Upper Hutt Team Expansion

Since 2023, I Have a Dream has been operating in Upper Hutt in partnership with 4 A Better City Hutt Valley, with Maima Stanley serving as the sole Navigator based at Te Kura o Hau Karetu.

This year, two additional Navigators, Numalani Fonoti and Henry Malo, were appointed to significantly enhance the team’s capacity to provide the programme to five year groups and support taitamariki and their whānau in the area. 

“It’s awesome having two new Navigators,” said Maima, who is currently with the Year 4-5 year group. “We’re looking forward to raising achievements and nurturing future leaders.”

To facilitate their integration into the programme, the team travelled to Whangārei in late March for a week-long wānanga (conference). During this visit, they shadowed local Navigators and participated in shared ako (learning) sessions to deepen their understanding of programme delivery. This experience also provided a meaningful opportunity to build whakawhanaungatanga (relationships) and strengthen team cohesion.

Numalani (pictured left), who is working with Year 1 Dreamers, brings a diverse background to her mahi that includes programme and project coordination and frontline roles across the not for profit, education and government sector. Largely guided by a strong belief in grassroots development, her early experiences have affirmed the power of this kaupapa.

“There’s a Samoan alagā’upu or whakataukī that goes, ‘A malu i fale, e malu i fafo.’ It means that if you are safe within your home and within yourself, you are safe everywhere you go. It speaks to the importance of the feeling of safety in the development of a person’s sense of self, worth, confidence and how they go on to perceive and experience the world. I feel so incredibly privileged to be able to get to know our tamariki and create and be a safe space that encourages them to grow, dream and achieve.”

Henry (pictured on the bike below) is working with Year 2–3 Dreamers and draws on his extensive experience in mental health and addictions, as well as his upbringing in a low socioeconomic area and the challenges of poverty to enrich his mahi.

“It’s not difficult to empathise with many of the Dreamers I’ve met. They come from spaces I’m familiar with,” he explained.

“Having my own experience with mental health struggles and barriers to success in life from lack of support gave me the willingness to want to see the best in others, so to be a part of a kid’s journey to see their full potential was a no brainer and gives me a sense of pride. 

“I am optimistic, enthusiastic and excited to see where this journey of supporting growth within Dreamers leads, as well as seeing the growth of, I Have a Dream. I believe a service like I Have a Dream should be in every school.”

This expansion of the team marks a significant step in our vision to extend the I Have a Dream programme to communities throughout Aotearoa.

Explore the milestones, stories, and impact highlights from the past year in our 2024 Annual Report.