Walking with whānau for a better future

Fraser Kearse is one of several chaplains who whakapapa Māori with Te Ope Whakaora, but he’d like to see a few more joining the ranks.

“Absolutely more chaplains are needed,” he says.

“We have nowhere near enough and I think it’s a growing area for the Salvation Army and just in society in general.”

Fraser (Ngāti Ranginui) says no two days are the same in his role as Chaplain and Mission Support Officer for SASH (Salvation Army Social Housing), based at Royal Oak and working across different housing communities in Tāmaki Makaurau.

“Every week, every day, I never know what’s going to happen. I might be going to court, supporting someone there, or hospital, or I could be sitting down having a kōrero with someone who’s fighting addiction and looking at how they can connect with others to support them,” he says.

Fraser uses Te Whare Tapa Whā – the health and wellbeing model developed by Tā Mason Durie in 1984 – as a key way of working with whānau.

“Whether it’s hinengaro, wairua or tinana or in their whanaunga, I get to walk alongside our whānau in SASH housing.”

He says the skills required of a chaplain include empathy, being a good listener and knowing the limits of your own skills.

“Your faith is going to be critical to you as well, but it’s about acceptance. Being a chaplain’s not about converting a person and seeing them accept the Christian faith. It’s about acknowledging a person and whatever faith or whatever their belief structure might be and encouraging them in that,” he says.

“So if they’ve got connections in the Muslim faith, then it’s about joining with them and supporting them as they reconnect. You’ve got to be accepting of people for who they are but you’ve got to be aware of the boundaries and know when you’re stepping outside of your area of expertise, and then connecting people into other support.”

He says it can he a hugely satisfying role.

“When you see people growing and making changes that work for them and their whānau and taking steps forward, you get a deep sense of satisfaction. When you see a person and the light bulb switches on and they’ve changed something in the way that they’re living and they’re living better, it’s a wonderful feeling,” he says.

“But it comes with a lot of heartbreak too. There’s times when I’ve literally stood in front of whānau with tears coming down my face as I’m saying, look at what you’re doing in your life, it’s destroying you. There’s another way, a way of life, and that’s about embracing the good that’s offered, fighting and holding on to that good stuff.”

He says people living in SASH housing are treated as whānau rather than tenants and that makes a huge difference.

“In SASH housing we have a byline that says housing with a heart, and that’s the thing that sets us apart. So whether it’s our tenancy team or our chaplain pastoral care team, we’re walking with whānau, we’ve been with whānau and that changes your whole attitude because then it’s about whanaungatanga and wanting the best for everyone.”

Fraser’s involvement with Te Ope Whakaora goes back decades.

“Church has always been a part of my life. I first got involved in the Salvation Army world when I was about 18, 19, took a bit of a detour in my 20s, came back in my 30s and been in it ever since,” he says.

His connection came about when he was working in a Whakatane supermarket.

“I was working at New World and a guy started there who was a bit of an interesting looking character, tattoos all over him. We sort of got to know each other and it turned out he’d come up from Invercargill to get away from the gang life and he was going to the Salvation Army. He invited  me along and I started going to a Youth Life group and sort of having a look at the Sunday stuff, not really that hard out. But as it happens, you build connections, and next minute you’re part of the whānau.”

He says SASH recognises the importance of working with iwi and helping whānau find their place.

“We’re slowly building that up. We’ve got some good connections, with Tainui in particular. Whānau that live in the whare we provide, it’s not just us that work with them, but we want to join with iwi in that rohe and try to connect people and build connections to their own iwi.”

Fraser and his whānau came to the first Te Tai Hono kapa haka wānanga at the Manurewa Corps in early July and says it’s something that’s been missing in Te Ope Whakaora.

“This gives me hope that we’ll see that come back. Seeing that grow and develop and seeing people – whether they’re tangata whenua or people from other nationalities – getting involved and not just being the person that receives the assistance, but turning and growing and then being a part of helping others, that’s a real joy.”