2022 New Year Honours Jane Rutledge, QSM

Jan Rutledge, General Manager of De Paul House.

Creating the difference that housing makes

Jane Rutledge, De Paul House general manager receives QSM By Christine Young

When the 2022 New Year’s Honours were announced, Channel Magazine was delighted to see a number of “Shore-ites” recognised for their services to various aspects of community life. From tennis to plumbing, transitional housing to judo, health services, youth and local government – and of, course a DNZM (Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit) to Lisa Carrington MNZM of Forrest Hill, recognition of her achievements and “services to canoe racing”.

Much has already been written about Lisa and her achievements; much less about others who also received honours. Christine Young profiles one of the North Shore recipients, and outlines others recognised for their contributions to making our communities better places to live.

Jan Rutledge received a Queen’s Service Medal (QSM). We interviewed her aiming to find out more about this long-time Beach Haven resident. She was more interested in talking about De Paul House, to which she has devoted the last 15 years of her working life, than about herself, but we did discover that like most of us, she loves the North Shore lifestyle when she has the time, enjoying walking (especially around Beach Haven), swimming at her local beach, reading – and connecting with family in her native Taranaki.

Jan began working at De Paul House in 2006, when the Catholicbased housing and social support organisation was still run by the Daughters of Charity. Northcote-based De Paul House was looking for a part-timer to work in funding and administration. Her two children were ready to start school, and Jan (with a background in finance and accounts) was looking for a job close to home. She confesses that she is neither Catholic nor religious. “I had to acknowledge it was faith-based, and came on board a bit cynical,” she admits, “but I was blown away by what I saw was being achieved…. I am a secular New Zealander, like many of us, but the place gets under your skin.”

Little wonder. De Paul House is supported by the Catholic diocese and parishioners of St Mary’s Church in Northcote, and also, now, by a staff of 23 and more than 70 volunteers. It began in 1986 when volunteers converted a block of units opposite the church into transitional housing for people in need on the Shore. It now offers transitional housing across a number of sites on the Shore, as well as an early childhood centre, an adult learning centre, a community lounge, support for digital literacy, and access to a range of counselling services and budget advice, via De Paul House staff or other North Shore support services.

“We provide a safe comfortable home, fully equipped,” says Jan proudly, and as De Paul House tenants transfer to long-term stable housing, they can take what they need – including bedding and furniture – so that they start afresh without additional costs.

Jan says that although in around a third of the families at least one adult is in work, they tend to be in low paid roles, and in today’s market cannot achieve home ownership or independent rental – unless, as recently, one of several philanthropic landlords provides rental accommodation at a discounted rate, or, more notable still, gifts a

property rent-free where a family can save towards home ownership or debt reduction. More commonly, families move to Kainga Ora housing. However it is achieved, success is measured as a oncehomeless family achieves housing stability.

Jan downplays her own achievements and acknowledges the support of the North Shore community in everything De Paul House does. “We are surrounded by generous people,” she says. Volunteers sort donated food, linen, clothing and other items such as unwanted Christmas gifts – all new, and donated not only by individuals but also by generous North Shore businesses including The Warehouse. Donations recently included $1000 worth of movie and zoo vouchers donated by a bitcoin company. This was a great boon for caregivers during the long summer holidays; De Paul House focuses exclusively on housing and support for whanau with dependent children, and 150 children live in their units at present. Spark and The Tindall Foundation support De Paul House in its digital literacy programmes with modems and additional data.

Jan’s official QSM citation states: “Mrs Rutledge has been General Manager of De Paul House since 2014…. As General Manager she has overseen an expansion of De Paul House’s services from 11 apartments to more than 50 properties. She played a key role in De Paul House becoming registered as a Community Housing Provider.” Among other things, the latter means that as for Kainga Ora tenants, De Paul House tenants pay no more than 25% of their income in rent.

The citation continues, “She is active with a number of networks including the Housing External Focus Group for the Ministry of Social Development, the Auckland District Council of Social Services’ housing subcommittee, Auckland Catholic Housing network, Housing Connections network, and New Zealand Council of Christian Social Service Impacts of Policy and Exclusion Policy Group. [She] has been a Board member of Auckland North Community and Development since 2016.”

The Board role, Jan says, is long-standing, and a “good way to stay connected”. It allows her to link back to other community-based organisations, and develop synergies between them.

Jan notes that De Paul House’s 45 transitional housing and 11 social housing units range from one to seven bedrooms, and cater especially for Pasifika, Māori and refugee families, many of whom not only have larger families, but also face greater discrimination from landlords. “That’s the real point of difference for De Paul House, but it does make it difficult to find alternative accommodation.”

Not only has Jan overseen an increase in the number of housing units provided by De Paul House; she has also been actively engaged in advocacy to governments of all stripes on behalf of the housing sector, and believes that only now is government recognising the significance of De Paul House and other faith-based organisations such as Monte Cecelia Trust, Salvation Army and others in providing transitional housing. No doubt partly as a result of her advocacy, De Paul House now receives 60% of its income from contracted services (such as the management of the Kainga Ora housing development on Lake Road in Belmont, where De Paul House has a permanent tenancy manager), up from 25% when Jan took over.

Jan says the general manager’s role was a “great opportunity” that came along at the right time for her. After she took over seven years ago, she completed a post-graduate diploma in not-for-profit management, and she thanks the staff she works with, the Board, the Catholic diocese, and her predecessor for their support in De Paul House’s development.

While there are challenges in dealing with people in crisis, and in never knowing whether the day’s to-do list will be completed, or complicated by new challenges, she says she thoroughly enjoys the people, staff, volunteers and families she deals with. But most of all, her passion for the role is fuelled by seeing the difference that housing makes to the families who come to De Paul House.

Other North Shore New Year’s Honours recipients:

DNZM (Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit) • Lisa Carrington MNZM, Forrest Hill, for services to canoe racing

ONZM (Order of the New Zealand order of Merit)

• Richard Bond Hoskin, Birkenhead, for services to the blind and people with low vision • Celia Mary Patrick, Devonport, for services to tennis

MNZM (Member of the New Zealand order of Merit)

• Meijia (Kelly) Feng, Long Bay, for services to health and Asian communities • Ian James Jackson, Devonport, for services to the plumbing industry and the community • James Anderson McPhee, Birkenhead, for services to judo

QSO (Queen’s Service Order)

• Kenneth James Dublin, Birkenhead, for services to the community and youth • Margaret Ann Hartley, JP, Beach Haven, for services to local government and the community

QSM (Queen’s Service Medal)

• Jan Maree Rutledge, Beach Haven, for services to transitional housing.

DABS Consulting - What is the future of the office?

Many Aucklanders will have returned to the office after their summer holidays. Some may not have set foot in an office since 17 August 2021, when it was announced New Zealand was moving into Alert Level 4 lockdown - approximately six months ago. This is long enough for new ways of working to be established and new habits to be formed. What does this mean for the future of the office?

While businesses in more recent years have been open to flexible working, lockdown has brought this concept to the forefront of our minds and allowed us to consider the possibilities. Depending on your home setup, some will have seen working from home as providing an improved work-life balance. For example, there was no commute so more time for recreational activities. For others, including me, working from home while juggling home schooling was challenging. Depending on your circumstances, lockdown has highlighted the potential of increased home working.

There have been numerous surveys undertaken globally and in New Zealand which indicate the office is here to stay. The overwhelming majority of respondents want the best of both – the flexibility to work from home and the office. The pandemic has given both employers and employees the opportunity to consider the role of the office.

Rather than a permanent shift to home working, the pandemic has emphasised the importance of offices as critical spaces for creativity, knowledge sharing and collaboration. People need more than a place to work. In the office they want to connect with others, grab a coffee and have spaces for coworking and collaboration. Agility is key.

Lara Weaver.

How do we expect employers will adapt?

Around the globe, the concept of the office is being dramatically transformed.

Although offices have a future, lockdowns are likely to result in people wanting more flexibility.

What do employees want?

Employees want more choice about where and when to work. Fixed hours are not so important if the job gets done. A person may prefer to start at 8am one day, 10am the next day and work from home the following day.

They want investment into IT so that systems work effectively and at pace. Location and the environment also play a key role. This means the office must provide appeal. If you can attract talent, ultimately it raises productivity.

People also want businesses to be supportive of their responsibilities outside of work. Well-managed businesses are appreciating that collaboration and productivity all improve when employers understand the daily responsibilities of employees. This includes understanding situations where someone has dependents and may include drop-off and collection of pre-school children, the needs of elderly parents, or partners working abroad.

The location, size, layout, amenities, meeting rooms, breakout areas, heating/cooling and daylight are all important attributes when carefully calibrating an effective office. If done well, office space can be optimised, which assists with attracting and retaining talent.

Employers are likely to offer more flexibility around how people utilise the office. There would be some businesses that would say productivity has increased as a result of home working, but they recognise this is not a permanent solution. People can feel isolated

and it is difficult to achieve career development on a Zoom call!

People work better at different times of the day, so employers should focus on output rather than time spent in the office. Many employers will be considering hot desking, which means there is no longer a permanent workstation for each employee. Instead, people will find an available desk on arriving at the office or prebook a workstation. Some may only be in the office for a meeting or short period each day.

If the needs of a business are well understood this can impact overall space requirements and potentially reduce occupational costs. Wherever possible, DABS work with occupiers to understand and optimise their occupational space needs.

The future….

We are seeing a modern evolution, culture and psychology around office spaces. Landlords are having to respond to these needs by providing suitable accommodation to meet occupier demands. At DABS we will continue to invest in commercial buildings and offices in locations where people want to work, live and play.

Our latest offer is 585 Main Street, Palmerston North. This investment provides ground floor showroom space supported by first floor office accommodation. The tenant, Enable, is an example of an essential health care service supported by the DHB. If you are interested in this property syndicate or future syndicates, please register your interest on our web site or contact DABS directly.

For further information or to discuss our current investor offer please contact: Lara Weaver General Manager e. lara@dabsconsulting.nz m. 021 230 5989 145 Kitchener Road, Milford www.dabsconsulting.nz

SERVICES provided by DABS - Helping Investors Invest

Selecting a Property: All properties offered by DABS have been carefully chosen in terms of quality location, building, tenant and pricing. Detailed due diligence is carried out before properties are offered to our investors. Continued financial growth is a key focus.

Investing in a Property: Investing with DABS allows qualified investors to purchase property assets of greater significance in value and scale.

Managing a Property: DABS offers a rigorous commercial property management service that aims to minimise risk, maximise rental income, reduce operating costs, enhance property values and improve occupancy retention levels.

6%

Projectedreturn perannumpre-tax paidmonthly*

Private PlacementOpportunity onlyavailableto Qualifyinginvestors

585MAINSTREET,PALMERSTONNORTH

• Twolevelofficeandshowroombuilding • LargeFreeholdlandarea1,507sqm • NetRentalincome$419,736per annum+GSTandOutgoings • LocatedinPalmerstonNorth’sHealth

Precinct • TenantEnableNewZealandisadivision oftheMidCentralD.H.Bproviding disabilityservicestoMinistryofHealth,

ACCandotherD.H.B’s • Governmentfunded • NewZealand’slargestsupplierof disabilityequipmentandmodifications • Establishedin1974 Toregisteryourexpressionofinterest andreceiveacopyoftheInformation Memorandum,pleasecontact:

LaraWeaver | GeneralManager | M:+64212305989 E:lara@dabsconsulting.nz BrianCaldwell | Director | M:+64274815505 E:brian@dabsconsulting.nz | www.dabsconsulting.nz

*ThebasisfortheprojectedreturnissetoutintheInformationMemorandumandisnotaguaranteedrateofreturn.ThisofferisonlyopentopeoplethatareexemptandmeetcertainothereligibilitycriteriaundertheFinancialMarketsConductAct2013andrelatedlegislation(“FMCA”).Investorswillneedtodemonstratetheireligibilityby providingasuitableInvestorCertificateorInvestorConfirmationformasrequiredbyDABSConsultingLimitedandtocomplywiththeFMCA.Ifyouareinvestingmorethan$750,000butdonotmeetanyothereligibilityorexemptioncriteria,thenyoushouldpaycarefulattentiontothefollowingwarning:WarningThelawnormallyrequires peoplewhoofferfinancialproductstogiveinformationtoinvestorsbeforetheyinvest.Thisrequiresthoseofferingfinancialproductstohavedisclosedinformationthatisimportantforinvestorstomakeaninformeddecision.Theusualrulesdonotapplytothisofferbecausethereisanexclusionforofferswheretheamountinvestedupfrontby theinvestor(plusanyotherinvestmentstheinvestorhasalreadymadeinthefinancialproducts)is$750,000ormore.Asaresultofthisexclusion,youmaynotreceiveacompleteandbalancedsetofinformation.Youwillalsohavefewerotherlegalprotectionsforthisinvestment.Investmentsofthiskindarenotsuitableforretailinvestors.Ask questions,readalldocumentscarefully,andseekindependentfinancialadvicebeforecommittingyourself.