Rā Dallas, the whānau community champion for Te Whenua Hou sees himself as the conduit between a large farming community in North Canterbury and the wider region, and he is excited about the potential his role has for building on Whanau Ora values. “We have a community of close to one hundred people now, spread across seven operational dairy farms and five grazing farms and that’s expected to grow. As in any new community, there are people living just 60 metres apart, who don’t even know each other – that’s where I come in,” says Rā. “I’m working hard to create a community environment where our people feel more socially connected, so that they can feel comfortable about knocking on their neighbour’s door for a chat, a cup of tea, or for help.” Funded by Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu through the Whenua Kura agricultural training programme, the whānau community … Continue reading Building community relationships