Congratulations to our dear brother and fellow colleague Jackson for graduating with his Youthworker diploma from Praxis. We are very proud of you! Jackson came through the Vinnies High School programme in 2018 and continued to mentor as a Young Adult for three years before transitioning to staff. Having him as a Youth Coordinator at Vinnies for the last two years has been a privilege. May God continue loving, protecting, and guiding you in all you do, Jackson.
Community Well-Being Programme
On Saturday, the 25th of November, Vinnies Foodbank was privileged to have the Auckland Catholic Young Adults Community (CYAC) come in and volunteer. They helped out packing some Food Parcels! This was then finished with some kai and whanaungatanga to debrief the day. Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity in helping those in need.
Feed a Family Campaign
Throughout the last week of November, our Feed a Family Campaign for Christmas started. This is to help support those families that are struggling during the Christmas period. Thank you to all the generous donors that have supported Vinnies so far. This campaign will continue up until Christmas!
Throughout the last two weeks, the Vinnies Youth Team have been going into the High Schools to present each of its Vinnies members with certificates. The Youth Team wish to congratulate all of the high school students for their service throughout this year of 2023. To the year 13s that are finishing high school, we wish you the best in the future, whether that is with studies, taking a gap year or going directly into the workforce. We thank you for the journey you’ve had with the Vinnies Programme. It has been a very successful year for the Vinnies Youth Programme, and we are looking forward to seeing what the youth programme has in store for next year.
Corporate Group Volunteering
On Friday, the 27th of October, SC Johnson came in to volunteer at the Saint Vincent de Paul Foodbank. They helped out in the kitchen and also the main warehouse. After all the volunteering, we got to debrief how the experience was for them. A common theme was how impactful it was to be able to do physical work of helping the community and that they were incredibly grateful for that experience.
Thank you so much to SC Johnson for coming to help support the Foodbank. All the mahi you’ve done will really help those who are in need. We look forward to seeing you again sometime in the future!
Opening the New Vinnies Shop
A new Vinnies Shop opened on October 7th at 25 Barrys Point Road Takapuna in the North Shore.
Congratulations to North Area Council President Charles Grinter and all the excellent staff and volunteers who worked hard behind the scenes to make this work possible. A special shout out to the Rosmini volunteers who also were an integral part of this mahi aroha.
On Sunday, the 24th of September, the Saint Vincent de Paul Feast Day & Thanksgiving Mass occurred. In this mass, we recognised the Feast Day of Saint Vincent de Paul, which was officially celebrated on September 27th. In this mass, the high school leaders were also recognised for their servant leadership throughout this year and, for some of them, the last two years. We thank them for all they’ve done this year, putting their love and faith into what they have done for the community and their schools.
Thank you to all these amazing Vinnies leaders for their hard work. As we draw closer to our Thanksgiving mass, where we celebrate the leadership and growth of students and ignites, it was beautiful to stop and share the achievements this year.
Well done for all the service, projects, sessions, meetings & gatherings. We pray a special blessing over you as you journey through mock exams and final assignments.
East Regionals 2023
On Wednesday, 13th of September, the East Regional Gathering for 2023 occurred. This was hosted by Sacred Heart College for our east schools of Baradene, Sacred Heart and St Cuthbert’s.
The purpose of this gathering was to have fun and learn more about Vinnies and each other. This was a chance to build those relationships between Vinnies groups and schools. We connected, played games/icebreakers, had group discussions and performed skits. The Vinnies members had the space to reflect on their understanding of support, individuality, and how to build bonds and connections with other people as we go out to our communities to serve.
We are truly blessed to have such amazing youth for their kindness, generosity and for creating safe vibes for others.
“He aha te mea nui o te ao? he tangata, he tangata, he tangata”- What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.
Community Well-Being Programme
On Thursday, the 7th of September, the last High School Community Well-Being programme occurred. It has been a blessing to be amidst some powerful and strong leaders. To the year 13s departing school this year, the Saint Vincent de Paul team wishes you the best of luck in your future endeavours. This year has been a highlight to have so many rangatahi come through, and all want to be able to serve the community.
Over the course of two weekends in September. The Saint Vincent de Paul Youth Team held Homelessness retreats for Saint Peter’s, De La Salle and St Paul’s. This was a chance for them to learn more about homelessness and experience it firsthand in the safety of their own schools. Thank you so much to the Auckland City Mission for collaborating with Vinnies on these two retreats; it was a massive success, and this retreat impacted these students. Thank you to St Peter’s and De La Salle College for hosting these two retreats and providing that space for the programme.
Thank you to the young men, Leaders and Teachers of Sacred Heart College for helping us to help our communities and Whanau who are suffering in silence. This can donation was from their annual Orange Week donations at Sacred Heart College. These canned goods will be a big help in supporting our families who are in need!
On Monday, 28th of August, we had our monthly AVSSC programme. It was a time to reconnect and celebrate the year that has been!! Student leaders gathered tonight to check in and celebrate a long leadership journey. These leaders have worked throughout the year to ensure each of their Vinnies group serves in faith. Tonight, they were honoured for their work and leadership as they reflected and embraced the journey.
Thank you to the schools, teachers and leaders who continue to show immense support and love.
On Thursday, 24th of August, 120 students from 11 different high schools gathered together at the Vinnies Foodhub. For the past 2 terms, schools have heeded the call to serve together and to ‘check in’ with each other’s well-being journey. However, we wanted to give back to our students and allow them the time and space to connect & have fun.
Self-care and well-being are very important to us as a Vinnies community, and to have a space for these young men and women to gather, share food, enjoy themselves in games and activities and also showcase to one another how this programme has helped them on their journey.
A massive thank you to our schools, teachers and Vinnies leaders. Most importantly, the Vinnies students for their hard work, commitment and love they have shown the past 2 terms.
On Friday, 25th of August, The Vinnies Youth team went to St Dominic’s College to host the West Regional Gathering. This was a space for students from St Dominic’s College and Liston College to come together, have fun and reflect on their journey through Vinnies this year.
There were over 60 students, and they thoroughly enjoyed themselves and learned more about each other and a bit more about themselves as Vinnies Students.
We thank these students for their servant hearts this year as they have done many school projects together. To the year 13s that are wrapping up high school, we wish you well in your future endeavours!
An awesome team of De La Salle students came together to attend a well-being session and cook up a storm for our South Auckland community!
In their Wellbeing session, they shared about the importance of having access to nutritional meals and the importance of having the quantity to suit the needs of families. It was awesome to see them integrate and incorporate the learnings from their recent food security sessions and make connections.
A major thank you for all your mahi preparing over 50 hot meals for to go out this weekend. Thank you to the Manager of Vinnies South Auckland, Sue Small, for providing the platform and resources to support this mahi.
School Sessions
During the month of August, the Vinnies Youth team had a lot of sessions with the high schools! One of the themes that came up the most this month was the idea of Homelessness. One of the ideas was the difference between a house and a home. The students didn’t see much of a difference when first brought up, but upon further discussion, the students were able to unpack the differences. Some schools are prepping for their homelessness retreat in September, so it has been great to unpack these ideas of homelessness before they go through the retreat.
It has been a very busy August as the term comes close to an end. We look forward to running more sessions with our schools in September before they depart on exam leave.
De La Salle Year 11s
The Vinnies team had the privilege today of leading a workshop on Values with the De La Salle College for the Year 11 cohort, which consisted of over 110 students!
It was a time that was thoroughly enjoyed by all. It was extra special to have our Vinnies mentors, who are De La Salle Alumni come back to school to lead this session.
A big thank you to the teachers and students, as well as the Vinnies Mentors (Ignites), for making this session such a rewarding, thought-provoking and fun experience.
Saturday Community Well-Being Days
We love these Vinnies COMMUNITY WELLBEING DAYS
Thank you to our champions at the Manukau Courts Ministry of Justice and your whanau for faithfully coming in each month to connect, talanoa, fellowship and serve together. We appreciate the energy, love, care and laughter you bring to our shared whare and mahi aroha. A special thanks to our Champion, Rosie Rosenna Teutau and her son George for their commitment to this community for the past 3 years. Thank you. We love you. We wish you all the best in Australia. We will miss you a lot.
A big thanks also to Angela Tanuvasa for coordinating our MOJ team. May God bless you all always whanau.
A time to connect and be together to reflect and refresh! Term 3 has started for our leaders, and what better way to begin their term than to reconnect with each other!
On Monday, 31st of July, our High School leaders came in to connect with one another. This was through a lot of fun games and finished off with a debate. This was a space for them to relax and chill, as Term 3 can be a hectic time of year for them. This was a time for them just to be themselves.
Thank you to the courageous leaders who continue to turn up and turn out! Always bringing the energy and fire of love for serving their community.
Community Well-being Programme
On Thursday, 27th of July, we had our Community Well-being programme! 7 schools gathered together to connect in and serve the community. This involved packing sanitation goods, fresh produce, dry boxes and helping to assist around our warehouse.
We would like to thank our awesome students, leaders and teachers in charge for their constant support and continuous showing up.
It was awesome to head out with Sonia Tiatia, Manager of D.I.N.E Academy, to connect with General Manager Carla van Walen from Localised, which is a social enterprise 100% owned by the Zero Waste Network.
For over 30 years, community-led resource recovery enterprises have been diverting waste from landfill and creating local benefits – we want more of them across Aotearoa and the Pacific.
They lead such inspirational work and are currently working to open the new Tāmaki Zero Waste Hub in Glen Innes is working with Waste Management NZ and local communities.
We look forward to this unfolding relationship and exploring all the synergies.
Special Visitors From The Auckland Catholic Diocese
Today the Vinnies team hosted a visit from the Vicar of Social Services for the Auckland Catholic Diocese
Loraine Elliot, the Catholic Caring Foundation Manager Ann- Marie Parker and their lovely colleague Claudia Cachay.
Vinnies Tamaki Makaurau wishes to convey their heartfelt gratitude to these amazing leaders, to our Bishop Steve Lowe, the Catholic Caring Foundation and the Auckland Catholic Diocese for all their invaluable contributions and their faithful ongoing support over the past 2 decades.
Once a month, Vinnies Tamaki Makaurau has the awesome opportunity of connecting with all the Vinnies leaders from 16 Catholic Secondary schools. These provide the opportunity to fellowship, pray, reflect and build closer connections. It’s also about growing awareness about well-being, leadership, youth development, supporting our communities, and engaging in service.
As term 2 comes to an end, we focused on this beautiful Maori whakatauki, “Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua”, which translates to “I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past.”
We affirm every young person still pushing forward with the many challenges they face and continuing to live faith in action.
School Service Projects
Throughout term 2, the service projects went underway with schools doing foodbank visitations, cooking at schools and social justice service projects. The St Vincent de Paul team are grateful for the ongoing support from these schools and the service projects they do to help the community.
Central Community Well-Being Programme
What a big term! Many students from 10 different schools attended the Onehunga Foodbank to serve. The session on June 29th had over 80 students attending to help out.
After a long day at school and amidst the rain and the cold, these dedicated students caught buses and trains and negotiated rides to get out to the Vinnies hub in Onehunga from all over Auckland.
A massive thank you to this group of Young Vinnies who took the time to gather, connect, and make a difference in their communities. These students come in week in and week out to serve those in need.
We truly appreciate you all for what you bring to this space.
The beautiful young women from McAuley High School heeded the call of service by cooking hot meals in their local community of Otahuhu.
Thank you for your care, generosity, and commitment to families in the South, especially those experiencing food insecurity and poverty.
It was a lovely time together, full of laughter, conversation, food and hope, which was a great way to end term 2.
A BIG Thank you to our volunteers and South Manager Sue Small, who procured the food and resources for tonight, plus the kai for our volunteers.
Thank you also, Foundation North for the Pacific Waymakers Fund, for enabling our rangatahi to carry out this mahi.
Social Justice with Marcellin
Shoutout to the year 12 class from Marcellin College for serving our community today. They spent their period 5 class hour with us at the food hub to do some service work and see the behind-the-scenes work of what we do here at Vinnies.
Thank you to their teachers, Karen Rodrigues & Craig Franswah, for setting this up and your continuous support.
Baradene Community Well-Being Programme
It was awesome to have all of these wonderful Baradene Vinnies preparing Winter Meals (Chilli Con Carne) to be distributed out to families of some of our elderly whanau needing a bit of TLC and food support during these colder months.
A lot of organisation, time and effort went into planning this project, ensuring that all the right ingredients and resources were procured, and coordinating all the volunteers.
Thank you to all our volunteers, especially our awesome food tech staff, our teacher in charge and student leaders for your mahi and planning.
Understanding the Importance of Kai
Thank you to the Sacred Heart College, Rosmini College and Carmel College students for their efforts this last week. These young students have been discussing the cause and effects of food Insecurity and its impact on a family’s well-being. There are many sad social, physical and psychological impacts.
As part of the service component of their programme, they opted to cook nutritious ready-to-heat meals. Today they cooked plenty of meals to go out to families. One of the leaders expressed that it was a special experience to cook kai and share a deeper sense of purpose and mission.
School Sessions
House vs Home?
The team got to visit the Young Vinnies group at St Dominic’s College to begin unpacking the theme of homelessness. They were tasked with creating different items using the members of their group and were faced with the question: What is the difference between a house and a home? This was the beginning of their exploration into the heart of homelessness.
Why is Food Important?
The Vinnies team had the privilege to talk about Food Insecurity with the St Peter’s boys today.
Some thoughts that were shared were about how vital food is to sustain us not only physically but also mentally. The boys expressed that the activity today was difficult, but it made them reflect on how hard it would be to live with food insecurity.
Thank you to the boys that came through today for being so open and willing to discuss these topics!
They are excited for next term to learn more about homelessness.
Employment Pathways Programmes for Schools
Vinnies are grateful for the partnership with D.I.N.E Academy, St Paul’s College and St Mary’s College to deliver this programme.
Over this last term, we have had students come in on a Tuesday for work experience. This programme aims to provide work experience placement and assist students with acquiring skills to become employment ready. Other components of the programme delivered through the partnership include CV preparation, driver’s licensing, mentoring, and upskilling.
Congratulations to all our graduates from St. Paul’s College. (5 students) St. Mary’s College (5 students)
These students have been working hard throughout this term, and the team really want to affirm them for what they have done.
We wish these students all the best and look forward to having the other schools onsite next term.
Community Achievements
Celebrating St Vincent de Paul’s colleague for his Fashion Show
We wish to congratulate our colleague and Fashion Designer guru Beau Takapu’s fashion show as part of the Pacific Dance Festival 2023 held at the Auckland Museum. Beau Takapu is one of the Triage Officers at the Saint Vincent de Paul Society in Onehunga. Outside work, he runs a fashion business and was a previous contestant on Project Runway. This fashion show was to showcase his new collection, “Forever Grateful.” His collection was stunning.
An awesome crowd of fashion designers, industry leads, friends and family gathered. The faikava ceremony and the singing was exquisite and added another level of beauty and depth to the evening. It was such a special event.
Well done to you, Beau Louis Takapu, your team, and also the coordinators for the Pacific Dance Festival 2023; well done.
SPIRITUALITY AND OUR HEALING
“Let us continue to hear the cry of those hurting because of family violence. Let us rise up and be their comfort and safe haven wherever, whenever, whichever and whatever and whoever.” -Sr Cabrini Makasiale (excerpt from Claiming the Space for Spirituality)
We wish to congratulate the legendary Sr Cabrini Ofa Makasiale on launching her most recent book. Claiming the Space for Spirituality – Pasifika Health and Wellbeing.
We thank and honour Sr Cabrini for her many years of invaluable service to our Pasifika communities, our leaders, our Church and all our younger well-being and mental health practitioners coming through. Much love and respect for you always. Thank you, Catholic Social Services and Cause Collective, for hosting today.
On Saturday, 27th of May, the Secondary Student School Leaders and the University Mentors were recognised and commissioned for their involvement in Vinnies. There were roughly 200 attendees to support and awhi these students and their leadership. The VInnies team want to congratulate all those commissioned this evening, especially their families and school communities, for their invaluable leadership, tautoko and aroha.
Marcellin CollegeSt Mary’s CollegeSt Paul’s College
Central Auckland
Marcellin College, St Mary’s College & St Paul’s College
Liston CollegeSt Dominic’s CollegeMarist College
West Auckland
Liston College, St Dominic’s College & Marist College
De La Salle CollegeMcAuley High SchoolSancta Maria College
South Auckland
De La Salle College, McAuley High School & Sancta Maria College
Baradene CollegeSt Cuthbert’s CollegeSt Peter’s College
Central and East Schools
Baradene College (East), St Cuthbert’s College (East) & St Peter’s College (Central)
Not in Photos
Carmel College (North), Rosmini College (North), Sacred Heart College (East)
Student Leaders Meeting May
AVSSC May 2023
On Monday, the 15th of May, the students had space to develop their leadership skills further. This was the first time this collective caught up since the camp in April. This session was an opportunity to reflect on the experiences from camp, but also, this was a time to delve into the business of the school year and reflect on all their different leadership roles throughout this year.
Many different service projects started up for the year. This included cooking meals at different schools and serving at the Onehunga Foodbank. These sessions have been super successful; seeing the turnout of students eager to serve the community really helps support the mahi that the Foodbank does. The team are excited to see what other service projects the schools come up with this year.
School Sessions
Marcellin CollegeSt Paul’s College
The Vinnies Schools sessions are ramping up, with most schools unpacking the idea of Food Insecurity. This is the biggest issue that Vinnies faces within their mahi. There has been a thorough reflection through each of the schools reflecting on what food insecurity means, but also a chance to reflect on what they can do to help support those who are food insecure
On Saturday, 15th-16th of April, the Annual Vinnies Camp occurred. The theme for this camp was “Trust and Believe.” This camp was a chance to develop their confidence and leadership skills. The Youth Team noticed that these students started to come out of their shells and become more comfortable around each other.
BluetoothRed BullsGreen MachineOuana Bananas
There are so many inspiring and strong leaders in the group this year. The passion and heart they have for their fellow students but also for vulnerable people in the community. The Vinnies team are looking forward to seeing them blossom this year and be able to lead their respective Vinnies groups.
Bluetooth in the Music WorkshopOuana Bananas in the Founders WorkshopGreen Machine in the Music WorkshopRed Bulls competing in Tug of War
School Leaders Session 2: Trust
AVSSC Students 2023
On Monday, April 3rd, the student leaders gathered for their monthly Auckland Vinnies Secondary School Council meeting. The theme of this session was trust. This idea of trust is so vital for these young leaders. It is essential to trust in their fellow leaders, school members and even themselves. As this was the last meeting leading up to camp, this was a good time for the students to become more comfortable with each other in this space. The students unpacked the meaning of trust, what it looks like, and how it feels.
Community Saturdays
Throughout the month of May, Vinnies had different volunteer groups to help support the food bank. This is a continued project the Vinnies Foodbank host throughout the year. Around roughly 40 volunteers would volunteer on our weekends to help support the work through the food bank. The volunteers packed parcels, sanitary items, cooked food, and bagged frozen food this month. The Saint Vincent de Paul team is grateful for the volunteers’ work to serve the community and help these families in need.
Auckland Vinnies Secondary School Council Leaders (AVSSC) 2023
On Tuesday, 21st of March, the Vinnies Youth Team met the AVSSC students for 2023! This was a chance for the students to socialise together, learn a bit more about Vinnies and then have a look into projects each school would like to do this year. The students are super eager to get into this year and see what each school gets up to for their projects!
A big mihi to all our wonderful leaders for saying yes to the call of leadership and service. It was lovely to connect with our leaders and explore what this year entails. The Vinnies team pray a special blessing over these leaders that they may lead in God’s grace, love and faith. May they lead with a servant’s heart
School Programme Underway
With the delay of the flooding and the cyclone in Auckland, The Vinnies school programme got underway! The team visited all our different schools and kicked off the Intro sessions for the year. This was a chance for the schools to learn more about the other members in the group, but also to learn a little bit about the Saint Vincent de Paul Society.
Sacred Heart CollegeRosmini CollegeSt Cuthbert’s CollegeCarmel College
There were thorough discussions within each group as they looked at the year ahead and what projects they envision achieving this year! The Vinnies team are looking forward to journeying with these schools throughout this year and is excited to kick off our food insecurity session next term.
St Peter’s College
Food Support For Families
The demand for food support from families struggling with the high cost of living is increasing again.
More families are having to withdraw their KiwiSaver to make ends meet. More families are also registering to go on to the social housing register.
Thank you to all the volunteers and school students for donating items and for their time to help pack food parcels for the Vinnies drive-thru!
Volunteer Packing Food parcelFood Parcel Packing AislePacking fresh produceBaradene College DonationsSt Ignatius DonationsSancta Maria Donations
Over the last few weeks, the Vinnies Youth Team have been going out and connecting with the Vinnies School Leaders of 2023. It has been a privilege connecting in with all the schools and getting to meet these leaders. This has been a chance to discuss the plan for this year in terms of each school when it comes to the Vinnies Programme. The team are looking forward to seeing their journey throughout this year!
De La Salle College 2023McAuley High School 2023St Mary’s College 2023Carmel College 2023St Peter’s College 2023St Dominic’s College 2023Liston College 2023Sacred Heart College 2023
VINNIES NEWS 