Established: 2018

Location: Tauranga

Contact Name: Stephen Wilson

Website: www.thehappypuku.com

Business mission and vision:
Our Mission is to see people we employ reach their full potential and make a pathway for trainees to gain skills and employment and move out of emergency homes and into their own homes. We want to see our business grow and expand which will provide more employment opportunities.
Vote

“We are a Social Enterprise Catering business that employs those who have experienced homelessness . We train them in the hospitality industry”

We give employment opportunities.

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Through a series of circumstances I found myself teaching homeless mums and those in emergency houses how to cook healthy homemade meals.

So they learned over a period of time healthy meals, connecting them with the whenua (land)with fresh local garden produce on a budget ,and this naturally led into the creation of the HAPPY PUKU..a social enterprise catering business .

This has created a pathway to paid employment, valuable work experience and social skills .They are now giving back to the community that helped them, feeding Tauranga Moana with their beautiful mahi (work of Kai creations).We have done catering gigs for over 600 people, One Love and many weddings and private events. Let me quickly finish by telling you about Janine.

When she first came she couldn’t look me in the eyes with her hoodie over her haggard face…she had been a heroin addict living in a crack house with her young boy, unemployed for over twenty years and now out of utter desperation she found herself in emergency housing living in a house with three other families. What a transformation and success story. She took hold of the lifeline and hasn’t looked back since. She has come completely out of drugs, has her own home, full time job and no longer on the benefit She has la joie de vivre and now has a new beginning along with her boy.

She is now a pillar in our catering business,she can confidently serve and interact with people. She makes every Tuesday up to 200 healthy meals for those in need. In fact yesterday the 28th October 2021 she just got qualified as a cafe barista.

She has a new beginning

Having a commercial kitchen to work from.We started out working from a marae and later partnered with Bay Venues to use their hall which has a commercial setup.

My greatest challenge is when you are trying to help those who have been in disconnected and abusive relationships go back to their substance dependence and toxic relationship with their ex partner.

In this catering business you have to be very patient and lead by example to support those who have taken hold of the lifeline and be able to stand on their own two feet. There is no greater joy when we witness that breakthrough.Janine as mentioned above is a wonderful example .

We have slowly built up a very good reputation as serious caterers in our area providing excellent food and service. We have done many high end weddings, conferences eg( NZ marine science Tauranga 400 persons/ NZ Teachers Conference 600 persons) and this is all through word of mouth.

Seeing those who were homeless or in prison now off the benefit and finding self belief and worth in their new job at the HAPPY PUKU

We have 9 people at the moment

We work with Guilmours and Bidfood and some local smaller retail businesses.

We give cooking classes and , take them through the Food control Plan and Barista training.

We have had many encouraging and very positive reviews from our clients. We have not had one complaint which is what we strive for as our motto is ” getting better all the time”

The joy of seeing those I lead reaching their full potential and the catering business can be that stepping stone for the next chapter and profession of their life.

We make every Tuesday up to 200 healthy meals (made from our garden and fresh home kill of venison and wild pork) to give out to those in real difficulty.

We offered a 7 course meal recently for free, much to their surprise ,to a local Tauranga business that has lost most of their employees due to Covid as they are involved in tourism.

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

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