www.starttaranaki.co.nz
PO Box 25. Kaponga. Taranaki
4314
phone: (06) 764 6225
Fax: (06) 7646 227
INFORMATION SHEET FOR YOUTH REFERRED TO START TARANAKI AND THEIR
FAMILY/WHANAU
Acceptance onto the START Taranaki programme:
Thank you for considering the START Taranaki Programme. This information sheet has been
prepared to assist you in reaching a decision about whether you are ready to accept this
opportunity.
As with all experiences in life, what you get from START Taranaki will be directly related to
what you are willing to put in. If you have been referred to START Taranaki, it usually means
that some changes need to happen in your life. We are looking for enthusiastic young men,
and families, willing to put in some hard yards to make positive change! In return, we aim
to make START Taranaki a positive and fun experience for all youth and their support
people. We will provide lots of opportunities, new experiences, and the skills to take back
control of your life.
About the START Taranaki programme:
START Taranaki is based in Kaponga, a small rural town in Southern Taranaki. We work with
groups of six young men, referred to us by Child Youth and Family.
START Taranaki is a 20 week programme in total. Up to 20 weeks can be with us in Taranaki,
and 10 weeks will be back in the community where we will continue to support you.
Your time at START will look like this:
“Isolation” (3.5 weeks)
Wilderness experience in the Taranaki bush. The time is spent:
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Tramping
Camping
Fishing
Eeling
Learning bush survival skills
Solo experience
Sea Kayaking
Gaining NZQA Credits for outdoor skills
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Gathering kai moana
Surfing
Boating
Canoeing
Swimming
Sand duning
Hanging out around the camp fire
You will be kept busy and active for the entire time. Your fitness levels will increase and it
will be challenging, but we do not ask youth on the programme to do anything staff don’t
do.
Noho Marae (5 days)
Getting to the marae is great! This is where you get a hot shower, your own clothes back
and get to sleep on a nice comfortable mattress! Bliss after your time in the bush. You will
be welcomed with a powhiri by our tangata whenua, and spend the time learning about
tikanga of the marae, participating in a Te Ao Maori based programme, and preparing to
welcome your families on the final day of the noho marae. On Whanau Day we have a big
Hangi together and show a slide-show of all the photos from the isolation phase. We will
also have a meeting with you and your family to identify the goals you want to achieve
during the rest of your time with START Taranaki.
Ora Toa (6 to 7 weeks)
Ora Toa is what we call our START Taranaki house in Kaponga. During Ora Toa we will begin
to work towards achieving the goals set out in your whanau meeting. Activities during Ora
Toa include:
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Work experience placement
Rostered household chores
Music
Life skills
Physical training/workout
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Employment skills
Garden and ground maintenance
Art
Counselling
Lots of other fun & creative activities
Weekends and spare time are spent participating in a variety of activities continuing on from
the skills and experiences started during the isolation phase. During Ora Toa we will be
working with your whanau and social worker to build a plan for when you return to the
community. This plan will be based on the things you enjoy doing and are good at. By
having a plan that you help put together, it is more likely you will be able to stick to it once
you go home.
Transition (10 weeks)
When you leave Ora Toa and return to your community START Taranaki staff will continue
to support you for up to another ten weeks. Our team will all visit or call regularly to ensure
things are going well for you, and support you to stay on track. Returning to the community
is very hard, and there are lots of things that can bring you down. It is important for you to
remember that, while you may be living back in the community, you will still have our
support.
What the programme is not:
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START Taranaki is not “Boot Camp” staff do not expect anything of youth which they will
not do themselves.
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It is not punishment – it is an opportunity for youth to re-examine their options and to
make positive choices around what they want to do with their lives and how they can
follow their dreams.
It is not a jail – the house at Kaponga is not locked and you are not locked in your rooms
at any time.
Whanau/family contact and involvement
We believe that the more whanau are involved the better! Whanau are welcome to attend
our initial interview, and ask any questions they may have.
Each young person will have a START staff member assigned to keep in contact with whanau
weekly and make sure they are aware of progress and involved in planning.
We will have at least one whanau day during the programme where whanau are able to
come and visit. On this day we will have our main planning meeting to set goals.
During the isolation phase whanau are welcome to write letters to their young person, we
know from experience that letters are always treasured and help give the young person
strength to persevere. There is no phone contact during isolation (mostly because there is
no reception in the bush).
During Ora Toa, we have phone call night every Sunday. If Sunday doesn’t work for you, we
can arrange a different time. We do not have phone calls every night because generally we
like to have the young men out busy doing things in the evenings.