Drive through the old state housing area of Wesley and you’ll likely miss Te Auaunga Oakley Creek. Most of the time it flows quietly, hidden by vegetation and pipes that take it under busy roadways. But on the Friday night before Auckland Anniversary weekend in January 2023, as the city experienced the heaviest rain in years, the creek suddenly swelled and burst its banks. Within a couple of hours families were wading out of their houses through 1.5 metres of wastewater, seeking shelter and safety.
While the city’s official emergency response stuttered and stumbled that night and over the coming week, Wesley’s neighbourhood schools and a grassroots community collective swung into action. They helped rescue families from the floods, gave refuge in school buildings and provided food and clothing. Later they helped displaced people find emergency housing, provided financial and practical support, and assisted in their interactions with various agencies.
It was unsurprising that the schools were critical to the flooding response. Wēteri (Wesley) Primary and Intermediate schools, neighbouring May Road School and Christ the King Catholic School, are deeply embedded in their unique community and have a history of working collectively for its wellbeing.
“The mobilisation over the first day or so was quite incredible. I think what happened with our schools was testament to the power of collective action.”
Wesley, on the north-western edge of Puketāpapa/Mt. Roskill, is one of Auckland’s poorer suburbs. Once the home of working class Pākehā, it has long been a melting pot for new immigrants, many of them refugees. In this environment schools are central to the process by which people from many lands become comfortable in a new country. Educators work hard to make their schools trusted places for advice and support.
“We don’t expect people to reach into us. We actively reach out to the community,” says May Road School principal Lynda Stuart. “It’s a philosophy that is deeply felt by the staff and the Board; that in order for us to educate children we need families to be part of the process.”
That means families readily come into the school, not only for school events, but also for assistance in times of crisis.
“When a sense of school community is deeply felt that will happen,” says Lynda. “When there’s a time of stress or strain people will look to where they feel safe.”
Billy Hadnett, who is principal at Christ the King Catholic School, credits the Covid crisis with deepening community engagement.
“We made such good connections with our families during the pandemic through the information we were able to supply them with,” says Billy. “That’s carried on. Families know we are not only here for education. We help on a day-to-day basis when needed.”
***
Even though the fields at Wēteri Primary were under water from early on that Friday evening, displaced people started to turn up there. The next day May Road opened its doors to accommodate growing numbers and within a few days Christ the King’s parish hall was turned into a dormitory, to take the overflow. It was a process that the principals organised between themselves with local community collective ARK providing logistics and resourcing.
ARK Puketāpapa (Acts of Roskill Kindness) is a not-for-profit group that was founded by locals to support their vulnerable community during the Covid pandemic. It worked with the schools to roll out the vaccination programme and provide material support for people in need. Wēteri Primary became its base and three years on ARK still operates a sustainable food hub and resource network from the school, that is often a lifeline for struggling families.
“When the flooding began, we immediately knew what to do,” says Tiliilagi Leilua who leads the group with husband Peter. Deep knowledge of the community meant they knew which families were in particular danger from rising water.
“An outreach team was sent out into the community to let them know the school hall was open for people to come sleep and have some hot food,” she says.
Team members, including school staff, helped carry children, the sick and the elderly to safety and soon there were around 18 people camping in the hall, being fed using the school’s lunch programme and foodbank resources, as well as food brought in by sympathetic locals. Emergency care was organised for those in medical distress.
By the next day discussions were underway about using May Road School’s facilities as well. Again, ARK provided bedding and food, and soon the school became a refuge for the local Muslim community. The NZ Ethnic Women’s Trust set up a base at the school from where it was able to assist flood affected families from across the city.
Meanwhile from its more elevated position on Richardson Road, Christ the King Catholic School was able to offer safe accommodation for 20 or so people, while Wēteri Primary acted as a triage centre for displaced residents and Wesley Intermediate stored the overflow of supplies that poured in. ARK’s deep community connections elicited support from businesses and charities who donated furniture, vehicles, stationary, food and money, while large numbers of volunteers arrived to assist with distribution.
“The mobilisation over the first day or so was quite incredible,” says Lou Reddy, tumuaki of Wēteri Primary school. “I think what happened with our schools was testament to the power of collective action.”
Peter Leilua from ARK says that the schools were critical to success of the response.
“The community has great ideas and wants to serve people. They have great heart and great empathy, but without leaders like our principals, who were able to provide the space, there was no way we could have succeeded. We have a philosophy that great moments are created when great opportunities are given. When the opportunity is there, people will jump in.”
Following the emergency phase which had focused on making people safe, the schools became hubs for providing on-going support. Over a couple of weeks 3,000 food parcels were distributed, while ARK, government and council agencies were able to provide access to medical, social and housing support.
“In quite a short time we were able to get emergency housing for 81 people,” says Lou. Moving people into permanent homes took longer. Following the flood, houses in Puketāpapa made up a quarter of red stickered properties in the Auckland region.
“Kaitiakitanga isn’t just something you have in your heart. It is something that you do. That means being ready to stand up as a community and deal with the next crisis that comes along.”
In reviewing the events of Anniversary weekend, the school leaders and their ARK allies have developed detailed strategies to deal with further weather events, which now seem inevitable. A couple of weeks after the flood, when heavy rains were predicted but failed to arrive, they were fully prepared for a rapid response. In the interim, ARK was able to spread its charity more widely. A container load of supplies was delivered to the tiny community of Omahu near Hastings, which had been suffered some of the worst devastation when Cyclone Gabrielle tore through.
“We just wanted to do our part to support those people,” says Peter. “Up here we had a flood, but down there they experienced something else. Their place was completely destroyed.”
***
In assessing the impact of the events of February 2023 the principals of Puketāpapa know that the role and expectations for schools have changed.
“Every school has an Emergency Management Plan,” explains Lou Reddy, “But the plans kind of stop once the kids are out the door and you are no longer in a parental role. Now schools need to plan for what to do when the kids and families come back, because they’re unsafe at home.”
Schools and communities like those in Puketāpapa have shown that they are better placed to respond to crises than local and national governments. Schools that are deeply embedded in their communities understand the needs and the values of their people and are trusted. They also know the networks and resources that can be mobilised rapidly and efficiently.
Lou Reddy believes that an effective response to crisis happens when the people in a community have shared values of caring and a sense of guardianship over their neighbourhood.
“What we saw during Covid and again in the response to the Anniversary flooding was a community with immense manaakitanga for each other, as well as the kaitiakitanga to be able to carry it out. Kaitiakitanga isn’t just something you have in your heart. It is something that you do. That means being ready to stand up as a community and deal with the next crisis that comes along.”
Lou stresses that for the best outcomes, schools and communities need to be better resourced. It is something Lynda Stuart agrees with.
“There needs to be recognition that schools are doing this important work. Our schools are filled with wonderful people who have the heart and passion to serve their communities that are complex and have multiple needs. But in order for us do the best for children and families in these times we need the resources, whether it is time or specialist expertise. Currently we spend so much time and energy fighting and advocating for the things that should be there for our families.”
Further reading
- Research and resources on the role of schools in supporting communities through crisis from Professor Carol Mutch
- RNZ and Stuff news articles about the flooding in Puketāpapa
- Education Gazette article about schools as community hubs in emergencies
- ARK Puketāpapa on Facebook
