Donyale | Māngere

“Hi, my name is Donyale and I call home, in Auckland, Māngere. Kind, it happens everywhere in South Auckland, especially with our elderly. Just last week, my granddad, who doesn’t really understand English or understand how Council works, needed to pay his rates.

So, he came in, and I helped him, and then our lovely ladies at reception asked if he had applied for his rates rebates, which not many of our elderly people know about. So, it’s pretty much help from the Government to help pay for their rates. So a kind act like that actually helped my granddad understand that there is help out there and that he doesn’t need to pay for his rates alone. The lovely ladies at reception explained how expensive rates are, and they are expensive, but if he understood how the rates rebate works, then he could get some help, as well. So that was one kind act that I’ve experienced.

So, I grew up in Māngere. Born and bred in Māngere. I attended high school in Māngere, as well, from primary to now. Currently still living in Māngere. One thing I value in life is family. Because family is so important. I know that there are a lot of people out there who don’t have family living where they are, and family is one thing that I value because love at home is where everything starts, and then once you’re out in the big world, you can then start your own family, holding onto those values that you learned from home. Family is one valuable thing to me.

Generosity goes a long way. When you show a kind act, you don’t know what someone else is going through. Even just a genuine smile goes a long way. The reason why I believe that generosity goes a long way, is because growing up, I didn’t really understand what a kind act was, but the values that I learned at home, really helped me understand that. In our community, there are a lot of different people. We are a diverse community, and when you show kindness or when you offer your service to someone, it does go a long way. It could actually save them from doing something they shouldn’t be doing. It could brighten up their day. It just goes a long way. Just show generosity every day.”