The Irishman-turned-Aucklander that become a 'local hero' in Southland
A journey from that lonely feeling living in Invercargill knowing no one, to becoming recognised as a 'local hero'. A lesson for Southland in what can bloom if migrants are made to feel welcome.
Leon Hartnett recalls walking through Queens Park with a relatively lonely feeling hovering over him.
He’d dropped his then two kids off to daycare while his wife Tania went about her new job after qualifying as a pharmacist.
It was 2011, the Harntetts had just moved from Auckland to Invercargill in a quest to get ahead through the lower cost of living.
Hartnett had shifted from Ireland to Auckland in 2004 for an overseas adventure. A month later he met his now wife Tania at Sky City, where Tania was working at the time.
After qualifying, Tania had interviews for jobs in both Gisborne and Invercargill.
He had never been to Invercargill before, and neither had Tania for that matter.
They spent a month checking out the city before thinking 12 months would be a good fit in Invercargill to save some money and get out again.
He recalls renting a house from Southland Stags rugby legend Jason Rutledge when they first arrived. A question Hartnett asked provides an example of how much of a “fish out of water” he felt at that time.
“I asked him if he played for the Swans. I think he wondered what planet this guy had come from.”
The family knew no one in Invercargill. In fact, Hartnett admits to a feeling that no one cared. They felt like strangers in the city.
“Invercargill can be hard to find your place here,” he says.
“I like to think that I’m capable of talking, but I did find it quite hard at first to find any common connection with anybody.
“A lot of the conversation in Invercargill is about; ‘did you hear about this person who is now dating this person’ or ‘this person died’. I didn’t know these people they were talking about.”
That feeling of being strangers in Invercargill changed when their then two-and-half-year-old son got sick. It was serious, there was a point Hartnett says there was real concern.
“The support we got from people really changed us and made us think people actually do care and we are slowly becoming part of this.”
Over the next decade, Hartnett immersed himself in the Southland community. He’s racked up a lengthy list with his community involvement.
We’re only going to be able to touch on some of the highlights given how extensive it is.
He started with the Irish Society, got involved with the Southland Multicultural Society, before being the driver behind launching The Rotary Club of Invercargill NRG [Next Rotary Generation].
He’s organised TEDx Invercargill, Pavluber - a dessert delivery project to raise funds for disability training organisation Koha Kai - and is the treasurer for the Invercargill Public Art Gallery.
“You don’t need to have the talent to be involved in an organisation,” he says having a jab at his own artistic ability.
If he’s not running the Park Run at Queens Park on Saturday morning, there’s a good chance he’s there volunteering at it.
He’s now also a trustee on the Community Trust South. Oh, that’s right, Hartnett and his wife started up GreenLight Innovations, a fully registered charity organisation.
One of its events includes Free Comic Book Day which provides comic books to the library and children.
Hartnett has been recognised as a Kiwibank Local Hero for his work in the community.
Eleven years on from that month-long visit and the Hartnetts remain in Invercargill. The family has been extended by one with a third child born in their adopted home city.
Hartnett doesn’t see them leaving now.
“I actually think this is the place we are going to be pretty much forever. It feels like home.”
Hartnett is a qualified accountant but now works for IHC and has also launched a business called Helping Hands Southland.
It provides an estate clearance service in Invercargill that supports families in the practical tasks involved in settling the residence of a deceased relative or a relative that is moving into supported living.
Hartnett is thrilled by the connections they’ve made in Invercargill and the friendships that have developed as a result.
“I’ve got mates now who say I’ve lived here 20 years and you know more people than I do.”
And just to add to it all, Tania’s mother has now also moved to Invercargill.
“We now have family down here as well, which is wonderful.”
Hartnett believes the extensive community involvement has been aided by the fact they were actually living in Invercargill, and not in a bigger city where living costs were much higher.
He and his wife both work part-time in Invercargill, something that probably couldn’t be done elsewhere. That has freed up some time for that work in the community.
“We don’t live an extravagant life, but we are still able to have a life. It’s enabled us to connect in the community.”
He adds there also isn’t an hour-long train trip to and from work that he was dealing with in Auckland.
“How would you find the time to connect?”
While Hartnett has found plenty of ways to immerse himself in Southland, he does feel there is work still to be done to better integrate other migrants who are now making the province their home.
“I think it’s interesting as an Irish national, that I’m kind of a migrant but I’m not. I like going to the rugby and I can have a handle of Speights.
“But I do have friends that are migrants from India, or wherever, and they’ve struggled here. I’ve experienced myself racism directed towards people.”
Hartnett recalls, soon after arriving in Invercargill, being in a taxi when the driver started “going on about migrants”.
“I said [Invercargill] is the furthest city from Dublin you can get. I’m the most migrant person you can get. The taxi driver was like, ‘you are the ok type’.
“It’s not ideal. [But] even since my time here there are more migrants, and it does take some adapting.”
Hartnett and his family are shining examples of how to make an adopted city your home. They are also a shining example of how migrants can become valuable members of the community if they are made to feel welcome.
It’s over to you Southland.
Leon Harnett and his Helping Hands business is not something I would recommend to anyone whos dealing with the loss of a loved one and their estate, he is out of his depth in this department, and rather than take ownership of his lack of knowledge of how estate auctions work, or general clean up methods, he blunders it throughout, not sticking to deadlines hes created, failing to communicate clearly, leaving a larger mess in his wake, and taking your money in the process. While he might have some other good community initiative, this is not one of them.