5 mins with Andi Stockman
Kia ora Andi, please tell me about who you are and what you do?
My name is Andi Stockman. I’m a Mum, Nani, auntie, cousin, friend and a Kaimahi here at Kirikiriroa Family Services Trust in Hamilton. I’ve been here for 20 years and my mahi is working out in the community with families who have tamariki under the age of five. Our programme is voluntary and I walk alongside whānau for as long as they will have me. The Whanau identify their needs/goals and then it’s my mahi to help them reach their goals.
What inspires you in your day-to-day mahi?
It’s the tamariki that I work for and with. My one aim in life is to improve their lives to help make things better for them. It could be anything that’s going to help parent education, advocacy with Work and Income. We’re a great linking service – we link to other services in the community.
What’s your biggest challenge professionally?
Funding cuts are the biggest challenges because of the flow on effect it has on resources. But on one hand those limitations make us think of other things we can use. If we haven’t got the money for this, you just have to fall back on what you can do and reach out to your network – be resourceful. We are nothing without our networks. Having good relationships with other services – like Barnardo’s for parenting courses or the St Vinnie’s food bank for example – is so important. We need our networks.
What’s your greatest joy professionally?
Well, just seeing how tamariki thrive. Seeing the happiness on their faces. Sometimes when I’m sitting on the floor with a kid and we’re getting messy or reading or singing – I can’t believe I’m getting paid for this! I’m really thankful.
Sometimes you hear back from whānau on how their tamariki are going, but some of it you never hear. Recently, somebody came in to apply for a job at Kirikiriroa and she told my colleague that she was a social worker now, because of me. I was her worker years ago. That’s pretty special to know that. It’s good to know I’ve done my mahi well. I’ve made an impact.
In this election year, what is one thing that politicians could do that would make a difference to the tamariki you work with?
They need to come out with us for a week, visiting homes, listening to people’s stories to try and get an understanding of how hard it is out there. They need to really look at our Tamariki and Whanau; really know they are there and really care about them. They sit in Parliament and make all these decisions, but they don’t really know how it affects our kids or our whānau. And the most important things in the world are our tamariki and our whānau. That’s what I’d like them to see.
What brings you joy working in a Kaupapa Māori organisation?
I’ve worked in different types of organisations, and Kaupapa Māori is different. We’re professional. We get the job done, but sometimes we are able to do it a different way. For example, if somebody needs a house blessed, then we can talk to our kaumatua who can arrange that for us. And it’s not questioned. Nobody laughs at me for asking for that. I don’t have to explain how it will make a difference for whānau, because our organisation just knows that it will. I also love the Karakia, the Waiata and the Kapa Haka
