New Initiative Puts Māngere Streets at the Heart of Emergency Preparedness
- 275times
- May 5
- 2 min read
A new initiative is helping Māngere residents build stronger connections and be better prepared when emergencies strike.
One Love: Ready Neighbourhoods officially launched on 25 March at the Māngere Arts Centre, bringing together community members, local organisations, and two dedicated neighbourhood activators committed to fostering resilience from the ground up.
Leading the initiative in the Māngere, Ōtāhuhu, and Papatoetoe area is Tai Papali'i, a mother of six, longtime Māngere resident, and community worker with a decade of experience through One Love with The Cause Collective. She now works in partnership with Neighbourhood Support New Zealand and Auckland Emergency Management to extend that work through this new initiative.
"A more connected community is a safer community," says Tai. "We're not trying to reinvent the wheel. We know there's already great work happening. Our role is to help weave those efforts together at a neighbourhood level."
The initiative focuses on building simple, street-level networks of support: encouraging neighbours to get to know each other, sharing emergency preparedness information, helping streets develop their own plans, and identifying volunteer "street champions" who can keep their neighbourhood connected and informed.
For Tai, the work is deeply personal. Her family experienced flooding during two previous cyclones, including Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, an experience that underscores the importance of strong neighbourhood bonds before disaster strikes. With recent severe weather events like Cyclone Vaianu fresh in people's minds, the timing of this initiative feels particularly urgent.
Residents across MOP can get involved by clicking here to join and receive monthly newsletter updates. Street champions are especially needed.
"Even small acts of connection can strengthen a neighbourhood," Tai says. "No one should have to face challenges alone."
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