Been There, Done That!

There’s not much Terena Goodwin (Ngāti Kahu, Ngāphui Nui Tonu) hasn’t seen, done, experienced or recovered from, so when wāhine come to her for support, she knows what they’re going through.

I have a heart for wāhine because I’ve been through my own mamae (pain).

Every woman that comes, I’m like ‘same story’. I feel like God brings me people that have been through the same stuff. I’ve been homeless, lived in transitional housing, had no food on the table, been in a domestic violence relationship, you name it.
I would say The Salvation Army saved my life. Having faith and connecting with The Salvation Army played a huge role in my recovery and growth into a community leader in South Auckland. God saved my life by sending me people that knew him to show me the way.

After moving from Kaikohe to West Auckland, I was still drinking and drugging and all that stuff, and hanging out with those types of crowds. I had no one, no family because I wanted to start fresh, and so I reached out to The Salvation Army for furniture. It was the start of a beautiful relationship.

After meeting then-corps officers, Captains Pauleen and Bryant Richards, I went to my first church service—hungover. They were playing this song, ‘Wairua Tapu’, and it touched me. I started going to church and I loved it, so I started cutting stuff out of my life.
I was back and forth off the rails, trying to live in both worlds. I’d go home and live with the bros, selling drugs and all that stuff, then go to church on Sunday and think it’s all good until next week.

But when I was 35, my house was burgled, so I moved to South Auckland. I grew up here. I was a street kid, and I think God just wanted to bring me back to what I knew. This is where I did a lot of my healing.

In South Auckland, I also met corps officers, Captains Steve and Faye Molen, who provided some much-needed tough love. They mentored me and helped me see a different perspective on life.

I was living in Salvation Army transitional housing and suddenly woke up to God’s love. For years I was broken and trying to find love in all these different places. When I discovered what love was—through God—I found that love was all around me. And I thought, how can I give back? I was in a street full of domestic violence, kids in poverty, drugs, all that stuff, so I started feeding my community.

I met all these women in situations similar to what I had experienced, which convinced me to start Kaha Wahine Kotahitanga. It’s a place for women to come for belonging, some awhi (assistance) and support. I started it because when I was stuck in my old ways, I didn’t have any support, and it was hard to reach out. It’s hard to ask for help. When I did, I asked The Salvation Army. The Salvation Army’s Te Tai Aroha [formerly Māori Ministry] has been a strong supporter of Kaha Wahine Kotahitanga.

My door is always open and the shed’s packed with donated goods. We’ve gone from one rack of clothes to a whole shed of kākahu (clothing), goods and kai (food).

I work with a lot of Māori wāhine, and we pray and karakia together i roto i te reo Māori, so that we can embrace being Māori. I think the spirituality part is a big part of identity because we’re a very spiritual people. I have found more of my own identity, being taught by Faye. It opened up a whole new world—yes, we can be Māori and Christian.

My life has improved, but my past has also formed me. I’m grateful that I went through it because I wouldn’t be who I am today. Stuff you go through is like a blessing, especially if you use it to change your life.

I love what I do, and I feel like I’m at a place where I know what I want to do, and that’s to continue reaching into homes with love and support, bringing one family at a time closer to being healed. I’ve recently become a Salvation Army chaplain, to help continue God’s work.

If God wanted this kaupapa (initiative) to finish, he’d make it finish, so God clearly has plans for me to continue this mahi (work). That’s my faith and that’s what I believe.