Kerrie | Whitford
“Really simply, I just came from a school (Manurewa High School), and just now talking with people who go above and beyond what’s required.
When you ask a simple question, they take it a little bit further and make sure that they resolve things. So, to me, you know, that’s kindness.
I work with Halberg Disability Sport, and we’re running a leadership program, and I went down just to check that it’s okay for the students to come and participate in our leadership wānanga. The staff in there went over and above, beyond, just ensuring that I got what I needed, even though a number of the staff were away that I needed to connect to. They made sure that I had the right information so that I could go away and do what needed to be done.
There have been a number of things, simple things. I’ve left groceries at the supermarket, in the trolley, you know how you pack up and load your trolley, and you’ve gone, oh no I’ve left something in there, and sort of thought, oh no-one’s going to have handed it in. I’ve rung the supermarket and said, oh look, well not really expecting it, but has somebody handed in an item? And, they have said yes.
Something that I did one day; I saw a young mum with three young children, buying a small amount of groceries, and she went to go and pay and she’d left her wallet in the car, and I was next in line, so I just sort of paid for her groceries, and just walked out. That’s something that I’ve done.
I didn’t look for them again either, or expect any sort of response. I just rest in the knowledge that I was able to at that time, and hopefully in some other time for her, she might you know, have an opportunity to do a similar thing.
What I value is my culture, I’m Māori and I grew up in South Auckland. I’ve lived from Central Auckland through to South Auckland. I value pretty much what you’re asking me about, you know? Kindness breeds kindness. The more you give out, the more you get back. It’s a real symbiotic relationship, reciprocity relationship where you do good and hopefully, without any expectation, that people will respond similarly.
What you give out, you get back. That’s what I believe. If you go in open and willing to seek solutions, people are more prone to help feed off that. Energy is, it’s – it connects like, you know, magnets. If you go in with a negative attitude you’ll probably get a negative response. Similarly, if you go in with a positive, you tend to draw a more positive reaction.”
