Community within a local café

Moving to a new country and starting over is a big enough feat but then to move eight times throughout New Zealand takes courage, perseverance, and strength.  Anneke Belch has done just that.

At 14 years old she moved to New Zealand with her family from the Netherlands.  Her father’s family had a history of health problems, many brought on by stress.  So, her parents sought a better work life balance, and it was in New Zealand they decided to build it.

Anneke’s moves throughout the country were first for university and then for job opportunities - at times for herself and others for her husband.  After a handful of years living in Feilding, they sought the opportunity to lower their mortgage and like her own parents, live a more balanced lifestyle.  As they looked at various real estate opportunities, they discovered Hansens - a café for sale, with a house on the property in Kimbolton.  Staying within the Manawatū meant that their children could continue to attend their current schools, keep their friendship groups and although their house would change, the social community they had built could remain.

Community is key for Anneke.  It is the one thing that she has looked for within her various moves around New Zealand and what she aims to help maintain by owning Hansens.  Hansens is the local café in the hub of Kimbolton.  It is where people stop for coffee, meet friends, hear the local news and pick up their takeaway pizzas on weekends.  It is a warm atmosphere with wood floors, an open fireplace and friendly local faces of the staff Anneke employs.

Anneke has lived in Kimbolton and owned Hansens for two and a half years, but it does beg the question after 36 years of living in New Zealand, when are you considered a local?  Still challenged with surprised reactions, Anneke often hears ‘well you haven’t lost your accent’ and while Anneke has adjusted to many kiwi traditions her accent will always remain part of her identity.

The Welcoming Communities Programme (WCP) is designed to celebrate the identities of migrants while helping with their transition to life in the Manawatū.  “An accent shouldn’t be seen as a barrier, but rather as a conversation starter to learn more about the people that make up our District”, Sarah Deveau WCP Coordinator explains.  An easy way to breech the topic could be by asking ‘I detect an accent, where is it from?’.  This way someone, like Anneke, who identifies as a New Zealander but was born elsewhere, is included as a local while still acknowledging their birthplace.

Anneke and her family have chosen the Manawatū as their home: a place to live, raise their children and invest in.  The sense of community felt and found within Hansens is a testament to the importance of being welcoming as a business owner and as a community to those in our District that are investing in making the Manawatū home.