Sharing wisdom to grow community wellbeing.
The ideas, tools and frameworks that are currently guiding our approach to evaluating the impact of CLD initiatives are outlined in this paper. Inspiring Communities will continue to work alongside CLD learning partners, Good Cents Porirua, Great Start Taita and Tiakina o Tatou Tamariki to keep testing these ideas and frameworks during 2015-6.
Measuring Community-Led development
Then have a play at the local park! The Takapuna Playground is a real community project driven by local parents, grandparents and families. Hear about its development while on the swings.
Have a look around while Members of the Gribblehirst Community Hub talk about what they are doing here and the founders talk about how CLD guided the set up process.
Our hub is committed to providing a multi-use space where numerous activities may happen at any one time. This space is inclusive, welcoming and open to all people where activities contribute to the vision in some way. As well as being desirable, activities must also be feasible and viable. Gathering is as important as making and creating.
Hosted by ACA/Whau the People
When Rev Vai first came to Manurewa Methodist Church, he noticed people sitting outside the Church at all times of the day. He stepped outside and started to talk with them, what followed next was a shift from within the church and a collaboration with locals to create “hospitality” a lunch and social club.
Rev Vai will talk about the process used to mobilise a community and future plans.
more info
In early 2011, the Whirinaki community ( Hokianga) was one of five communities to participate in a Community Led Development start-up initiative.
The community was introduced to ‘an engagement process’ involving everyone in visioning and project planning. The PATH (Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope) process combines the best elements of a number of vision-building and future planning tools, and is useful for listening, planning and community building.
We used PATH planning to complete a series of both large and small plans for the local community initiatives.
Pam Armstrong and Louise Thompson-Marshall will look at how having a visual plan that starts with the ends in mind and identifies the community strengths and assets was a key factor in developing effective community engagement. It’s not complex, the milestones are understood by everyone and can be reviewed at agreed intervals.
Forward looking communities around the globe are wrestling with the challenge of how to make our neighbourhoods more liveable, sustainable, just, and socially engaged.
Community-led placemaking holds great promise as a way to inspire and unlock local energies and talents… but can easily be derailed through a lack of process, structure or firm ground rules to ensure everyone involved steps up and behaves at their best. Over the last three years Beacon Pathway has developed a strong collaborative partnership with renowned community placemaking artist Milenko Matanovic and his world famous Pomegranate Centre based in Seattle.
In this session Verney Ryan from Beacon will outline a variety of helpful ‘fierce facilitation’ techniques that have been successfully applied by the Pomegranate Centre in more than 40 projects throughout North America, as well as sharing insights from local examples underway here in New Zealand.
Each year in New Zealand, local and central government spend billions of dollars buying goods, services and physical works.
Internationally, securing social value is increasingly a core principle of modern procurement practice. For decades, European and North American public bodies have been using their purchasing power to secure good social outcomes, such as employment opportunities for people who face barriers or discrimination in the labour market. The Australian public service is a recent convert and have made a real commitment to indigenous employment and enterprise.
But what about in Tāmaki Makaurau? Come along to this session, with the Southern Initiative’s Tania Pouwhare to find out how their Social Intrapreneurs are using the Auckland Council-family’s procurement to tackle complex socio-economic challenges, and why we think others should do the same.
Whānau Centric Co-design for Outcomes Impact
The Southern Initiative (Auckland Council) and the Co-design Lab has been developing whānau centric co-design practice. In this workshop presenters Angie Tangaere and Alastair Child from the Southern Initiative, Auckland Council will examine:
Why Co-design?
The co-design methodology places the lived experiences of the whānau/community at the centre of the process, rather than services or systems. It actively facilitates the design and testing of solutions, with those the solution is intended for. The approach also supports a variance of perspective in solution design, as well as a bias to innovation and action. It is a problem solving process that can be used to think about complex issues.
A Whānau Centric Approach
A tikanga Māori framework has been developed to ensure the co-design methodology can be implemented in a culturally responsive, and whānau centric way. The framework is primarily derived from Kaupapa Māori research principles and methodology. The tikanga Māori framework enables a whānau centric co-design approach, potential benefits include;
• Ability to design solutions with whānau for whānau
• Enables whānau aspirations to drive the process
• Enables a partnership with whānau with shared power
• Sets conditions for whānau to learn, develop and build skill and confidence
• Enables community connectivity
• Develops peer to peer learning and peer support networks
• Builds social capital
The Mclaren Park and Henderson South Community Trust (MPHS) and CRN (Community Recycling Network) showcase a model in working with communities to achieve zero waste. MPHS operate a successful social enterprise at the AC Waitakere Transfer Station. CRN has been instrumental in sharing resources and mentoring skills to support MPHS in their aspirations.
MPHS Community Trust (the Trust) is a responsive, social action, community development organisation that supports the needs of the community through the running of diverse initiatives, projects and programmes which enable residents and communities to reach full potential.
The vision of the Trust is to have;
‘confident communities creating and initiating opportunities’.
The Trust’s mission is to mobilise effective community leadership that initiates, supports and advocates for a healthy, thriving community.
The Trust recognises that the following factors are critical to achieving this mission;
• People are the key to a thriving community.
• Pride comes from hard work and achieving what is undertaken by those who give their best.
• Place provides an environment to thrive if it is safe and secure and open so it fosters diverse contribution.
Therefore, the slogan which identifies the Trust with its service by the people / communities it serves is; ‘People – Pride – Place’
Jon Morgan from MPHS will tell you about how the project got started. How collaboration and generosity grew the business and some of the key tools used to engage people enabling you to take away some good strategies for relationship building.
We’ll share the Common Unity experience. We’ll offer our story of how developing a shared vision supported by living values creates a place of unity and cohesion to address challenges in our community, and with our community. Our belief is that values provide the framework for new business enterprises and models that are owned by the community itself and we will share how we are putting this into practice.
Inspiring Communities and people from Mangakino will share what they’ve learned from adapting and applying the Most Significant Change evaluative approach.
Mangakino is at the heart of the central North Island “Dam Country”. Constructed as a “temporary town” to enable the many hydro electricity generation builds on the Waikato River, it was once a thriving hub with the largest high school student numbers in NZ! It’s now a cluster of rural townships and farms with a population under 1,000, a determined community spirit, and experience of a multi-year community-led journey.
Lizzie McMillan-Makalio, Maara Williams and Christine Remuera, Waitangirua locals will talk about their locally grown and led initiative to address the drug ‘P’ in our community of Waitangirua. We are addressing failure of formal and government systems to tackle this situation. Local people are stepping into leadership roles. It’s a practical example of community-led development and no doubt will throw up questions and issues about how we change the system.
Hikurangi Enterprises is a charitable company with big goals.
Based in Ruatoria north of Gisborne, local hapū are developing high value primary industries to create jobs and opportunities for whānau. Biotechnology, natural fibre and nutraceuticals are industries the community is investing in, but just as important are the ways they are trying to structure commercial enterprises to deliver financial, social, cultural and environmental benefits.
Sport NZ is championing a locally-led approach by identifying a range of communities across New Zealand, and working alongside them to look at how we can collectively create more opportunities for people to participate. This workshop will identify why we have taken this approach and understand how the sport and recreation sector can be a positive partner for community-led development.
Sport New Zealand is the crown agency responsible for promoting, encouraging and supporting physical recreation and sport in New Zealand. We are responsible for maximising participation in sport and active recreation. One of our focus areas is working with communities where participation is low.
Panuku Development Auckland (a council-controlled organisation) helps to rejuvenate parts of our city – from small projects that refresh a site or building, to major transformations of town centres or neighbourhoods.
We know that fantastic places are designed with people in mind – thinking carefully about how they are used, what they will feel like, and how they support the lives of the communities that live with them.
Placemaking at Panuku tests and translates the vision and objectives of place-based plans and ensures that places are designed for people. We work to involve local communities in the making of vibrant, active urban environments.
Frith Walker will look at how this approach has proven to offer the best chance for resolving different and complex issues. Placemaking is founded in collaboration. Collaboration requires a close partnership between the public, private and community sectors across key platforms to achieve an integrated urban strategy. These partnerships must be invested in and put into practise at all levels of the organisation.
Or, to put it another way, “Here’s what making plays has taught me about making places”
“If you want to change attitudes, start with a change in behaviour”
In an environment that hasn’t been without its challenges, Gap Filler’s projects have helped catalyse positive social change, empowerment and curiosity. Hannah Airey, who has been with Gap Filler nearly five years, will be sharing experiences and learnings that are easily transferable to other contexts.
The Gap Filler initiative has helped revitalise the city and put Christchurch on the map as a vibrant place to live and top destination to visit (according to Lonely Planet and the New York Times) to witness, and participate in, its community-led movement of creative activism.
The Beach Haven Placemaking Group is a volunteer community based organisation with the goal to enhance the Beach Haven area.
The Devonport Claystore – once part of the Auckland Brick & Gasworks, the workshop is now equipped with wood & metalworking tools and opens six mornings a week.
And as you are in the neighbourhood you’ll also meet the locals leading The Devonport Recycling Centre and the Ngataringa Organic Garden – a friendly, welcoming place to be, run entirely by locals. It’s where people can learn about growing food & organic practices or simply have a cuppa, a chinwag while admiring the gnomes with a bunch of good sorts in tranquil surroundings”.
time to eat, drink and connect
Developing strong, resilient and active communities can come, in part, from a recognition that faith based groups can have key roles to play in community led development.
Faith groups have access to assets, talents and resources the wider community may not have and by activating these in ways that are in service to the visions of local people, faith groups can contribute to deeper community connections, cohesion and capital.
In Takapuna the growing diversity and constantly changing demographic has highlighted the need to move away from insular thinking and break down the four walls. For the Methodist Church this has meant reassessing our raison d’etre. Out of this reassessment has come a vision for Compassionate, Creative, Connected Communities and a desire to find meaning and purpose in working with and for others. However, in order to do this a deeper more meaningful engagement with the community was required.
One of the things the church has done to achieve this is form a partnership with Auckland North Community and Development and Lifewise. This ‘Shore to Thrive’ project has employed a Community Development Coordinator and has also spurred church members to create ‘Community Matters’, a group to help develop community focus.
We’ll then work off our lunch with a walk through the Panmure PERA Garden, where our local hosts will talk about their activities including Tamaki WRAP
PERA Garden in Panmure was created by a bunch of local Housing New Zealand residents who joined up with resident homeowners. They all had the same aspiration: a healthy and strong community that is proactive and responsive to families and neighbours. They’ve established great relationships with groups, organisations, ECE’s and schools within their Local Board area and hold events and workshops on topics such as growing your food, waste reduction and leading healthy lifestyles.
Experience in the garden has also led to amazing transformations and opportunities for the individuals involved. Participants will walk through the gardens and hear from gardeners how the gardens have been, and continue to be, so successful.
All Fresco is a community based street art festival designed to inject colour into our streetscape and activate our shared spaces. This K Road Business Association initiative is a natural response to the K Road environment and the tradition of creativity and fringe culture that the area is famous for.
Then we’ll stop in at RainbowYOUTH is dedicated to helping young queer and gender diverse (LGBTIQ) people up to the ages of 27, as well as their wider communities. We’re about fostering a safe, inclusive, accepting and diverse family environment.
While enjoying lunch at Merge we’ll hear more from SPLiCE and Lifewise about CLD in their spaces.
Merge Café supports Lifewise’s approach to tackling homelessness. It connects patrons with wraparound services that provide pathways out of homelessness. The café has proven to be successful on both fronts.
As only one of a small handful of such cafés worldwide and the only one of its kind in New Zealand, Merge Café is certainly an anomaly.
We will also hear from Sophia Beatson who will introduce the Auckland City Centre Housing First project and the co-design process that was used to adapt the international model to suit the New Zealand, and particularly the Auckland city centre context.
We’ll make a quick stop in Sandringham at the playground. where our hosts SPiCE will talk about community-led planning, the marigold festival and the playground.
S. P. i. C. E. stands for ‘Sandringham Project in Community Empowerment’. The group came together in late 2014 when the Local Board set aside $25,000 for the community to develop their own vision and plan for Sandringham. Their first project as a community was focused on the Sandringham Reserve. Now there is a well-used and well-loved reserve and playground based on what the community told us they wanted!
They then used a range of creative processes to engage the community in generating a vision for Sandringham. You can read their Vision Report here The group is evolving to become advocates and representatives – supporting community-led projects, linking up different groups in our neighbourhood, and championing and advocating with the Council for the community’s vision to be implemented.
Through its unique approach,Henderson’s Project Twin Streams engages local residents in a stream restoration project through partnering with local community organisations to deliver a planting and maintenance program.
We will visit a site and talk to those involved about the journey so far and what has assisted the sustainable nature of this project which has been active for over 10 years.
The Kelston Community Hub was the dream of the Kelston Community Trust and a number of local Kelston residents who wanted to see a community facility in Kelston for the residents of Kelston.
Council funded the refurbishment of a local home in to what is now known at the Kelston Community Hub. The Guiding Group, a group of local residents helped to bring the Hub into fruition. We will visit and interact with members and hear about turning community led ideas into action.
Enjoy Lunch at Lunch at Hōani Waititi Marae
Hoani Waititi Marae was opened in 1980 through dedication and support of Aotearoa and the Community of Waitakere. The Marae opened one of the first Kohanga Reo and has grown to provide Kura Kaupapa, Wharekura, Maori Programmes, Activities, and Services.
Albionvale is a dense housing estate in Glen Eden, residents there have been taking charge of the change they want to see, including a deepening relationship with Hoani Waititi Marae their close neighbour. This is a unique opportunity to share in the telling of stories hearing from both residents and marae.
FAFSWAG is a brand that celebrates and documents emerging Queer Pacific Culture within New Zealand’s urban landscapes. Driven by community this is a creative platform for connectivity amongst our young gay Pacific people navigating their unique identities within NZ’s urban jungles. Tanu, one of the founders talks to us about the initiating and sustaining a community driven initiative.
One Co-operative (one coop) is a community co-operative, this means that our businesses are owned and run by the community and the profit we make stays in the community. We share internationally agreed principles and act together to build communities through co-operation. Our goal is to develop community-led enterprises that can work individually but cooperating and sharing resources for the collective well-being.
We enable families to take control of their own future, supporting the development of local businesses across various sectors.
We will have lunch provided by one basket and hear from members of the different cooperatives and community leaders, and have an opportunity to look around their base.
Walk to our lunch destination taking the opportunity to see what else is going on in Mangere
These Gardens have been set up by former Manukau City Council and are now their own Trust, led by two-part time co-ordinator they aim to involve local people in growing food. We will walk around the gardens and hear stories around actively involving community in the heart of decision making