A unique role working at Haumaru Ōrite, Starship Hospital

Geoff Wells: Kia ora koutou katoa, ko Geoff Wells toku ingoa. 

I’m a registered social worker, but currently seconded to the role of Oranga Tamariki project manager for Haumaru Ōrite here at Starship. It is an 18-bed, acute mental health in-patient setting for tamariki and rangatahi aged from 11 years to 18 years.  

Part of the Oranga Tamariki Action Plan is to work with our key partnered agencies to improve and work to best outcomes for our rangatahi and tamariki.  

Collaboration is a very important thing in terms of working together as agencies. So, my role is that I’m the conduit between Oranga Tamariki and Health, and at times with police. We all hold a piece of the jigsaw puzzle, so to speak.  

There’s clinical psychiatrists, there is clinical psychologists, there’s also teachers from the Northern Health Schools, occupational therapists, and nurses on the unit, so there’s a wide variety of people that work with Haumaru Ōrite.  

It’s that sharing information in real time, in terms of bringing people together so that we can ensure there are good plans put in place for when a young person leaves the unit.  

A lot of the children come in with a long history of trauma and have been well known to Oranga Tamariki throughout the years.  

I suppose I’m fortunate and privileged and humbled to be in this role, which is a unique role. But being a survivor of abuse as a child myself and not having a voice has been able to put me in a position where I feel at times I’m that voice for those who don’t have a voice. 

I’ve worn many previous hats in my 61 years. So, I trained and qualified as a chef originally, have waited on the Queen and the Duke, so yes, had a bit of a colourful life.  

Around 19, 20 years ago when I first started working with the previous Child, Youth and Family, I used to bake goods and take them into our National Contact Centre and sell them and raise money. And then from there, that just sort of grew on and to where I now provide up to 400 gift bags per year to kids in need in our communities that would otherwise not receive a gift at Christmas.  

What else have we got in here? These sorts of things which come in handy for kids that you know, have a need. I suppose we take it for granted that families have all these things or can afford all these things, but they can’t. In reality, to spend $10 on this is almost like a meal.  

It’s just something that I personally do ‘cause I want to give back to the community and I feel a bit like Santa, and I’m fortunate enough to be able to.