Message from our CEO

Some things are changing at PSO but many things are remaining exactly the same! We are a charitable organisation who continues to live by our values which are embedded in our Christian faith and our mission of creating places for people to live, learn and thrive guides us in our mahi/work. We love our community and will always work hard to provide for the most vulnerable amongst us to give us all a chance to thrive. I hope you will be able to see the amazing commitment our PSO whānau/family have in this endeavour.

Life is precious and often amongst the busyness, and the stress of work, we can forget to take time and enjoy the things we do have. Recently our Family Works whānau experienced a significant loss in the death of one of our financial capability team members. Katrina Kelly was an experienced and valued member of our North Otago team and will be sadly missed. I know you will join me in sending aroha/love to our amazing team as they care for each other as well as their community. 

As we absorb the sadness of events like these, we also need to look around us and find joy in the moments which lift our hearts. Recently we saw an amazing aurora which lit up our skies due to a solar storm. I took this picture of the pouwhenua at Warrington beach. Breathing in the cool winter air, and viewing the beautiful sky, it made me grateful for the time I have, the people around me and the ability I have to care for others. As we move into Matariki, a traditional time of harvest, please join us in replenishing the PSO foodbank in the sharing of kai/food to show our love for our community.

Nāku te rourou nāu te rourou ka ora ai te iwi.
With your basket and my basket, the people will thrive.

Ngā mihi

Jo O’Neill
CEO, Presbyterian Support Otago

Download a PDF of our People Magazine - 5MB