Otago Community Trust announced the grant of $454,000 this week, which will be overseen by a soon-to-be-established new trust under the guidance of the South Otago Principals’ Association.
Association chairwoman Anneta Payne, principal of Kaitangata Primary School, said she and fellow principals had been "hugely relieved" to hear of the grant, which would allow "sustainable" counselling services to be established for the district’s schools.
"We’re seeing increasing amounts of anxiety, neurodiversity, not coping and children exposed to family violence, and principals and teachers are simply not trained or equipped to deal with the issues presenting.
"There have been effective services locally like Chatbus and Hearing You, but the continual insecurity of funding running out has made sustainable forward planning or expansion impossible. This grant changes that."
Mrs Payne praised the efforts of principals within the Big River Kāhui Ako in securing the funding.
The Kāhui Ako is a collaborative cluster of 12 schools throughout South Otago, serving about 1200 pupils in rural and isolated communities, where many families have limited access to mental health services.
Since 2021, the schools have operated a pilot counselling programme, leading to steady improvements in school attendance levels. All participating schools have reported positive impacts on their learners.
Waiwera South School principal Kaz Bissett said counselling was a "critical" service for young people everywhere.
"Funding has been piecemeal for many years, so we’re incredibly excited to have this platform. Our goal is to build an entity that will support and encourage our tamariki to face the world with resilience."
Otago Community Trust said the grant would enhance the wellbeing of 5- to 13-year-olds in the district, and fill a "critical gap" in existing services.
The project is entitled "Ewhakapuāwai ana ā tatou Tamariki ki Mata-Au — Our Children Flourishing", and is supported by the trust’s Impact for Tamariki and Rangatahi Fund.
