A workshop held in Whakatāne recently saw three agencies meet to discuss the best way forward in supporting veterans in the Mataatua region.

Whakatāne RSA, Te Puna Ora o Mataatua (TPOOM) and Veterans Affairs met a fortnight ago to share the scope of their abilities to help, and to see where there is room for them to support even more people across the region.

The local RSA covers Te Kaha, Ōpōtiki, Waimana, Rūātoki, Kawerau, Te Teko and as far as Matatā, as well as Rarotonga and Samoa.

Veteran support adviser Nicole McCarthy said the hope was to get further out into region, with Veterans Affairs and TPOOM, to engage with veterans who don’t tend to travel over to Whakatāne. The workshop allowed attendees to share the knowledge they had, to give each other a more holistic understanding of all the systems at work, and to seek clarification about any questions they had.

A case management clinic the following day also provided a rare opportunity for veterans to meet face-to-face with Veterans Affairs case managers.

Ms McCarthy said about a dozen veterans from the region who had concerns, weren’t already registered with Veterans Affairs, or simply wanted to chat about what they might be able to receive in terms of assistance or any extras they might be entitled to, attended.