Barnardos welcomes the opportunity to work with the Social Investment Agency to transform services in Māngere

Barnardos Aotearoa welcomes new funding from the Social Investment Fund to develop this transformational approach to supporting some of the most vulnerable children and focusing on the first 2,000 days of a child’s life.

This multifaced early intervention service, Te Korowai Mokopuna, will work with children whose parents have experienced prison or care, wrapping around support with our trauma-informed therapeutic interventions for the parent/carer and tamaiti.

“We are thrilled to receive this investment from the Social Investment Agency. This vision of Te Korowai Mokopuna has been a long-held dream for Barnardos,” says James Te Puni, Barnardos Aotearoa Chair.

“This funding allows us to support some of our most vulnerable tamariki and their whānau with the full Barnardos approach — trauma-informed therapeutic intervention alongside early childhood education and wraparound social support. This is excellent news for children and families of Māngere,” says James.

For more than a decade, Barnardos has delivered Te Korowai Mokopuna by embedding Barnardos social workers into Barnardos early learning centres — spaces where tamariki and whānau already feel safe and welcome. This new pilot builds on that foundation, transforming it into a comprehensive, community-driven model that is locally led, with an opportunity to develop an evidence-based picture of the difference we can make to children’s lifetime outcomes.

The transformed Te Korowai Mokopuna model integrates therapeutic parent–child work, early childhood education, whole-of-whānau social services, and a dedicated space for community engagement. Together, these elements support improved mental and physical health, strengthened safety, positive caregiving practices, early learning engagement, and deeper community connection. The focus is on reducing systemic stress and breaking down the barriers that often prevent whānau from accessing help.

“At the heart of this whānau-centred model is a warm, dedicated space where parents, carers and tamariki can repair and enrich their relationship,” says Matt Reid, Barnardos Chief Executive.

“Here, caregivers learn parenting skills, experience the positive outcomes of co-regulation, and receive the support needed to build safety, connection and healing — all wrapped around early learning and social work services.”

“We look forward to working alongside the Social Investment Agency, Iwi, Pasifika groups, other services and community groups, and most importantly the local community of Māngere.”

Māngere has long been a significant community for Barnardos, opening in 1972 it was home to our very first service in Aotearoa and is now home to our early learning centre and our Auckland team. It is a place where our teams have supported whānau for generations, and in 2024, we undertook a major community engagement inquiry to understand how our Cape Road site could better serve the Māngere community of today. The community told us they want a multipurpose, collaborative hub that offers safe spaces for tamariki and young people, improved access to services, and a stronger Barnardos presence and leadership in the area. The strengthened Te Korowai Mokopuna pilot directly responds to these insights, beginning the work of creating positive change for the future of our tamariki.

ENDS.

Media contact
Elodie Berthe, Barnardos Aotearoa, Communications Manager Elodie.berthe@barnardos.org.nz
027 220 2995