Shirley | Papakura
“Oh lordies. Probably in my line of work it’s, I don’t really see it as making someone feel special. It’s kind of part of who I am really.
If it, if it makes them feel special, it’s kind of a bonus, but I say, oh goodness, when did I make someone feel special, probably last night. My daughter was at the APPA Principals Schools’ concert at the Auckland Town Centre. So, probably watching all the tamariki there, and her seeing me out in the stands probably made her feel really cool.
Whanaungatanga; it’s, I think, it’s probably not so much about making them feel special. For me, it would probably be making them feel needed, and that they’re, that they’re valuable to their friends and families. So, it’s just making them know that they’re needed.
I grew up here in Papakura. What’s really important to me is not just my family, but my extended family. I work for Kids Count, ECE. So I have a couple of hundred tamariki. My background is more community work. I referee; I’m a national referee, basketball referee. I’m involved in softball. I have a sports background. I just like to get involved in anything I can that involves families and tamariki.
Oh my lord, I could probably be here all day. Our tamariki are our future. I just, oh lordies. I kind of get quite emotional about my role at Kids Count, working with the wellbeing and the whānau. Working mainly with the whānau to help with our tamariki. They deserve the opportunity. They deserve, every child deserves the right to an education, just to live, really and I feel that a lot of our tamariki don’t get that opportunity.
