Family Service Centre Team

Family Service Centres Manager

Deepika Sarmah

[email protected]

Papakura Family Service Centre & Early Learning Centre

Address

Physical: 14 Maurice Street, Papakura, Auckland

Postal: PO BOX 72499, Papakura

Phone

09 299 6610

Email

[email protected]

Opening Hours

Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm

Starsim Simeki

Social Services Team Leader
Papakura

Amanda Ridge

Lead Professional Papakura

Sophie Sheffield

Counsellor Papakura

John Samman

SWiS Social Worker Papakura

Alesha Verheyen

SWiS Social Worker Papakura

William Chiyesu

SWiS Social Worker Papakura

Allwin Shaji

SWiS Social Worker Papakura

Erin Lamont

HIPPY Coordinator Papakura

Crystal Robinson

HIPPY tutor Papakura

Maria Tuia-Pemerika

Early Learning Centre
Team Leader

Zowie Elkington

Early Learning Centre
Teacher

Amanda Reid

Administrator

Takanini Family Service Centre

Address

8 Oakleigh Avenue, Takanini

Phone

09 974 4719

Email

[email protected]

Opening Hours

Monday to Friday, 8.30am - 4.30pm

Kiriweti Nelson-Simeki

Kaimahi/Community Social Worker Takanini

TBC

Lead Professional Takanini

Sheryl Stacey

Counsellor Takanini

Glenda Dudley

HIPPY Coordinator Takanini

Yoyo Zhu

HIPPY Tutor Takanini

Jalpa Bhatt

HIPPY Tutor Takanini

Swetha Pothunuru

Playgroup Coordinator Takanini

Kyla Scott

Administrator

Latest

Marissa's Story: "HIPPY gave me confidence"

Marissa was 18 when she had her first baby. Shy and lacking confidence, she thought her working life was over. Until she started her son on the HIPPY programme and her confidence began to grow...
Garden Vision: ‘Growing for Good’ at ELC

Papakura Early Learning Centre’s Team Leader has a vision for transforming the centre's unused outdoor spaces into an edible garden, with a worm farm, composting and recycling system to teach the children sustainability...
Creating Connections in Kaikohe - with DIY Deodorant

Group meetings – or ‘whānau hui’ – are an important part of HIPPY, helping build connections and combat isolation. Kaikohe Coordinator, Emily Rogers, recently took her HIPPY whānau to a local drop-in centre/pregnancy hub and did a very cool enrichment activity making DIY deodorant...
Our Learning Plan

Our Early Learning Centre offers a curriculum based on Te Whariki. Each child is welcomed for who they are. Our staff are skilful at settling and working alongside children, following their play ideas. Whānau experience respectful relationships with kind and caring teachers who value their children.

Garden Vision: ‘Growing for Good’ at ELC

Papakura Early Learning Centre’s Team Leader has a vision for transforming the centre's unused outdoor spaces into an edible garden, with a worm farm, composting and recycling system to teach the children sustainability...
Covid 19: Social Services Responding to Families in Crisis

Since the Covid crisis began, the Family Service Centre teams have been busier than ever, trying to keep up with demand. The stress of lockdowns on families means that people who had never before been on the radar of social services started asking for help...
Meeting the Community’s Needs Together

Family Service Centre teams recently invited stakeholders from the community come for morning tea, in order to thank our supporters and to build on relationships going into a new year...
What's New at FSC Papakura for 2021?

As we start off the brand new year at Papakura Family Service centre, there are some fresh new faces in the team, as well as new paint and signage at the Centre...
A Very Whanau Christmas

Christmas is nearly upon us, so we asked a few members of our Family Service Centres team to share the way their whanau celebrates the season…
More Than Just a Language Class

For many immigrants arriving in New Zealand whose English is limited or non-existent, life can be confusing, overwhelming – and lonely. Takanini Family Service Centre partners with MIT to host an English course to help make a difference in the lives of new Kiwis...
SWiS: Speaking the Lingo in Papakura Schools

Papakura Family Service Centre's enthusiastic Social Workers in Schools (SWiS) team work in five Papakura schools, offering support and assistance to the schools’ children and families who are increasingly facing significant challenges in this community.
Cabin Crew to Community Counsellor

Air New Zealand has had to make more than 6500 staff redundant in the wake of coronavirus and one former flight attendant has found her way to our Great Potentials team. Meet Fiona - our new Lead Professional with the Children’s Team at our Family Service Centres...
Connections that Change Lives

Our Family Service Centres are on the ground in communities, making connections. We offer a hand up along the way, giving people the support and tools they need to meet their own goals and find solutions to their problems...
Family Resources

Parenting resource videos for families

Accessibility
HIPPY Programme

HIPPY is a home-based Early Learning programme that helps parents from disadvantaged communities lay the foundation for their children’s success in school and later life...
Making Ice Cream, Shaping Lives

Through play children solve problems, test out ideas and explore their imaginations. HIPPY helps parents create a fun learning environment at home where creativity is unleashed, bodies get moving and children develop a life-long love of learning...
Garden Vision: ‘Growing for Good’ at ELC

Papakura Early Learning Centre’s Team Leader has a vision for transforming the centre's unused outdoor spaces into an edible garden, with a worm farm, composting and recycling system to teach the children sustainability...
Family Service Centres

Our Family Service Centres assist the community with housing, food, health care, employment support and wellbeing services as well as offering early learning services, parenting programmes, playgroups, social workers in schools, counselling and more...
Auckland is at Level 3 again

The Government has just announced our third Covid lockdown here in Auckland - initially for three days. We will keep the website updated, along with our Facebook pages. Our Auckland sites are closed but our staff are working from home to continue to support our families and programmes.
Making a Difference: Girl With Cake Project

Maiyah, a former "HIPPY child", is an 8-year-old girl from Hornby in Christchurch. Since she was five years old, Maiyah has been baking and selling cupcakes to raise money to help the homeless in her city. She’s just a young girl, but she’s making a huge difference...
MATES Programme

MATES Mentoring and Tutoring programme addresses the underachievement in education of disadvantaged youth in New Zealand, intervening at key transition points to create pathways for success...
Privacy Policy

PRIVACY POLICY: This policy explains how and when greatpotentials.org.nz (the ‘site’) collects personal information, what we do with it and your right to see or change it. The Foundation complies with the Privacy Act and the associated Privacy principles. We don't use, share or transfer personal information in connection with the site except as set out in this policy, or as otherwise set out somewhere on the site (including in terms linking to the site).
We Are Open (again) at Level 2

The Government has announced that Auckland is moving to Alert Level 2 from 6am Sunday. This means that from Monday 8 March our office, Takanini Family Service Centre, Papakura Family Service Centre and Papakura Early Learning Centre will be open as normal, with Level 2 protocols in place.

Family Service Centres Manager

Deepika Sarmah

Address

Phone

Email

Opening Hours

Starsim Simeki

Social Services Team Leader Papakura

Amanda Ridge

Lead Professional Papakura

Sophie Sheffield

Counsellor Papakura

John Samman

SWiS Social Worker Papakura

Alesha Verheyen

SWiS Social Worker Papakura

William Chiyesu

SWiS Social Worker Papakura

Allwin Shaji

SWiS Social Worker Papakura

Erin Lamont

HIPPY Coordinator Papakura

Crystal Robinson

HIPPY tutor Papakura

Maria Tuia-Pemerika

Early Learning CentreTeam Leader

Zowie Elkington

Early Learning Centre Teacher

Amanda Reid

Administrator

Address

Phone

Email

Opening Hours

Kiriweti Nelson-Simeki

Kaimahi/Community Social Worker Takanini

TBC

Lead Professional Takanini

Sheryl Stacey

Counsellor Takanini

Glenda Dudley

HIPPY Coordinator Takanini

Yoyo Zhu

HIPPY Tutor Takanini

Jalpa Bhatt

HIPPY Tutor Takanini

Swetha Pothunuru

Playgroup Coordinator Takanini

Kyla Scott

Administrator

Social Services Team Leader
Papakura

Early Learning Centre
Team Leader

Early Learning Centre
Teacher