Volunteer Story - Mattie

Mattie recently started her first job as a social worker. She credits part of her readiness for it to her time spent inside the Navigate Initiative as a writers' group volunteer. "It's given me so much more perspective going into my career," she says. "And a valuable industry connection I didn't expect."
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Mattie first heard about Pathway through a friend who had worked with the organisation. She was already drawn to questions of reintegration and what genuine rehabilitation could look like. What she found when she walked into the unit confirmed what she had hoped was possible. "I've always believed that people deserve a fresh start. That their actions may have defined a particular moment in their life, but it doesn't have to shape the rest of their life."

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Writers' group meets weekly, and no two sessions are the same. Volunteers bring their own strengths and interests, which shapes the activities. A warm-up leads into a shared exercise, and conversation flows throughout. For Mattie, that variety is part of what keeps the work meaningful. "Our sessions are always flowing with conversation and laughs. It's a great opportunity to chat with Tū Ora."
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But it is one session in particular that has stayed with her.
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A Tū Ora who had attended the group regularly was preparing to leave. The group marked it together: music, kōrero, and an exchange of gratitude. "The gratitude received from this Tū Ora showed how impactful attending the group each week was for them. It really showed me the importance of showing up for each other. It's a reciprocal relationship." That sense of reciprocity is something Mattie returns to often when she describes the work. She is clear that the learning has not moved in one direction.
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"The volunteers I work alongside have so much to offer. I am constantly learning new ways of communicating, new activities, and different ways of looking at life." Now working full time at Te Puawaitanga ki Ōtautahi Trust, Mattie has moved from studying the principles of social work to practising them. Her time at Pathway sits alongside that shift, not as a separate thread, but as part of the same picture.
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"This work matters because it shows how important fresh starts are. And it sheds a light on how difficult it is for those coming back to community after being behind the wire, without having support like Pathway involved."

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