Māngere: Where it all started

After supporting Barnardos in the UK for 100 years, Barnardos Aotearoa was established in 1969 to support tamariki and their whānau closer to home. The site, 33 Cape Road in Māngere, was specifically chosen to be close to Ōtara, Onehunga, and Māngere, identified as areas of need in Auckland. It became the first home of Barnardos Aotearoa in 1972, where our very first services opened. The Māngere complex had a childcare facility, on-site social workers and housing for single mothers and their children.

From its inception, the services at Māngere aimed to support the needs of the children at the centre and their families: “An important aspect of the work was identifying the needs of the children’s own families as well as of the children themselves. The parents were then visited by the Barnardo’s social worker, who helped them work out how to get help in resolving their difficulties.” (“Where the Heart Is: A History of Barnardo’s in New Zealand 1866 – 1991” by Mary Collie-Holmes)

When the Māngere Centre was first established, it was a beacon of progression and modernity.

“Some professional people already regard the centre and its services as a model in the field of social work and child care. This year, we have a Doctoral student who has chosen to study the child-staff interactions at the Centre, to complete his thesis on child behaviour modifications. Many people have also been impressed with our educational programme, our staff development and our community involvement.” (“The Open Door: News and Views on Dr Barnardo’s in New Zealand” July 1974)

Fast-forward 52 years, services have expanded across the motu and Barnardos Aotearoa in Māngere has a thriving early learning centre, staff working across social and care services supporting South Auckland whānau and communities, and New Zealand’s only child and youth helpline 0800 What’s Up.

What started many years ago as a unique concept of combining early childhood services and social work support under one roof remains today. Working together with our social work service, Te Korowai Mokopuna offers a needs-driven, holistic wraparound support and social work service for families who attend Barnardos Early Learning Services in Māngere, and also Ōtara, Clendon and since last year, Christchurch. The image of the korowai guides us – the idea of working together to weave a warm and protective cloak for each child and their whānau.

From the start, the goal for the Māngere centre was to address the challenges of the local community, provide barrier free access to education, and ensure families received the help they needed, when they needed it and in way that suited them.

Exciting future ahead

With space available at the Cape Road site and as the community grows, Barnardos needs to decide how best to utilise the site in a manner which reflects the community’s dreams and Barnardos Aotearoa vision of every child shinning bright.

This is why Barnardos Aotearoa is embarking on an exciting journey with the Māngere community to identify the most pressing needs and aspirations of the community and to explore how Barnardos Aotearoa can best respond to some of these needs out of our historic site at 33 Cape Road, Māngere.

We believe the best solutions come from within the community. By listening to the voices of Māngere, we aim to co-create an evidence-based plan that captures the true essence of what the community needs and aspires to be. This plan will identify how we can contribute and support a shared vision of a vibrant, thriving Māngere.

This community engagement project will reflect Barnardos’ purpose for every child to thrive and the consolidation of our offering across Early Learning services, parenting support, and first-line social service support for tamariki, rangatahi, and whānau, and residential care.

In 1972, the Māngere Centre was built as a progressive facility that promoted the wellbeing of children and their families. It provided a wraparound service that supported families to learn the skills they needed to flourish. It served a huge need in the community:

Today the Māngere centre still fulfils a huge need in the community, providing high quality early childhood education and wraparound services that support whānau to find their strengths and use them to flourish.

Together we will build a successful future by building on the heritage of the past.

Find out more about our Community Engagement Project in Māngere here.

Future success building on the heritage of the past