Democracy starts in communities – August 2026

Kia ora koutou,

We’ve been blown away by the response to our call for contributions for Hapori Aotearoa 2027: People, Place and Practice. The volume and breadth of ideas submitted has been fantastic, and is helping us shape a programme that is genuinely community-led and reflects the knowledge and experience held within communities across Aotearoa.

It has also meant the programming process is taking us a little longer than anticipated. We’ve extended our timeframe for notifying presenters while we work through submissions and bring the programme together. We’re looking forward to sharing more soon. 

Meanwhile, elections are firmly on the horizon. In this pānui I share some thoughts on the role we all play in strengthening participation in our democracy, and we hear from the Kotahitaka Ōtepoti-Dunedin Community Hub about what they’ve learned through their community-led mahi and the outcomes emerging from it. Plenty of food for thought as we head into a busy few months.
 

Ngā mihi,
– Aaron Hawkins, Inspiring Communities Director