​Last week Sandra Stiles attended Putangitangi at ILT Stadium Southland for about the sixth year in a row! The stall was as popular as always with people browsing general agency information, and some enrolling in our doctor service He Puna Waiora.
Sandra says she was impressed by the calibre of the children's talent througout the well-organized event. "The standard of performance this year was awesome. It was mind-blowing."
Congratulations to all of the participants and category winners including Hato Patariki juniors St Patrick's school (1st - Junior), Hato Patariki St Patrick's (1st - Intermediate) and Nga Puawaitanga Te Wharekura O Arowhenua (1st - Senior)

​Triple Star employees James and Shannon have stopped smoking with the support of the Southern Stop Smoking Service on a worksite. Southern Stop Smoking Service Lakes District coach Debbie Swain-Rewi has been a regular visitor for the past year working with Triple Star employees and three subbies on a new development at Blanket Bay, near Glenorchy.

Debbie says “I would like to acknowledge the support Triple Star Management have given their staff. They were quick to come on board offering workplace smoking cessation for staff. I have presented at five different work sites, and worked with staff at three, gathering along the way those who smoked at the other two when they have moved sites. In total I have worked with twelve staff, mostly using NRT, but also supporting two using champix. We’ve discussed electronic cigarettes, vaping, relapses and celebrated successes with afternoon tea treats. There have been eight successful quits, and one has relapsed but is now back on track. Of the four who haven’t quit, two have greatly reduced, and I’m sure one will succeed!”

“Everyone is a winner when workplaces support these programmes. Triple Star is a large construction company, and now only four staff smoke. Collectively, they are a healthier workforce, and great role models for other workplaces, to their whanau, especially their tamariki. As well as this site productivity and bottom line business profits will be greater as healthier staff take less time off work on sick leave, non-smokers are more engaged and not always seeking an opportunity to light up, and injuries heal faster.”

Triple Star Project Manager Gary Ludlow says “It’s great news to hear the continued effort from the guys onsite to quit smoking, and by the Southern Stop Smoking Service to continually motivate and assist them in their enrolment and goals.”

“It’s also great to hear that they are going home discussing it with their partners spreading the word, and the coach discussing it with our contractors onsite and helping them as well. A really good catchment and I hope it continues to spread!”

“We would eventually like to make our sites completely smoke free, so this is a great step forward in making the guys onsite want the change, rather than us trying to enforce it. With only a small percentage of guys now smoking this looks a realistic goal.”

“It’s a great benefit to the guys onsite, their families and the company what the service is doing and achieving, please continue doing a great job, thank you.”

Triple Star employee James says:

I’m an athlete and I’ve always despised smoking.

I don’t know why I started. I was a teenager and I guess it was the social thing to do. Before I knew it, I was addicted.

My name is James, originally from Dublin, Ireland, now living in Queenstown and I’m 32-years-old.

I’ve always wanted to stop. I tried so many times but I just couldn’t. I wanted to stop for my health. I couldn’t breathe in the gym doing cardio!

An injury preventing my training but about five months ago I started again and it gave me the incentive to stop smoking. Ahead of this my workplace, Triple Star Construction, arranged the Lakes District stop smoking coach to come on site and she put in so much effort - I didn’t want to let her down!

I started using patches and I enjoyed the coach’s supportive, and encouraging nature. She also talked me through how to use the patches. It was nice to have someone who actually cared and was putting the effort in.

My last cigarette was about four months ago. I don’t miss it at all. I don’t even like the smell.

My energy levels are through the roof and my chest is clear. Financially it’s great and I’m now spending my cigarette money on a gym membership and protein shakes.

I’m delighted to have stopped smoking. I think the workplace support from the Southern Stop Smoking Service is brilliant because it’s harder on your own. A few of us at work have stopped and we’re all encouraging each other.

Triple Star employee Shannon says:

My name is Shannon, I’m 26-years-old, and I started smoking when I was a teenager.

Everyone was smoking so I thought I would too.

I smoked a packet of 20s a day and never had a real reason to want to stop. I’m not unfit, my health was never bad, but it became too expensive and I could no longer afford the habit.

I was spending about $150 a week and my partner was smoking as well.

The Lakes District coach coming to work made a big difference. She assisted me in getting Champix and I haven’t had a cigarette since December last year.

I’m now paying off old debt and I’ve noticed a large difference to the bank balance.

I don’t miss smoking at all.

​Nga Kete Matauranga Pounamu Charitable Trust is launching a new service Iwi Community Panels in collaboration with the New Zealand Police and local iwi, as an alternative resolution process for low-level offenders. The agency aims to steer whanau away from entering onto a criminal conviction pathway with the establishment of ICP. 
More to come, watch this space!!

Along with the new service, we welcome our new Iwi Community Panel Co-ordinator Mana Wright, who started in his new role yesterday.

Mana, originally from Invercargill, has been an Iwi Community Panel Co-ordinator in Christchurch for the past year and is excited to bring the successful programme back to the south.

“I believe in equity of opportunity and the need for alternative approaches to traditional punitive-based remedies … I take an interest in the theories of justice, alternative resolution processes and dispute resolution.”

Mana, a keen guitarist, has a Bachelor of Arts from Otago University with a double major in politics and philosophy.

He is passionate about Iwi Community Panels, and the people of Invercargill. “The opportunity to work and influence positive change here is a driving factor in my aspirations.”

"Southland's Māori community is calling on its people to rise up and work together to help prevent suicide.
More than 600 Kiwis took their own lives in the 2016-17 year, up from 579 the previous year, with Māori over-represented in the suicide statistics.
The provisional coroner's results reveal there were 52 suicides in the Southern DHB region in the 12 months to mid 2017 - up from 43 the previous year.
In a bid to curb the worrying trend, eight groups in Southland will, for the second year running, sign an accord on Sunday to connect together and address the issue of suicide in the region.
Invercargill's Nga Hau e Wha Marae chairman Daniel Tawaroa said whānau in the south were wanting to do something to help prevent suicide."
- The Southland Times, 15 September 2017

Read the rest of the story here!