extending its reach to facilitate other community services, such as a fortnightly men's support group led by one of our team members. Whare Pukerangiora is more than a building, it’s a living, breathing partnership for change.

Relaunching He Ūkaipō

He Ūkaipō is a parent education centre, dedicated to supporting parents, and the wider whānau.

Late in 2024 we were informed that our contract with Oranga Tamariki to run this residential and community-based service for mothers and children was to end on 31 January 2025.

Since then, we have been trying to discern what’s next as our work with mothers and children has been at the core of who we are as a Mission since our inception. Responding to the need of parents seeking support, and without a contract or funding, we have decided to stay true to our kaupapa and carry on anyway.

He Ūkaipō is committed to empowering, enriching, and inspiring whānau to build strong, trusting relationships grounded in safety, security, and warmth.

Recognising the interconnectedness of whānau wellbeing with their wider environment, He Ūkaipō offers tailored support to strengthen ties (whanaungatanga), deepen tūāpapa (identity and belonging) and promote motuhaketanga (self-determination and autonomy).

We offer group and one-on-one sessions around parenting and wellbeing (hauora), trusting this will ripple through time to reach future generations.

For more info contact: info@anglicanaction.org.nz or phone 07 856 5820

A Day in the Life of our Environmental Lead - Ishmael

For Ishmael, Environmental Lead at Anglican Action, restoration is not just a task — it is a way of being. Most mornings begin with a walk through the gully at Te Ara Hou. Once neglected, this stretch of earth now hums with birdsong, the rustle of wind in growing trees, and the slow, sure return of native life.

This whenua restoration is part of Wairākau, an initiative of Mahi Mihinare. Named for the Māori word for tree sap and compost, Wairākau symbolises the cycles of renewal in both nature and people. It’s not just about restoring ecosystems — it’s about healing the communities who tend them.

Many who work alongside Ishmael are tangata whaiora, on journeys of reconnection and recovery. Through planting, learning, and teamwork, they rediscover purpose and wellbeing. A simple act, like nurturing a seedling, becomes an act of transformation. The work is honest and grounding.

Wairākau also supports Hamilton City Council’s Nature in the City aims to increase native vegetation from less than 2% to 10% by 2050, bringing back birds, biodiversity, and greater lived relationships with nature in Kirikiriroa.

Mid-morning, Ishmael leads hands-on lessons in the gully — soil preparation, pest control, and propagation. Every small success, like a thriving seedling, builds confidence. Knowledge is shared freely, through doing. The work is steady. Success comes slowly, rooted in patience.

Throughout the day, Ishmael weaves together relationships with council staff, the Te Ara Hou Village Trust, and other stakeholders. His work is deeply collaborative — grounded in kaupapa and guided by a shared vision of justice through restoration.

Back at his potting shed-turned-office, he shifts to planning: plant orders, infrastructure needs, funding, and strategy. It’s this balance of vision and detail that keeps Wairākau thriving.

For Ishmael, every spade in the soil is a step toward restorat

ion — of land, of people, and of hope.

This is our first e-newsletter for Mahi Mihinare Anglican Action. You are receiving this because you are someone who we have engaged with in the past, and hopefully will enjoy seeing updates from us.

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