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Download AudioThe Rauawaawa Kaumātua Charitable Trust has opened stage two of its refurbishment of Te Puna o Te Ora, its age-friendly and dementia-friendly community based facility for kaumātua in Kirikiriroa.
Chief executive Rangimahora Reddy says Te Puna o Te Ora was originally opened in 1941 as a hostel for Maori moving into the city, and it has had a number of uses over the years.
She says the work was needed to upgrade essential services, bring the building up to earthquake compliance and provide new facilities such as a social room and more wananga spaces and technology-enabled multipurpose spaces that can better support kaumātua wellbeing programmes.
“It was about increasing the usable areas on site so we had a lot of cold, damp, moldy inappropriate places. It’s a huge site but we were unable to use a lot of areas because they were old – so you can imagine a 1941 build. The key guidance from our kaumatua was secure, safe and warm space,” Ms Reddy says
The stage includes a new reception area, treatment clinic, a mirimiri and acupuncture clinic as well as health team offices, a meeting area, a space for quick access to health resources such as wheelchair ramps, and a community garden and a landscaped recreational space to connect kaumātua with te taiao.
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