On 4 July 2024, Barnardos Aotearoa proudly celebrates 55 years of putting tamariki, whānau, and communities first.

Since our inception in 1969, Barnardos Aotearoa has supported over 500,000 tamariki, rangatahi, and caregivers through a wide range of social services, early learning and care services, shaping brighter futures from Invercargill to Whangārei. In addition, over the years, our 0800 What’s Up helpline has answered more than 1.6 million phone calls and 29,000 online chats, providing critical support to children and young people in need.

From our humble beginnings at 33 Cape Road, Māngere, Tāmaki Makaurau where we started with a childcare facility, social workers on site, and housing for single mothers and their children, we have grown into a nationwide organisation, providing more than 22 different services around Aotearoa.

“Our commitment to thriving tamariki, whānau, and communities remains at the heart of everything we do,” says Matt Reid, Barnardos Aotearoa Chief Executive.

“On Barnardos Day, we extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has made our mahi possible over the last 55 years. From our dedicated staff and partners to our funders, donors, and supporters, and the tamariki, rangatahi, and whānau we work with across the motu, your contributions have been invaluable.”

Today, our mahi across social services, early learning services, and advocacy for children’s rights and wellbeing contributes to Barnardos’ vision of ‘an Aotearoa where every child shines bright’.

From the start, the goal for the Māngere centre was to address the challenges of the local community, provide barrier free access to education, and ensure families received the help they needed, when they needed it, and in a way that suited them. Today, this commitment remains the same across our services around Aotearoa.

Whether it’s providing fee exemptions for whānau enrolled in our early learning services to support attendance when families need us most, integrating social workers into our early learning centres to support whānau, offering specialist group homes for youth, delivering wraparound support to families, advocating for tamariki or operating the only helpline dedicated to children and young people, Barnardos Aotearoa has been putting tamariki, rangatahi, and their whānau first for 55 years.

“As we celebrate this milestone, we reaffirm our dedication to this mahi, knowing that we will continue to serve tamariki, rangatahi, and whānau for as long as we are needed.”

© Scoop Media