Kin Carers Connect: Supporting whānau who step up

MEDIA RELEASE

23 March 2026

Kin Carers Connect: Supporting whānau who step up

For many children, safety and stability begin with the family members who quietly step in when parents cannot. That is the heart of Kin Carers Connect Charitable Trust, a growing organisation supporting kin carers across Tauranga, Hamilton and Rotorua.

Kin carers are family members. Grandparents, aunties, uncles, siblings, and wider whānau who take full-time responsibility for children within their own family, often suddenly and unexpectedly. This change also comes with emotional, legal and financial pressures.

Chairperson Helen Hewitt knows this reality firsthand. She originally established the trust with her late son Joel, who wanted to support families affected by addiction and hardship. After his passing, Helen reactivated the organisation, renaming it Kin Carers Connect with a renewed purpose: supporting kin carers so the children in their care can grow up safe, connected, and able to thrive.

For Helen, the trust is a lifeline for carers. “It helps to alleviate that hardship by giving them encouragement and emotional support as well as practical support.” It also guides carers in accessing entitlements and legal protections. But beneath these efforts is a much deeper, powerful purpose.

“Sometimes it’s not pretty but our need is still so great,” she says. “We aim to protect that child’s life so that they can have a better future.”

Becoming a kin carer herself for her grandchild, Helen shares that the role can be tough and is often deeply misunderstood.

“It’s a 24 hours a day, seven days a week commitment for a kin carer.” Yet she also highlights the beauty of children remaining connected to family.

“They can at least attach to other family members… it gives them that feeling of belonging.”

Volunteers play a vital role in making that connection possible. From helping organise monthly meetings, transport, food parcels and children’s items, to easing the load of administration and governance, their support helps hold the organisation together.

Gayathri Dilhara, one of the organisation’s volunteers, shares her experience supporting Helen and helping with administration and marketing roles.

“As a migrant, volunteering is a great place to start,” says Gayathri. “I thoroughly enjoy assisting the charity. Helen communicates so well, which makes the work easy and more efficient.” She adds, “I always try to encourage my colleagues to volunteer wherever they can.”

“The volunteers are just angels in themselves,” Helen reflects. For kin carers who are often socially isolated, she witnesses how gatherings “feel like a ray of sunshine for those desperate for adult contact.”

A key focus for Helen is making sure the community understands what kin carers face.

“We need so much more awareness of how great this is and what we do.” 

With stronger community support, collaborative events, and more people understanding of these everyday realities, Kin Carers Connect can continue to be a nurturing network where both carers and children feel seen, supported, and never alone.

If you’d like to volunteer or your group needs support, Volunteering Services can help. Visit www.volunteeringservices.org.nz or call (07) 987 0920.