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Coffee Essentials Barista Course

A Participants response… You are part of another person’s day and for some, their coffee would be the making or breaking of it. I was not entirely a part of the ritual between maker and customer - I didn’t know beyond what cups needed to be washed and which ones would I awkwardly have to hold, trying to stop the inevitable slosh of the liquid onto the saucer beneath before it reached the customer. I was sixteen when I held my first job at a bakery – it was an interesting experience ...

Tu Taua Seminar

The Tu Taua Stand Against P seminar run at Transform in June was a sobering snap shot and informative presentation of how this drug is destroying the communities in which we live.    A group of 35 people from a number of social agencies across the South Waikato district listened to how to recognise people who use.  Kevin Hollingsworth from Rotorua presented a board game that resembled a Monopoly board that showed the gateway into using this drug and the pitfalls and perceived bene...

Becoming Women of Worth

Our Fabulous Women of Worth have had a great write up in the Daily Encourager Make sure you check it out here....

Transforming provincial heartland - Daily Encourager

Check out the awesome write up in the Daily Encourager about how Transform Aotearoa is transforming lives in provincial New Zealand. ...

Graduation!

This event happened last week and sadly only 3 graduates made it to the graduation due to other commitments.  However those who did make the effort were spoilt with a night to remember.  A feast of pizza, egg salad and garlic bread followed by a carrot cake delighted the taste buds of the graduates and guests. The group’s participants come from all walks of life and all kinds of socio-economic levels but when they come to Transform Aotearoa to do a men’s course they are all equals...

Flying our Flag High!

Transform Aotearoa has introduced a flag on the footpath to help locals visualise where we are located in Putaruru.  We had a few comments from local and social agencies that Transform is not very visible from the road, so with the new 3 metre flag flutters in the breeze there will be no confusion where we are!!!  Transform Aotearoa has been a valuable part of the community for almost 5 years and people still tell us they don’t know who or where we are. Let’s hope with ou...

Te Moana Kura

On the 10th April 2019 Te Moana Kura had their graduation.  These ladies bonded from the first class, which was unusual as in the past it has taken until the 4th session before the ladies connect.  It was a beautiful program where they were all encouraged and challenged to the core to be a better version of themselves.  The guest speaker Linda Steel spoke of her challenges over her life and how she wouldn’t change any of them because they have made her who she is today, the good...

Collaborative Quilting

Our Friday WOW ladies group have not failed to impress this time.  A small group of them gathered together over the last few months to learn from our quilter friend Wendy Lawrie how to make a fabric art quilt.   They brainstormed together first and this quilt represents all the things that the ladies said made Putaruru an amazing place.  Each lady was allocated a job to do and sent to work before coming to piece the quilt together.   It was fascinating to watch a lo...

Barista Training

At the beginning of March Transform Aotearoa held their first Coffee Essentials Barista training course with the help of Industry Training Solutions.  On the first day the 14 ladies looked very nervous but that was short lived.  The first 40 minutes of class gave them enough information on the history and culture of coffee to blow their minds.  By the end of the course the confidence and self-esteem had lifted 100%.  Smiles laughter and a sense of accomplishment radiated from...

Transform Aotearoa has hit the ground running!

Transform Aotearoa wish the Putaruru community a happy and prosperous New Year.  We are very excited about what 2019 has to unfold.  Some of the courses we are running this Term are: HT Class 2 licence - this has been so popular it filled to capacity before Christmas.  This week long course is to help locals get a job or a better job in the trucking industry and begins in February. Likewise our Barista coffee training has been just as popular and is now full. This is also designe...

Graduation and Christmas

The celebrations never stop at Transform, we spent another awesome day celebrating several women graduating and we even got into the Christmas spirit with shared secret Santa gifts. We were encourage by one of TACT supporters to believe in ourselves and that when things are tough, look in the mirror and say “I can do this, I am great, and I can get through this”. We are reminded to be nice to ourselves, to speak positively about ourselves. Belena shared on the importance at Christmas time o...

Website Refresh

Time has flown by and it has actually been 4 years since our first website went live! So we have been in need of an update and a refresh, and last Friday this happened with our new website officially going live! Thanks to all those who helped make it happen! Our new website has been shaped around our core beliefs, essentially our love of people. It is all about people, every single person has helped make Transform Aotearoa what it is today. Check it out, it has a lot more information on it with...

Transform Aotearoa Refresh

The months of September and October have had us giving the place a real spring clean. The lovely ladies in our team oversaw the project and the rooms were refreshed and transformed ready for the new season! It is awesome to see the women take such pride and ownership of their spaces, and it is encouraging to see a sense of belonging and willingness to help out with such tasks. Another exciting thing is the interest in people wanting to learn to sew and do patch work. It is a great tool to be abl...

October

This month we had a visit from MP Louise Upston. We really appreciate the time she took to come out and visit us.  Louise shared her personal story with us, a journey which at times was rough, but she overcame those challenges with support of others. Louise’s story and openness really resonated with so many of our women. So it was so nice to be able to connect and share more over a lovely morning tea together. It was a real time of community and left us all feeling inspired and reminded t...

Gaining Confidence with technology

Navigating a computer can a daunting process for some, and one that can hinder access to social agencies and services, learning and employment opportunities, social media or information on the internet in general. In a new initiative, Transform Aotearoa and Literacy Aotearoa have partnered together to help locals of all ages to feel like they can make sense of this medium that has become a part of everyday life. In late July together they piloted a new 10 week, Level 1 Basic Computing Course in ...

Stepping up to the challenge

We're excited to share with you that in Term Two we launched our band new, stage 2 Men's program!   Following on from the success of our stage one program, Te Kaupapa Whakamana, this new stage 2: Te Ana Raiona (The Lion’s Den) has been created, to take men to the next level in their growth and development as healthy contributing members of society.  “The story about the Lion’s Den represents a test, a trial and challenge against all odds where men ar...

Shine!

Transform Aotearoa has had many successes over Term One, but top of our highlights has been the ShineGIRL programme that has run in Putaruru College for a group of year 9 and 10 students. Over nine weeks, our passionate facilitators Marilyn Baldwin and Amber Hohaia facilitated ShineGIRL to invest in the lives of a group of 10 young ladies selected from Putaruru College. The girls met together each week to learn and grow in the way that they think about themselves. The girls bonded and blossomed ...

Meri Kirihimete

We hope you have a great Christmas. Looking forward to all that 2018 has in store for us to do together. Me te aroha nui atu o mātou katoa....

Well Done Belena

A huge Congratulations to our very own Belena Hohaia on becoming a certified Building Awesome Whānau Facilitator. As the latest addition to Toolbox, Building Awesome Whānau is pretty special. Drawing on the wisdom of Māori ways of being, doing and knowing – and bringing them together with the best of Toolbox – The Parenting Place sought to create a resource that reflects this remarkable country of ours, and in doing so, serve all of its people. Some familiar faces have been used to creat...

Rangatahi November

Kai time - at the beginning of our workshops we write out things that will make it awesome; Eating together was one of them! Our Next Rangatahi summit will be on Friday the 19th of January. We really hope you can make it!...

Third Year Celebrations

We were so excited to have you all come to our 3rd year celebration. It was a huge success and the most people we have had at a celebration like this. We hope you all enjoyed yourselves as much as we did. Here are a few snap shots we took on the night of what we got up to. Transform Aotearoa would like to thank you for your support over 2017 and wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We all look forward to seeing you again next year. ...

Whakahonohono Mai September Graduation

Three lovely ladies graduated recently, receiving their certificates and enjoying a meal together at The Wooden Farmer in celebration of their hard work. Belena and Amber Hohaia did an amazing job facilitating the ten week program which helped these women with personal development focusing on internal strength, identity, worth, value and goal setting. Every one of them held their head high in accomplishment. They are all eager to start part 2 - Te Moana Kura next term which strengthens what...

Congrats to our first Te Moana Kura Graduates!

This week we celebrated the graduation of our first Stage Two Women's Program Te Moana Kura. And what an awesome celebration it was! Well done to all of our 14 graduates. What an amazing 10 weeks we have had. All our participants said it gave them a greater sense of worth and confidence, and made them more equipped to tackle hard feelings. Everyone also said they now feel more equipped to be a better parent/role model, and they know more about themselves as a result of completing this program. H...

Celebrating Overcomers on Our Roads

Today we're celebrating all those people who have stepped up and got their licence this year with us in Putaruru. So far that's 31 over the last six months - well done, we are so proud and stoked to see each one stepping up and gaining their licence. For a small community, we think this is pretty significant, and we know that there are many stories of the challenges that have been overcome. We are excited to be breaking down the barriers that stand in the way, and to be helping to make a pathway...

Our Local Women Going to Another Level

On the 24th of May, we opened our doors up to 15 Putaruru women to join us for the launch of our brand new Level 2 Women's Personal Development Program: Te Moana Kura (The Red Sea Experience). This is a Stage Two, 9 week course to follow on from our popular Stage One program: Whakahonohono Mai. The new Level 2 program on offer invites women to step up within themselves and to go to that next level. It covers how to build a better balance in all critical areas of life, how to build a whanau safet...