The Good Samaritan
Manager at Go Eco’s Te Whare o te Ata Community House, Shepherd Isaac, is bringing awareness to climate action and responsible kai systems in Waikato through his mahi and love for storytelling.
In 2023, Isaac participated in a ‘climathon’ hosted by Trust Waikato, exploring the topic of climate change with other people from different organisations.
“We, as people, need to undergo a degree of internal change in order to tackle our external issues. We can learn a lot from the past and take that knowledge with us into the future,” Isaac said.
Issac gained a garden of knowledge and hard-earned skills by building on an eclectic range of work and study.
At fifty years old, he was offered the volunteer role of coordinator for Go Eco’s Te Puna Kai o Waikato conservation group, ‘Transformation from the Roots Up’. A decade later, he continues fulfilling the responsibilities of that position, dedicating tremendous efforts to environmental conservation.
“We get all walks of life here. Seeing all sorts of people remind me of the different types of trees that grow together,” Isaac said.
From workshops that are led by Issac aimed at young children learning about forestry to the interesting variety of people that have volunteered for the group, the community of Kirikiriroa, Hamilton has many connections to Issac through the project.
Throughout his life, Isaac has armed himself with an inquisitive mind and a deeply-held love for creating and participating in stories.
In 2017, he produced a short animated film for children that detailed a lonely totara tree who created connections to the community that surrounded it, thus alleviating its isolation.
The five-minute animation was narrated by Shepherd and showcased to the audience of Knighton School, receiving a round of applause with additional compliments when the viewing was finished.
The plot for the film was originally inspired by the answers of children when discussing totara trees. They formatted the crux of the main character, whose emotions were derived from the children’s perception of how totara trees might experience the world.
As the story concludes, a song is beautifully sung by a choir of kids, ending the tale of the totara tree on a high note.
As a result of partaking in grassroots projects, storytelling and working under several roles at Go Eco Isaac has interacted with numerous people from the Waikato over the years. When meeting new volunteers, he “rolls out the red carpet” and welcomes them warmly.
In the culmination of his journey in life, Isaac has been a story-teller, a researcher, a teacher, and a student. Marching towards progression with the lens of empathy, he continues to uplift and inspire his community, all with an inquisitive smile on his face.
