He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata! (What is the most important thing in the world? It is the people, it is the people, it is the people!).
At Sequal our immediate obligation is to our people and we are passionate about honouring our local communities.
Some people believe that you must take more to get more, and that for every winner there must be a loser. But that is not what we believe at Sequal.
We believe that we can only thrive when we invest in the wellbeing of our communities.
Access to medical care is central to individual wellbeing and one of the least accessible forms of medical care in New Zealand is dental treatment.
Dental treatment can be extremely expensive and people on lower incomes often miss out, particularly Māori and migrant communities.
Which is why we are proud to support YWAM Ships Aotearoa who are launching the Trinity KOHA Dental Clinic pilot programme next month to provide free dental services to those who cannot afford it.
Typically, YWAM Ships Aotearoa sends its ship MV YWAM Koha to remote island communities to improve health inequalities by providing primary health services, training and education.
Custom built shipping containers, on the ship’s deck, can serve as dental, medical, surgical, pharmaceutical, or classroom facilities.
Returning home to the Bay of Plenty, YWAM Ships Aotearoa will now be using their shipping containers to serve as dental facilitates in Welcome Bay, Te Puke and Kawerau.
YWAM Ships Aotearoa have partnered with local groups such as Whaioranga Trust in Welcome Bay, several kiwifruit businesses in Te Puke (who provide services to their migrant workers) and Ngati Tuwharetoa ki Kawerau Hauora in Eastern Bay of Plenty to help deliver these free dental services.
This is a unique opportunity and we are incredibly proud to support YWAM Ships Aotearoa in this initiative to empower a healthier future in our local communities.