Build Up

This morning S and I took daughter C and her boys to a building site. A rather special building site. On Council land in South Auckland, a group calling itself “Build Up” is in the process of constructing a small dwelling designed by daughter J, one of the founders of the group. The purpose is to provide low cost emergency housing of appropriate quality to achieve at least some of the aims written by supporters on the boards provided for that purpose.

They started yesterday, and this is how far they had got by not long after 1100 this morning. Because it is an official building site we had to be signed in and accompanied by the site manager (J) until we exited the “fenced” area. Also, we wore high viz vests and helmets. The boys were very impressed by that!

I have included two extras, of two of the boards acting partly as barriers to ensure safety is maintained, and partly as somewhere for people to make comments. The first one began as a statement of who the group is, along with their aims. Words have been added; in Te Reo (the Maori language).

The top offering is “Manaaki te tangata” which means to care for and protect the people. Below that is “Tautoko whanau”, meaning to support the family. And below that is “He aha te mea nui o tenei ao”; What is the most important thing in the world? "He tangata, he tangata, he tangata" It is the people; it is the people; it is the people.

On the other side of the central statement, someone has written a poem the lyrics of a song (previously unknown to me), slightly modified. It touches a real chord for me, and I have written it out, it as it will not be easily read from the photo.

You raised me up
So I can walk on
Mountains

You raised me up to walk on
Stormy seas

I am strong when I am on
Your shoulders

You raised me up to be all
that I can be

The second extra invited people to write what “home” means to them. Offerings included that A home is: “Where your heart is — + coffee.”
Home means family/whanau; security; health; dignity. It is seen as the “foundation for a community”. Another contributor described home as “to be safe, loved, cared for”. Another mentioned being valued, respected.

That so many people in our country have either no home, or no stability of home is indefensible for a country that claims to care for our citizens. And it is no wonder that the homeless have worse mental and physical health, when one reads the value ordinary peopl place on having somewhere to call HOME.

Well Done “Build Up”

(I have edited my entry, which initially displayed my ignorance of a "well known song")