A well utilised Parakai facility is to remain in community hands thanks to the combined efforts of the Helensville District Health Trust, Nga Maunga Whakahii o Kaipara Development Trust, Auckland Council and the entity co-governing the adjacent Kaipatiki Reserve, Te Poari o Kaipatiki ki Kaipara.
Plans for the former Te Whare Oranga o Parakai property will see it further developed and managed by Te Poari o Kaipatiki ki Kaipara, a co-governance entity comprising of representatives of Ngati Whatua o Kaipara and Auckland Council.
Chair of the Helensville District Health Trust, Rory MacGillycuddy, says the transfer of the Parakai property from the Trust to Te Poari o Kaipatiki ki Kaipara, will see many benefits for the local community.
“Because Te Poari o Kaipatiki ki Kaipara already manages the adjacent Kaipatiki Reserve, the former Parakai health facility can now reconnect and be managed in an integrated manner with the reserve to achieve better wellbeing outcomes for the local community and Ngati Whatua o Kaipara,” he says.
The Helensville District Health Trust closed the Parakai health facility in August 2019 when faced with the reality, after exhausting all avenues of possible funding, that it could not afford to continue subsidising the facility.
Mr MacGillycuddy says the trust is presently focusing on greater investment in its health campus on Commercial Road in Helensville.
“This focus will optimally meet the trust’s strategic vision of providing facilities which best serve the health and well-being needs of the growing South Kaipara population,” he says.
Since then, the health trust has renovated the property and has also supported various well-being and health-related initiatives onsite.
The Chairs of Te Poari o Kaipatiki ki Kaipara, Jane Sherard, and Nga Maunga Whakahii o Kaipara Development Trust, Dame Naida Glavish, are excited about the new plans for Te Whare Oranga o Parakai.
“The property can now be redeveloped to better address health and wellbeing issues and achieve greater outcomes for the community,” Jane Sherard says.
The Nga Maunga Whakahii o Kaipara Development Trust represents the interests of Ngati Whatua o Kaipara on Te Poari o Kaipatiki ki Kaipara.
The Chair of Auckland Council’s Parks, Events, Community and Arts Committee (PACE), Cr. Alf Filipaina says integrating Te Whare Oranga into the adjacent reserve not only honours the Ngati Whatua history in the area but will also enable an efficient way to manage the reserve area and community facility as one for the benefit of the local community.
“Te Whare Oranga is essentially the only community facility in Parakai, so preserving it as part of the reserve will help establish a thriving heart to the Parakai community.”
Cr. Filipaina says the co-governance model already in place for Kaipatiki has proved an excellent template for working in partnership with mana whenua for the betterment of local communities and this will expand with the inclusion of Te Whare Oranga.
Auckland Councillor Greg Sayers has praised the efforts of the Helensville District Health Trust in maintaining, operating and keeping the health facility operating for as long as it could.
“Auckland Council recognises and acknowledges that there has been a financial cost to the trust in this, and the trust’s dedication to the community in this regard has been highly commendable,” he says.
