Māngere Budgeting Services are shocked to see no government funding for their Tuakau Branch. CEO Darryl Evans says the majority of families they are working within Tuakau are Māori and will be heavily affected by the new change.
The Tuakau Branch will not be receiving any funding from the government which suggests major concerns for the many families in the area.
Evans says, “We're currently working with 300 local whanau that's Māori predominantly, Pacific Island families and other and the demand is growing by the day. The services are absolutely needed by this town so to find out on Tuesday that we hadn't been successful with our application, really is gut-wrenching.”
CEO Darryl Evans recently received a response from the Ministry of Social Development for their application for funding submitted last June was declined.
“Well the reality is if we can respond to the need of Māori and Pacific Islanders in Māngere, Otara, and Papatoetoe, and Ōtāhuhu where we've been for 22 years many of the same whānau have relocated to Tūākau in search of cheap rent, well we're good enough to deliver it there why isn't good enough to deliver it here in Tūākau.”
One other Māori Social Service in Tuakau which receives funding from MSD is Te Whare Whakaū Trust, which receives funding through Whānau Ora. They were also surprised with the news as this budgeting agency hasn't received any funding since its establishment 3 years ago.
“Next Tuesday our board will have a strategy meeting to work out where to from here. I'll be writing to the Ministry of Social Development to raise my disappointment because the feedback that we got from our application I really find a slap in the face.”
Deputy Chief Executive of The Ministry of Social Development Murray Edridge says Mangere Budgeting Service applied as a collective to provide Building Financial Capability services across Auckland. The collective will receive $642,000.