Action focused community building
Action has always been a fundamental part of Massey community building.
The Massey Matters project began with a Community Forum in 2006 and then quickly went to develop projects such as the Tatou West Harbour Neighbourhood project, Te Raa Mokopuna, Massey Marvels, Westgate Pedestrian Bridge, Our Amazing Place Treasure Hunt, Massey Matters newsletter and Community Projects Fund because these were activities that people involved in the initial stages were passionate about and had strong support for.
Without clear visions and strategic planning, these conscious early decisions not to dwell on governance and structure enabled the project to evolve in an organic and collaborative way.
Door knocking to connect
Cold calling can be scary but hugely rewarding when it comes to finding out what is going on and what is hoped for in neighbourhoods.
Sam Farquhar talks about working with residents in their streets to bring about some of the changes they want to see.
Getting Started – the ‘Back2Back’ experience.
The Back2Back project emerged out of a joint funding proposal to the Department of Internal Affairs in 2008. With a multi-party partners group in place from the get-go, street-level engagement and neighbourhood-led development in Ranui and Massey got a huge boost from 2009 – 2012.
This story talks about the importance of a strong foundation and skilled workers in order to hit the ground running and enable the achievement of intentional outcomes over a relatively short period of time.
Read more: Download the PDF.
Neighbourhood development – no one size fits all
During 2010-2011 with a sound foundation, community mandate and an experienced and respected worker in place, the Massey Ranui neighbourhood-led approach unfolded in a multitude of ways – many unexpected.
While there may not be any one size fits all approach that is effective, having a clear focus has helped reveal a number of common guiding principles and practices.
Read more; Neighbourood Development – No one size fits all
Massey and how local government helped ‘make it matter’
The journey together has not been without a few bumps along the way and looking back helps to cast enough light over the path taken so far to inform what might come next.
Read more; Massey and how local government helped ‘make it matter.’