Support services in the Taranaki Region
Nau mai – haere mai – welcome. This is a locally-maintained list of wellbeing / support services in Taranaki.
Spotted an out-of-date entry, or an organisation which is missing? Please drop us an email to let us know, and we’ll sort it! Thank you:)
You can select a category below, on the left; or search for a keyword, or just browse the full directory.
Mā tōu rou, mā taku rourou ka ora te iwi – With your food basket and my food basket the people will thrive.
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In Taranaki our skilled and experienced staff provide a range of services and programmes that are tailored to suit the challenges of families in the region – with a primary focus on care and well-being of our children and their families.
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Big Brothers Big Sisters offer the following services:
- Mentoring Programmes
- Mentor Training
- One on one Mentoring
- School-Based Mentoring
- School-Based Teen Mentoring
- Community-Based Mentoring
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We’re here because we believe every child has the right to reach their full potential, and we believe that Conductive Education can empower kids with disabilities to achieve it. We welcome you, your child, and everyone who supports them, to our community. We’re passionate about creating local opportunities for tāngata whaikaha (people with disabilities) to flourish, and proud to have an incredible community of supporters alongside us. Together, we’re helping to make Taranaki a more inclusive, empowered, supportive community. There is no “entry criteria” to our service; we’ll simply meet for a chat to find out whether Conductive Education is right for you. Please get in touch with us if you have any questions.
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Flourish is here to offer authentic professional development for any parent who puts their hand up to learn how to make the parenting rollercoaster as enjoyable as possible, regardless of where they begin their ride.
Flourish provides a hub to connect parents and social service providers. A physical venue that is designed to host parenting programmes, meet-ups, chats, and kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face) support.
A digital platform designed to provide resources, connections and communication.
A coordination role to keep the programmes flowing, parents informed, funding requests managed and a friendly face when parents call in.
Our vision is to build a resilient community who flourish together through support, growth, connection and play.
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is woven throughout our programme.
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How can a Kaiārahi help you?
A Family Court Kaiārahi can help you:
- Understand the language, processes and outcomes of Family Court proceedings
- Where appropriate, access out-of-court services and support in the community to help you reach agreement about the care of your children
- Remain engaged and involved in any Family Court proceedings by working to address any barriers that are preventing you from participating
- With your agreement, connect you with other agencies and services in the community to support you as needed.
The Kaiārahi are a free service, but they do not give legal advice.
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New Plymouth Community Foodbank has been providing food assistance to members of the New Plymouth community for over 20 years.
We utilise the time and skill of volunteers to pack food parcels based on individual need and circumstance to help alleviate food insecurity.
Donations of food, household consumables and money come from the community to provide a service for the community by the community.
Support is provided directly to people in need and thru referrals from other social service providers – call, email or contact us thru Facebook, we are open Monday, Wednesday and Friday
– closed all public holidays.
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We work and support whānau holistically. Tinana, whanau, hinengaro & wairua. We help whanau and/or individuals to develop a plan going forward and support them in achieving it. We work with Taiohi to Kaumatua.
You don’t have to be of Ngati Ruanui to enrol for our services. We provide budgeting support, a kaumatua group, a men’s group, child dental support and bowel screening education and support. We have connections to schools, kohanga reo, marae and employers within our community. We work with other community services that support whānau as well. Kia ora.
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Open Home Foundation is a community social work agency whose Social Work Kaupapa reflects commitment to working collaboratively with families and whānau in a strengths based and culturally appropriate way that prioritizes child safety and promotes family well-being/whānau mauri ora. Referrals can be made to OHF by Oranga Tamariki, other community agencies, schools and people in the community by contacting the office.
The Vision of OHF is for every child and young person growing up in a secure, loving family and receiving a depth of care that will bless them throughout their life.
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- Kia ora! RainbowYOUTH is a national charity with folk working here in Taranaki too, we work with queer, intersex, takatāpui and gender diverse rangatahi between the ages of 13 – 27, their whānau and communities.
- We provide 1:1 peer support where we work alongside rangatahi to set intentions and goals then help them take steps to achieve them utilizing their strengths.
- We have a drop in centre for our rangatahi to come by, use our community wardrobe, play games and meet new folk.
- We run events in the community, from craft sessions to camps!
If you have any questions please email us! And if you want to access 1:1 peer support please use the referral link on our website – ry.org.nz/get-support
If you have any questions please email us! And if you want to access 1:1 peer support please use the referral link on our website – ry.org.nz/get-support
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STWC provide a safe, supportive, friendly environment for Families and Whanau.
We provide all our programmes free, please contact us for further information.
We also have rooms available for casual rates, Monday to Sunday, day or evening
Free Programmes we provide:
Parenting, Positive Relationships, Women’s Self Confidence, Teen Self Confidence, Raising Complex Kids, Grandparents/Whanau Caring For Children, Counselling/Kaitautoko Support.
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We provide community legal services throughout the Taranaki rohe.
Our phones are answered Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 5pm
Waitara service
Waitara Library
15 Queen Street
New Plymouth Office
Level 1 Vero House
10-12 Devon St East
Stratford Service
Stratford Community House
52 Juliet Street
Hawera Service
Whanau Centre
56 Disraeli Street
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A full range of social work and counselling services aimed toward building strong families/whanau that learn, grow and thrive.
Location :Taranaki and National
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Kia ora; Taranaki Retreat offers a ‘Space to Breathe’ for individuals or whānau going through tough times – people helping people; alongside-you holistic peer-support, connected up and working hand-in-hand with our clinical services – each of us doing our bit to make sure that you are heard and cared for.
People reach out, or when that is too hard, friends/whānau members and other caring services get in touch with us every single day to get some support rolling. That’s what we’re here for. We offer a Support Hub (Waimanako;/The Hope Centre) and a peaceful Time Out space in the country.
Waimanako is a “safe space” in New Plymouth CBD (33 Devon Street West) with an awesome Kai for Koha cafe, a Creative Hub and many workshops and support groups. We’re open every day except Sundays and Public Holidays, 10am-9pm. Listening Ear support is always available – you don’t need an appointment.
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Taranaki Young People’s Trust offers up to date information, advocacy, referrals, education, counselling, and support, for the well-being of young people and their families/whanau.
It is safe, culturally sensitive, non-judgemental place where Youth and their whanau can make positive and healthy changes to their lives. Our dedicated, professional team can mentor, support, and advocate for you. We also run educational workshops, these range from Stopping violence, Grief and Suicide, Personal Awareness, Stress Management, Health and Personal Hygiene to Learner Licence Workshops.
We have two trained counsellors and social workers on site. YPT has also run a successful Alternative Education Programme for the past 18 years. The YPT has been in the community for over 29 years offering a safe, effective service to anyone in our community.
Our target age is 10–25-year-olds and their families but no-one is ever turned away. We have an open-door policy – so no appointment needed. If you are another service
Flick us an email and we can email you a referral form. Anyone can give us a call on the numbers above.
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Tui Ora Youth Service, support, mentor, advocate Taiohi aged between 16 to 20 years old to achieve their goals and aspirations. We have been helping Taiohi in Taranaki since 2012 and are fully funded by the Ministry of Social Development.
We support taiohi who are in receipt of benefits as well as NEETs (Not in Education Employment or training) and don’t receive any govt funding, from a variety of backgrounds and who may present with different barriers and need the support to find ways through the barriers to help them achieve and become empowered.
You do not need to have an appointment or need to complete a referral form to come meet with us. You can be a teacher, a parent, a Taiohi (young person) or a friend. We will be more than happy to listen to what the need/s are and work alongside the young person to find ways to help meet the need/s without judgement but with passion to help.
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Whānau Āwhina Plunket is a national not-for-profit organisation and New Zealand’s largest provider of support services for the development, health and wellbeing of tamariki and whānau. Plunket offers free health and development checks, a 24/7 parenting helpline, Plunketline which is available to all whānau, and a range of local services. We also offer support services to help you connect with other whānau in your community and empower you in your role as a parent or caregiver. Please check out our website for a full list of services and a range of information around child development, being a parent, caring for your child and child health concerns: http://www.plunket.org.nz – you do not need data on your phone to access our website.
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Zeal is an Inclusive spaces & opportunities for young people in Taranaki. We cater for young people 13-18 Years old.We believe every young New Zealander deserves to belong, to be accepted on their terms, and to have a real shot to thrive. Zeal is an Aotearoa youth organisation providing safe, inclusive local and online spaces – where you can explore and flex your strengths through affordable programmes and workshops, and make lifelong friendships at creative showcases and events.
