Helping others achieve

• Published date: 30 September 2022

How did the business start and grow to where it is today? We started in 2014, enabling good lives for 8 men with Intellectual Disability once a week, including them as expected by any person. Our social work, completely reliant on our business, provides services to those less fortunate. The initiative was based on knowing our people can contribute to our community plus a passion to support. The business activities are based on producing wooden products from recycled materials and a knowledge of the second-hand market. Starting with 2 volunteers, one employee (still with us) from the sector, we outgrew our premises within 6 months and today, our business employs 8 persons, of which 4 are disadvantaged within a regular work-force and some 8 volunteers in various roles

What sets you apart from others in your field? Our social services increased providing for over 150 regular attendees, extending services to include home school, youth and adult programmes. Our creative space is supported by Arts Access Aotearoa and Manatū Taonga (Ministry of Heritage and Culture) which allowed us to employ seven extra staff supporting our creative programmes and the means to start a new satellite in Otaki. We couldn’t provide our services without our sustainable business covering overhead costs. We created micro enterprises our people can perform, giving them a degree of self-esteem. Twenty-five per cent of the profit is given back to the community, with our Anzac poppies they donated $2200 to the local RSA. They are currently making Daffodils supporting Cancer Society.

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