New Pathways for Former Refugees
How² remake your home in a country that you are unfamiliar with?
How² settle in Aotearoa and contribute to society when your credibility was stripped away while you were on the run?
HOW² Te Ako Charitable Trust shows the ways to the former refugees in Palmerston North and beyond how to live healthily and meaningfully in this new country they called home.
At HOW², our mission is to support former refugees and ethnic communities, focusing on health, education, and community connection. Over the last few months, we have been busy with a range of programmes and initiatives to help our community thrive.
One of our biggest focuses has been health and wellbeing. Through our Health Navigation programme, supported by Te Whatu Ora, we have employed multilingual health navigators who are also former refugees. They help new arrivals settle in, guiding them through the health system, and ensuring they can access services smoothly. We are expecting more families to arrive over the next year, and our team is ready to support them.
Our cardio clinic has been a big success too. With heart health issues being common in our community, we’ve made it easy for people to get tests like ECGs and echocardiograms. This is part of our push to bring vital health services closer to those who need them most, cutting wait times and providing quality care.
Housing has also been a major area of focus. We have received many referrals about how poor housing is affecting the health of children, and we have acted quickly. Our team has visited homes, worked closely with Healthy Homes MidCentral, and provided education on keeping homes safe and healthy. We have even made videos in different languages to make sure everyone gets the message.
Education and community are at the heart of what we do. We run the Community Learning Hub with the Ministry of Education, offering sessions to help new families understand New Zealand’s school system. Over 30 refugee, internally displaced person, migrant, and asylum seeker (RIMA) families have taken part, and we are proud to be supporting them on their journey. We also run play groups for RIMA families with neurodiverse children aged 5-10, providing them a fun space to connect.
Our art programme has also been hugely popular, helping participants discover their talents, gain confidence, and showcase their work through exhibitions as part of the Manawatu Art Trail. Art is more than creativity – it is a way for people to express themselves and connect with others. Beyond this, we run sewing classes where beginners learn to create their own garments, and chair yoga sessions to help those with mobility issues. For our elders, we have created the ‘Aged to Perfection’ project, offering social outings and activities to improve physical and mental health.
Looking ahead, we aim to employ our volunteer doctor to provide one-on-one health education, which will help families manage their health and well-being better. We want to create a model of care that is tailored to the needs of our community, based on our experiences and the trust we have built over time. We will continue our workshops, health education, and all our programmes, keeping our focus on health, and wellness, and helping everyone feel part of a vibrant, supportive community.
Codie Springer, Information Systems & Branding Advisor, HOW².
