One building, one team, many greetings!

One building, one team, many greetings!

On Friday 14th September, Reconnect officially opened its new Head Office at 8 Puhinui Road, Manukau. It was a morning that saw the arrival of many distinguished guests.

Among the attendees were Grainne Moss, CEO of Oranga Tamariki, along with her senior colleagues Celia Patrick and Ken Allen. We were also pleased to welcome former Cabinet Minister (and current CEO of BestStart), Tony Ryall.

Board Chair Dr Julia Peters led the Mihi, and Tony responded in the best possible way, with a Mihi of his own. Our Māori Development Team – Matua Gary Pratt, Whaea Rachael Ward, Te Hira Pere and Tiare Herewini – led the formalities and did us all proud.

In total, 80 guests turned up to view our new building and mark the birth of a new era at Reconnect Family Services.

Reconnect CEO Dean Kelly said being able to host all team members on one site was a long-held vision of his.

“When I came on board in early 2017 we had two separate offices in South Auckland. As we all know, the way to deliver great services for our clients is to make sure everyone works together for the same outcome.

“Our vision is to offer a continuum of care for young people, and it’s great to have so many talented Reconnect people working in partnership to achieve this. When they meet every day in the hall or lunchroom, they can communicate better – and challenge each other too, in the most constructive way.”

Dean also paid tribute to Hayden Travers, Reconnect’s new (and old) landlord. When Hayden learned Reconnect was looking to bring its people together on one site, he was pro-active in helping the organisation find its new HQ. His efforts are very much appreciated, Dean said.