Embracing Change – Inspiring Communities’ Strategic Refresh

We have all heard the adage ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it‘, but what about ‘do your maintenance and protect your asset’?  

Inspiring Communities is not broken. After 15 years we have a lot to be proud of – we have contributed to building the community-led development movement across Aotearoa through our efforts to build capability, create and share resources, and encourage collaboration.  

But we are also aware that nothing stands still. As the wider eco-system shifts, we need to continue to evolve and adapt to support the changing challenges facing local communities and the systems they are part of.

Over the past year, we have been undertaking a review – what is working well, what needs tweaking, and what you, our stakeholders want and need from Inspiring Communities for the next 15 years.

We set about doing some maintenance to protect and strengthen Inspiring Communities.  

One message we heard loud and clear was that Inspiring Communities is still a relevant and valued part of the wider system of community-led change, but that we were spreading ourselves too thin by doing too much. That lead us to refining and simplifying our approach, our messaging, and our range of activities.  

We remain fully committed to promoting community-led change in Aotearoa and see the tweaks we are making as steps to sharpen our focus, to areas where we are uniquely placed to support CLD and influence system change. 

Our new goals are: 

• Building Capability: Providing training and sharing CLD information and resources to enhance CLD skills and knowledge within community. 
• Evolving Knowledge: Generating new insights and resources to continually advance understanding and approaches to community-led development. 
• Influencing Change: Championing CLD at a national/system level to establish an environment that enables community-led approaches. 
• Ensuring Sustainability: Upholding strong governance connecting strategy and operations, while achieving financial stability and upholding Inspiring Communities reputation and credibility.

Alongside these strategic changes will be a fit-for-purpose structure of our Board and leadership team. This will mean setting up new roles with specific responsibilities to lead across our goals. The new structure and roles are also about succession planning, as some long-standing Inspiring Communities leaders have signaled it is time to pass on the baton to the next runner. So expect to see further changes soon as we recruit for new leaders who will be critical in implementing our refreshed vision.  

We are still a small organisation with big dreams, and now we have the next pathway to achieving those dreams mapped out!  

Change never happens by sitting back and doing the same thing. Change happens when we are courageous enough to try something different.  

And if status quo is not going to get the us outcomes we want – for Aotearoa, your organisation, or your community – what can we do about that? We can dream big, we can try a new approach and we can be part of the change. 

I’m proud of the changes we are making at Inspiring Communities. We didn’t keep doing the same thing because ‘it wasn’t broken’… instead, we are having a go at doing something even better.  

Thank you to the great team that have put so much effort and heart into this change process.  

And thank you to all our stakeholders – the funders, the participants, the conveners, the collaborators.

Together we can make Aotearoa a place where all communities are at the centre of creating and implementing change to improve their own hauora. 

Donna Provoost, Inspiring Communities Chair

It Takes Two to Tango

Inspiring Communities’ consultancy arm, Powerdigm, has recently completed a very cool Think Piece – Powering Up Communities to Deliver Local Wellbeing. I wanted to share some insights I gained while working on it.

In preparation of its next ten-year plan, Western Bay of Plenty District Council wanted a better understanding of the local structures and approaches that will support communities trying to improve their own wellbeing. Rather than focus on overseas knowledge, they asked us to find out what can be learnt from the many and varied community experiences across Aotearoa. Producing case studies on six remarkable locally-led initiatives was both a joy and a privilege.

While our Powering Up Communities Think Piece focused on what communities need to have in place to be more effective partners, for and alongside Councils – it can’t all be about what communities are responsible for.

Councils need to be ready to work and partner with communities, just as much as communities need to be ready to work and partner with Councils. Relationships are a two-way street, this means the expectations for the behaviours and ways of working apply to both parties. It also means that individuals within Councils can’t just focus on holding strong external relationships, they must also pay attention to their internal operations so that there is a shared organisational understanding and commitment to:

• sharing power
• being flexible
• adding value – not burden
• appropriate and longer term resourcing
• enabling – not being a gatekeeper for wider Council relationships; and
• supporting greater self-determination for local hapū, iwi and community partners. 

Funding to ‘enable local outcomes’ is all very well but who is determining the outcomes – Council or communities? Are arrangements focused on Council defined outcomes or those prioritised by community organisations themselves? Ideally, it will be a little of both – yet too often Council priorities drive what gets funded, and this is done under the guise of working in partnership.

The requirement for Councils to rebuild trust with local communities was one of the key findings in last year’s Future of Local Government Review. This is a huge job – turning the Titanic in large public sector organisations is no easy task. And it’s something that neither Councils nor communities can do on their own – it takes two to tango. 

I’d also argue that if institutions aren’t collaborating well internally, there’s little hope of effective collaboration with their communities. Paying more attention to enabling quality relationships internally as well as externally is time consuming but vital.

In my experience, the best place to start is with what’s right in front of you – by demonstrating what it looks like to hold an authentic relationship. For me that often means giving before receiving (do for others first), doing what you say you’ll do (deliver!)  and going the extra mile so others can visibly see, feel, and experience what working differently together can look like. Within that, we need to be honest and upfront about constraints, as they don’t mysteriously disappear. Breaking off small bits of the mythical elephant rather than expecting or promising too much all at once is sage advice.

After a decade or more at the helm of Inspiring Communities I’ve decided that it’s time to make a change. Rather than co-lead the organisation, I want to spend more time working with Councils, communities and other partners who are wanting to make collaborative community-led change work well. I’m not going far, I’m keen to keep working as part of the Powerdigm network and look forward to having more time to help people and places do better together.

Megan Courtney, CLD Coordination and Practice Lead

Te Puna Oranga o Ōtaki – A Wellspring of Abundance

This case study was curated to spark thinking about local structures and approaches that can enable communities to improve their own wellbeing. It’s part of a wider Think Piece, Powering Up Communities to Deliver Local Wellbeing 2024, commissioned by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council.

JOURNEY TO DATE

Having sought guidance from local kaumatua, the Te Puna Oranga o Ōtaki (TPOoŌ) logo depicts the many divergent springs that run from the source of the Ōtaki River. Like the logo, TPOoŌ embodies the wider Ōtaki community, connected through their locality and meeting both needs and community aspirations. They are a Kaupapa Māori organisation, not an iwi or hapū provider.

Originally funded as the Ōtaki Integrated Family Health Centre when it started in 2012, TPOoŌ began its journey slowly, navigating its way with one part time project manager that sought to build relationships in health service provision across local providers. Funds initially were held and managed by the Central PHO, which suited the small group finding their way. In 2021 after grappling with their place in the community, and after considering the need and relevance, the TPOoŌ board decided that yes, they have a place and took the leap, invested in their future, and become a legal Charitable Trust.

At that time, they had no physical location to base themselves and were a third party in a significant Regional Development (He Poutama Rangatahi) funding contract, with minimal staffing. Despite this, the board saw this as an opportunity to become independent and seek further funding to start building their mission, which at that time was to raise the health and wellbeing of the Ōtaki community. Ōtaki Integrated Family Health Centre CEO and Chairperson for TPOoŌ, Kiwa Raureti says this change of circumstance gave them the confidence to back themselves and pointed out the nature in which Ōtaki organisations do things a bit differently through rangatiratanga – a sense of self determination.

As a community-led resource, Te Puna Oranga o Ōtaki sees its role and function to ensure this occurs across Ōtaki and aim to do this by:

• Facilitating inclusive community leadership and direction
• Communicating with and being accountable to stakeholders
• Supporting aspirational wellbeing initiatives across Ōtaki
• Advocating for Ōtaki, to grow and develop its capacity towards self-determined autonomy.

Understanding what the community wanted and thought, saw some brave initial engagements where the TPOoŌ Board and Ōtaki Medical Centre owner encouraged people to come along and have their say in public forums regarding health services, and current access to medical care. While parts of the community were initially angry and frustrated at the state of current services, eventually the public perception changed as they began to empathise with the realities of the situation health service providers were in and they understood the difficulty in finding doctors to service the town, a common theme in the lower North Island at the time. This strengthened the vision for the organisation and saw them focus on health provision.

TPOoŌ had an original goal to purchase half the medical centre and find ways to ensure people had access to services. As a result of their holistic Covid 19 response, they now have a stand-alone clinic offering basic services to whānau including wellbeing checks and immunisations and a more recent addition of a mobile health unit to offer direct services to whānau in neighbourhoods where they live. It is also taken to community events. This has been a game changer for a small town, in particular for those who are not able to get appointments or are unable to travel.

Services currently include:

• Hauora clinic – clinical health services
• Te Hunga Rangatahi – youth employment programme
• Community Connector – supporting whānau navigating challenging times.
• Ka ako Ka ora – lunches in schools programme
• Healthy homes project – ensuring homes are healthy for all.

ORGANISATIONAL MODEL

Identifying that the TPOoŌ project manager needed additional support and authority, a change process was instigated which reflected the growing nature of the organisation and desire from the board to move into a governance role. Prior to this they were assisting with management functions due to the stretched staffing, absence of sound infrastructure and an increase in demand for services.

The rapid upscale in funding through the Covid health response put a different strain on the organisation. It increased human resources needed, along with compliance requirements and demands for a physical space for TPOoŌ, as well as the crucial role of ensuing their community was looked after. The lack of office space had challenges and at one point the organisation was spread across four different locations.

Reviewing the TPOoŌ strategic plan post Covid 19 gave the board time to reassess lessons learnt, understand what the priorities were and finally pause from frantic Covid related activities. While community governance boards are an essential legal requirement, and have a large amount of goodwill, they cannot do it all. Time was taken to look at realistic appraisals of future opportunities and expansion and seeing if the governance documents were going to have longevity for what was needed. Shoulder tapping a general manager to lead the organisation through its next phase and further solidifying its role in the community has seen the organisation grow and build on relationships nurtured during Covid. Updated governance policies have made it clear the only one involved across both operational and governance spaces is the Chair, who meets with the general manager regularly, and reminds the governance team of their role and place.

Kiwa notes the substantial number of community organisations across the country, and how the process of setting up a legal structure, policies and people resources is time consuming and often puts groups in competition for funds. In a small town, collaborative ways of doing things brings greater impact and less stress on people’s time as the shared social space is small. An example is a newly formed group Te Tahuaora o Aumenga, who are aiming to work with groups of individuals, sports teams, other groups, teachers, and rangatahi in the mental wellbeing and capacity building space. They do not have funding for that, most of the work is voluntary but they now come under the umbrella of TPOoŌ. It is not unusual for emerging groups to approach TPOoŌ to be fund holder or backbone to assist with infrastructure support, basic administration and venue sharing. It is a better approach than going it alone to set up a whole new legal entity says Kiwa.

Like the many wellsprings that diverge from the source of the Ōtaki River, TPOoŌ know that it is the united strength and resilience found within the Ōtaki community that will bring positive change and propel them into the future.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

Te Puna Oranga o Ōtaki are a kaupapa based Māori organisation, not an iwi or hapū mandated one. There is a distinct difference. Nga hapū o Ōtaki serve the whānau of the five hapū of Ōtaki and the three marae in the rohe of Ōtaki, which consist of:

• Ngāti Maiotaki
• Ngāti Pare
• Ngāti Koroki
• Ngāti Huia
• Ngāti Kapumanawawhiti
• Te pou o Tainui
• Raukawa Marae
• Katihiku Marae

Regular meetings with the Chairperson of the hapū are essential to keep the lines of communication open says Kiwa, and TPOoŌ wants to be of service to the hapū, an added value not a burden.

Although the majority of the Board members have whakapapa (kinship ties) connections to the hapū, there is a formal hapū rep, nominated by the hapū on the board and this ensures a hapū voice is present, as well as transparent communications back to the hapū. TPOoŌ always saw themselves as a place holder, holding the space until, and if, the hapū were ready to step in and take things over.

Mandated by the hapū to manage and lead the local Covid-19 response, hapū representatives were invited to be part of panels when interviewing key TPOoŌ staff, so they had some visibility, ownership of the roles, and some input into the people being hired. As the health sector locality conversations start to develop further down the track, collaboration and communication will grow with individual hapū to determine individual hapū needs, rather than with TPOoŌ.

Another key relationship is the Ōtaki networking group which has been running informally for over 30 years and provides an effective way for interested community groups to quickly network, collaborate, and keep informed about Ōtaki issues – as well as share good stories that celebrate local success. Meeting monthly, the networking group also provides a sounding board for new providers to the area, offering direction, challenging duplications, access to key people and is an integral way to have visibility over various roles and responsibilities.

Often goals change and priorities diminish, seeking community feedback and understanding identifies that there are lots of different solutions to the same problem. Finding groups who share a common problem, coordinating efforts and bringing different funding streams together to address the issue, helps achieve far greater impact than individual groups working alone.

FUNDING AND SUPPORT

Initial funding was slow, and project based, with the organisation in a relationship building phase rather than leading big projects. It took some time to work out best ways to develop solid infrastructure and be in the right place to take on personnel to enable to direct delivery to whānau. Multiple funders were involved supporting diverse community needs. Funders also started to challenge their own way of thinking and began to work together; a good example was Department of Internal Affairs who could not fully fund an essential service, who collaborated with Wellington Community Trust to co-fund alongside them. Rather than TPOoŌ having to extend resources to find extra funding or reduce services to partly fund a project, the funder decided to take a creative approach and collaborate which ensured the service could be fully funded.

TPOoŌ would like to see more of this funder behaviour as it allows groups to get on with the business of doing. Where once TPOoŌ was once involved but not leading, they are now fund holders determining the direction of the services and shaping them to best fit the needs of the Ōtaki community bringing on essential expertise as and when needed. Relationships formed, nurtured, and strengthened during Covid have paid off with TPOoŌ focusing its efforts on building and mobilising key outside resources to achieve goals for the community.

ENABLERS OF SUSTAINABILITY AND GROWTH

From the perspective of TPOoŌ, wellbeing is not only founded upon presenting individual health factors, but also includes an oranga or a holistic wellbeing approach. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Te Whānau, family-centred wellbeing and self-management
• Te Kainga, improved living environments and capacity
• Te Hāpori, knowledge and access to appropriate community resources
• Te Taiao, participation in and advocacy for wider environmental impacts.

While these are broad, it means largely that whānau can determine what this looks like for them, without being boxed into western understandings. TPOoŌ are committed to looking after the mauri ora or total wellbeing which makes all the difference and is the key enabler when talking with whānau.

CHALLENGES:

• Relationships that enable TPOoŌ to carry on. The biggest challenge is collaboration rather than being in competition for the same funds and for the same work. This means that groups will over promise and under deliver.
• Transport for local rangatahi to get to places is key, with a desire to encourage them to venture out and seek employment or recreational activities. This is challenging when the public transport system has barriers to access.

OPPORTUNITIES:

• Being recognised by funding agencies and having a track record means TPOoŌ can present themselves as a reputable provider that delivers.
• A more recent aspiration is to have a startup Sport Kāpiti. The strength of Ōtaki typically is on the performance field. This is untapped as Kāpiti is producing athletes for the world stage at early ages – how do we invest in this?
• Further collaboration and investment are essential for small communities and the right for Māori to self-determine their own destination should see them leading this as Māori.
• Identifying good paying jobs that are needed in Ōtaki and providing pathways towards these. This will further develop the capacity of local people so they can work, live, and thrive in their hometown.

ADVICE FOR COUNCILS AND OTHERS LOOKING TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY STRUCTURES THAT SUPPORT DELIVERY OF LOCAL COMMUNITY OUTCOMES:

• Often meetings are called with urgency – get the right people in the room at the right time, not after the fact. Identify the expertise required before gathering everyone. Communities are busy and often stretched for time and resources, so decisions are more easily made when the right people are there to progress and find solutions.
• Community organisations have a wealth of on the ground knowledge, but often competing views and conflicting solutions. Organisations like TPOoŌ understand this and work with this, listening to what people (communities) are saying and then (Council and other agencies) can assist the community to get on with it.
• Often groups claiming they represent communities are not the ones the community want to represent them. There are communities within communities, TPOoŌ recognises that they only represent a part of the community, yet councils often prefer to work with one organisation who is making the biggest noise, or who council already have an easy relationship with, but may not be doing the bulk of the work. Investing in community knowledge and taking the time to find out who is on the ground is helpful in the long term and removes many frustrations for everyone along the way.
• Community organisations know how to engage with Māori, some do it respectfully and with intent. Often councils have these expectations of their community but not of themselves when wanting to consult on their urgent multiple workstreams.

The Community-led Development Trust – Our Projects, Our Way

This case study was curated to spark thinking about local structures and approaches that can enable communities to improve their own wellbeing. It’s part of a wider Think Piece, Powering Up Communities to Deliver Local Wellbeing 2024, commissioned by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council

JOURNEY TO DATE

There is an improved sense of communal spirit, which keeps driving those living at home wanting to realise their dreams and aspirations. Lack of employment prospects has been a significant challenge along the Whanganui River Road for many years and even with a resurgence of whānau returning home, having to travel into town for work is still a concern. Fortunately, the road has been upgraded and maintained, primarily though, to grow the region’s economy by increasing the tourist market.

The Community-Led Development Programme (CLDP) offered by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) in 2017 was timely and opportune. The Community Led Development Trust (TCLD Trust) as the governance authority and The Community Led Team (TCLT) as the operational arm were established for legal and independent purposes to allow capability and capacity to deliver on the ground community desired projects and programmes.

WHĀNAU, STAY INVOLVED, KEEP EVOLVING

Community-led development is about working together to create and achieve locally owned visions and goals. The TCLT journey has had its ups and downs; sometimes taking one step forward and landing two back especially at the beginning and acknowledging that change was never going to be easy.

There have been many interesting moments, from the delight of being selected for the programme, to the excitement of actually getting started, to sharing the concept amongst local people, to gaining their buy in and trust, to dealing with misunderstandings and miscommunications, to completing projects within their communities and to then celebrating the successes of collaborative actions and outcomes.

It has been a steep learning curve for all involved, understanding and undertaking duties of responsibility and service. These lessons have helped set a solid foundation to operate over the coming years.

TCLT now has its structure (governance, financial and accounting systems, policies and procedures, operational experience, employment capability, etc) in place, after an experiential time of early programme provision and successful implementation of projects such as:

• Hunt Nation Festival (Pipiriki)
• Recycling bins and bags for whānau (Pipiriki, Jerusalem, Rānana and Matahiwi)
• A purpose-built recycling trailer (Rānana)
• A bus shelter (Matahiwi)
• Security solar lamps (Matahiwi and Rānana)
• Road safety mirrors on dangerous corners (various sites)
• Zumba on the AWA (Jerusalem, Rānana and Matahiwi).

There’s no place like home and many whānau leave early in life to pursue education or work opportunities. In 2011 after many years away, Daryn and his wife Ramari came back to Whanganui equipped with a unique capability aligned to the teachings of te kauae runga (celestial knowledge).

To many who know them, they’re viewed as wairua-based people able to employ physical attributes, qualities and experience to link with whānau and deliver practical-based solutions.

Ramari’s heart and Daryn’s career experience placed them alongside family, hapū and iwi championing initiatives that promoted people and place. Roles at the marae led to service within the rūnanga and soon after Daryn was mandated as an Iwi Chair, filling the seat vacated by respected Kaumātua, Bernard Haami. He reflects that, “Uncle Barn gave his blessing with a directive, do what you’re good at boy and we’ll (Kaumātua) support you in the rest.”

In the seven years that followed, Daryn held numerous Māori governance roles learning about and studying the political iwi landscape. In parallel with this work, which was done ‘in-kind’, he designed the Aumangea Programme, an Army leadership initiative, testing resilience of mind and body beyond self-perceived limitations.

The findings also pointed toward a residential-led approach rather than a marae or hapū-led approach. This aligned perfectly to the intent and principles of the newly piloted CLDP. All activities would be decided by those living in the community. This paradigm shift would clearly require a new way of thinking and doing.

Around this time, Community Strategic Enabler (CSE) Nihi Houia, recalls Daryn visiting him and sharing his vision of wanting to assist his people along the Whanganui River Road.

TCLT deliberately stayed out of environmental and cultural issues to circumvent perceived cross-over concerns, leaving them to marae and hapū delegates to address.

The role of the CSE is to find funding and resourcing to enable agreed community projects to be successfully completed and then reported against expected outcomes.

TCLT’s approach involves forward planning guided by its strategic plan, researching and applying to project relevant funding sources and then crossing their fingers and toes that applications upon submission are successful. If they are, then TCLT tap into their network to invite like-minded groups and organisations who may wish to collaborate and contribute (not always financially) to particular project outcomes for mutual investment return by enhanced intrinsic and extrinsic impact in the community impact.

Doing business this way has enabled TCLT to grow its credibility with its stakeholders. Their ability to leverage and negotiate to get multiple community projects completed, is a critical performance factor. Underpinning this is the key understanding of relational value and multi-partnering advantage.

Operations Manager, Selina Percy became involved through Daryn meeting her and sensing her potential to add value to TCLT. Fast forward a year later and she has managed the rigorous application process to gaining Level Three Social Services Accreditation as a Ministry of Social Development (MSD) service provider.

Selina speaks of her desire to inspire people to be the best they can be through employment, providing opportunities where they live, work and play so they don’t have to leave the awa/river.

When asked what TCLT would do with a blank cheque, Daryn responded:

Daryn is keen to support marae and hapū development when they are ready.

Selina feels that there are a number of agencies and organisations looking for ways to connect and engage with communities such as those along the Whanganui River Road.

Daryn talks about needing to have the moral courage to lead, create and support change. It requires a team effort and team approach knowing that at times, a person may have to make the hard and final decision.

Alongside this is the importance of capturing the intangible and tangible outcomes of the journey. Using monitoring and assessment tools such as video stories and social media help celebrate and archive what was and is possible.

OPPORTUNITIES AHEAD FOR TCLT:

• Bringing hopes and dreams to life for community people cannot be underestimated
• Being available to support community-led development is a privilege
• To date, projects have been based on mainly community requested social development projects and programmes
• Next year, and beyond, the focus will be on wealth and economic development at home

ADVICE FOR COUNCILS AND OTHERS LOOKING TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS DELIVERING LOCAL COMMUNITY OUTCOMES:

• The purpose to connect and engage should be respectful
• Relationships and decision-making levels must be acknowledged and honoured
• Information should be communicated clearly and in a timely fashion
• Any opportunity to partner must be cooperative and mutually beneficial
• The right people and resources need to be in place for successful outcomes
• How will future projects be strategically planned for and implemented?
• How will the relationships be maintained and elevated?

Paekākāriki Housing Trust – Homegrown Housing Solutions

This case study was curated to spark thinking about local structures and approaches that can enable communities to improve their own wellbeing. It’s part of a wider Think Piece, Powering Up Communities to Deliver Local Wellbeing 2024, commissioned by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council

JOURNEY TO DATE

With a shared passion for retaining diversity and by looking at opportunities and challenges through a lens of social equity, the Paekākāriki Housing Trust (PHT) are active facilitators, strategists and advocates who work alongside their community to imagine and realise practical win-win solutions for those experiencing housing difficulties in Paekākāriki.

While Aotearoa is undeniably in the grips of a housing crisis and Paekākāriki village is by no means the most affected place in the country, locals felt moved to take on the responsibility of engaging with the housing issues members from their community were facing. Knowing they can’t fix the market forces that are driving the crisis, the village has a culture of connectedness and care and felt it could respond with innovation and community-led housing solutions. Through each project being taken on, PHT are learning how to better support their community and become better Treaty partners along the way.

PHT was sparked by a collective frustration felt when a valued local resident and teacher aide and her whānau were being forced to leave her rental property of 16 years, due to it being up for sale. The Trust set themselves up in 2016, at a time when there were only 49 untenanted rental properties advertised and available for a population of around 50,000 across the wider Kāpiti district.

To engage the community and gather a sense of local support for community-led housing solutions, a survey was circulated to local residents asking if anyone could contribute to the collective purchase of local houses or in other ways. Alongside this a Give a Little page was set up to start building up a community housing fund. The Trust managed to convince the owners of the house noted above to sell the house to the Trust at a reasonable price ($450,000). After commercial banks refused to lend to PHT, a new community housing provider, funding to complete the house purchase was enabled through contributions from 30 generous local investors who were offered a 4% interest rate over a 5 year period. This enabled time for the Trust to set itself up and has enabled the valued local family to buy back their house over a five-year period, at the same price. Local investors were also given the opportunity to donate their interest back to the Housing Trust – which some of them did.

Sam Buchanan, PHT co-ordinator speaks of the massive amount of goodwill in the village and how this harnessed the urgency to do something in response to a very local situation. He has seen many whānau leave the village because of housing related issues and got involved with PHT in response. He and others shared concerns that housing issues were threatening the whole personality of the village. He firmly believes that communities have far greater capacity to make change than they think they do.

Formed in 2016 by a small group of locals, PHT purchased their first house through 100% funding from their community and more recently has worked in a unique way to partner with local iwi Ngāti Toa Rangatira’s social housing arm to purchase a further property from Kāpiti Coast District Council. Through the Covid-19 lockdown, the Trust worked tirelessly as an emergency housing provider and as a payoff, now manage a small clutch of rental properties in the village. They continue to commission environmental work to understand the housing capacity of the whenua (land) and awa (river); explore housing funding models and design principles; and continue to build relationships with central and local government.

Success from the first two properties saw the pattern of wanting to achieve more for locals in housing spaces. The Trust now offers property management services for local landlords and see this as good business.

ORGANISATIONAL MODEL

The Trust meets regularly and also schedules hui with the community to keep bouncing new housing ideas, and to keep in contact with those interested in housing issues. PHT also recently hosted a community hui to look at options and proposals for denser housing to further determine what Paekākāriki might look like in the future.

A paid PHT co-ordinator works one day per week and an administrator around one day per month.

FUNDING AND SUPPORT

Funds from PHT’s tenancy management service are used to fund the Trust’s co-ordinator. However, funding often fluctuates, for example while earlier there were seven local rental properties being managed, now there are four. A large part of the role, says Helen Burch, PHT’s administrator and rental property manager, “is talking to landlords about what we do and showing them how the fees go back into the community.“ PHT is able to manage all the logistics of a rental property with the bonus of having locals at hand to address issues that arise, and ensure tenants are cared for in a more holistic way as part of the village.

With holiday homes now popular as Air BnB rental properties, the Trust also tries to encourage local people to rent their properties rather than having them vacant for long periods of time as holiday rentals. While the return is often lower, PHT can help both the landlord by having the property managed locally and funds generated can go back into the community. This also ensures locals have access to a home to live in.

PHT recognises the increased need for affordable housing, for example those who are downsizing and do not want to leave the village, those whose requirements have changed and now only need a small space, and others who want to be independent and do not require care but also don’t have a lot of money to rent houses. Demand has grown for 1-2 bedroom, self-contained flats which are not available in the village.

A resource kete has been developed for property owners to help navigate the challenges of adding secondary dwellings onto existing properties. The kete includes examples from residents who have been through the development process and includes their interactions with builders, architects and how to manage both building and consenting processes. This is another great example of Paekākāriki taking a local problem and finding local solutions, while also developing resources to assist others along the way.

Exploring different models for funding and financing and how to support locals who are thinking of adding a dwelling are new areas the Trust is looking into, all with the broader aim of supporting diverse housing situations and needs in Paekākāriki.

OPPORTUNITIES:

• There are so many ways to tell stories, using art and creativity to connect with people and provide multiple responses to similar situations to advance objectives and ensure everyone has a seat at the table.
• Paekākāriki Housing Trust recognises mana whenua’s unique connection to the land and there could be opportunities to assist in bringing mana whenua back to their land through the Trust’s aims. This is especially important to PHT and much work has been done to understand and support local mana whenua, Ngāti Haumia ki Paekākāriki , and their aspirations, such as the idea of building a Marae in Paekākāriki and bringing their whānau home to Paekākāriki to live.
• The biggest opportunity to collaborate and grow local housing solutions could be with Ngāti Toa Rangatira. PHT is looking for potential funders and investors to support this, keeping the conversation going and active.
• Different models for funding and financing, including seeing what else is available and happening across the motu and seeing how PHT can leverage this.

CHALLENGES:

• What the Trust really wants to do is to continue to purchase houses, but this has become harder and harder as house prices soar – median house prices in the village have doubled in recent years.
• Banks were very difficult to work with, with PHT having to jump through many hoops before desired loan finance outcomes were achieved. Residents had offered to put their own houses up for collateral to relieve financial pressure on PHT.
• The traditional housing purchase model focused on individuals raising deposits and taking out a mortgage does not allow for innovative community-led alternatives. Banks need to be challenged to play their part in addressing Aotearoa’s housing crisis by being open to alternative purchasing models and arrangements.

ADVICE FOR COUNCILS AND OTHERS LOOKING TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY STRUCTURES THAT SUPPORT DELIVERY OF LOCAL COMMUNITY OUTCOMES:

• Acknowledge the local intelligence that sits within communities and can get things done faster and more efficiently simply because vital relationships are already in place in small communities. Fostering local relationships and connections needs to be ongoing and is essential for community wellbeing and development, especially in times of emergency. Talk to local communities first and take note of local strengths.
• Community pride and sense of ownership is evident in the local facilities which are key gathering places and often the heart of the community. Community-led and managed facilities like the local community hall in Paekākāriki are often in a better state and better used than council managed ones.

McLaren Park Henderson South Community Trust – So Much More Than A Hub

This case study was curated to spark thinking about local structures and approaches that can enable communities to improve their own wellbeing. It’s part of a wider Think Piece, Powering Up Communities to Deliver Local Wellbeing 2024, commissioned by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council.

 JOURNEY TO DATE

MPHS is a responsive, community-led development organisation that over the last 20 years has gone from strength to strength, actively supporting the wellbeing needs of their local community through diverse initiatives, projects and programmes. While the focus of activities is their direct McLaren Park Henderson South community, in more recent times the organisation has expanded its community development and enterprise focus into wider western Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland.

Starting from humble beginnings with the initial coordinator working from a broom cupboard at Bruce McLaren Intermediate, MPHS has been a proudly community-led initiative. Initially sparked by growing concerns about young people in the area having nothing to do and getting into trouble, local community leaders and the then Waitakere City Council got together to develop a community response – new afterschool and holiday programmes. These first initiatives were hugely successful, which in turn got people asking, “what else could we be doing to support our young people and our wider community?”

Extensive community engagement and door knocking by local volunteers followed, tipping out both local issues and opportunities the community saw for their place. With a range of committed and ambitious community leaders, schools and local Council support in behind, a collaborative approach helped develop community aspirations. With Council having provision in its budget for a much-needed community facility in the area, the MPHS community-Council partnership that followed enabled co-development of not just a new community building but a permanent base for MPHS to both scale its activities and deliver them in a relational way that is reflective of, and responsive to, ever changing community needs.

With the community fund raising $1 million for a youth studio to complement Council’s $3m community centre – the Hub West campus, which opened in 2012, is a jointly owned facility that remains community-led and managed.

The MPHS journey over the last two decades has been a mix of planned and responsive action. A core of multiyear partnerships and contracts helped create some anchor activities that have in turn enabled a pipeline of intergenerational connection and local leadership development. Key MPHS anchor activities have included youth programmes (including high tech/creative classes, leadership camp, youth club etc), Project Twin Streams (community-based streamside restoration), HIPPY (a home-based programme to help parents get their 2-5-year-old child ready for success in education), Joy Club (activities for older adults), playgroups and exercise classes for new Mums.

For MPHS Chief Executive Kathryn Lawlor, key enablers of MPHS in its journey so far are:

• Being place based – it grounds the MPHS vision, mission and purpose.
• Local ownership and loyalty – built through 20 years of continually engaging, doing, supporting, and having a visible, hub space to operate out of.
• Strong, consistent governance – underpinned by a mix of long term/newer members with an intentional mix of required skillsets (e.g. HR, Strategy) and community knowledge and relationships within the Board team.
• Rangatahi focus – which continues to galvanise local energy and support.
• Trusted to deliver – MPHS has built a quality delivery reputation amongst funders, with belief in the community too that MPHS will do what it says it will, and in an authentic MPHS way.

ORGANISATIONAL MODEL

While the MPHS Community Trust has gone through a couple of iterations of name and objectives over the last 20 years, the organisational model underpinning it has remained largely unchanged. The Chief Executive currently has ten direct reports, with an inhouse financial manager also part of the team.

The last strategic refresh in 2017 confirmed the MPHS People-Pride-Place focus (caring for people and the environment) still made sense at community, MPHS team and board level, with strong support for what was happening in and for the wider Henderson south community.

The MPHS Board meets monthly to consider progress, challenges and new opportunities, with the Board Chair and Chief Executive generally connecting two to four times in between Board hui. Each year an annual report provides a snapshot of the year’s achievements, with different MPHS activities, team and board members also profiled to provide a fuller picture of what, how and who is involved in MPHS. The MPHS annual report is shared at a fun community celebration held in November each year at Hub West. This hui brings together MPHS supporters to share kai, celebrate successes and gather ideas for what next. Around 60-80 people generally attend this event – which also usefully doubles as an AGM.

In more recent times, it’s became financially clear that MPHS needs to keep growing if it wants to achieve its purpose. This prompted an exploration of income generation opportunities that could leverage existing MPHS capacity and expertise.

Having developed considerable environmental expertise through Project Twin Stream contracts, MPHS took up an opportunity to run the resource recovery centre (Tipping Point) at the Council owned Waitākere Transfer Station. This new seven day a week enterprise has also enabled wider social goals with 50-75% of staff local and/or had previously faced barriers to employment. 25% of annual Tipping Point profits are now being fed back into the MPHS Youth Studio, which has proven to be one of the hardest programmes to find ongoing operational funding to sustain.

Similarly, MPHS community development and capacity building expertise has been leveraged to provide community governance training and mentoring for community groups across West Auckland. A multiyear programme, funded through the Henderson Massey Local Board, has been designed by MPHS to also enable tailored follow-on support for community organisations wanting support to implement governance changes. Some of this support is provided by the MPHS team, other aspects by other external community governance specialists.

Expanding activities beyond MPHS borders has been done with great care. The MPHS team are clear they won’t compete with other good local organisations/services. They proactively meet with other organisations to talk about expansion plans and opportunities for possible collaboration ahead of decision making on potential new activities.

As new opportunities pop up through the year that aren’t in the MPHS Annual Plan, there’s collective discussion across staff and board teams to get agreement on which way to go. Some key questions that guide discussion and decision making include:

While new MPHS team member roles generally arise from new contracts/funding, MPHS has also created roles to do better for the community they serve. For example a new kaitakawaenga (cultural support) role came about after intentionally considering the high numbers of Māori and Pasifika people who call McLaren Park Henderson South home and how responsive MPHS was to their cultural needs.

The kaitakawaenga role also provides strategic support at management and board levels and has been hugely impactful for MPHS. Relationships and connections within and across the Māori community have strengthened and with MPHS cultural competence attested, new doors have opened up, with plans to create a similar role to support Pasifika communities and cultural competency.

In terms of iwi relationships, MPHS notes that positive relationships with local iwi Te Kawerau a Maki have strengthened now that the iwi has more staff capacity to engage and work with community partners.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

For MPHS community and engagement and input to planning happens iteratively through the year through programmes and informal pop ups like sausage sizzles and coffee carts taken to different neighbourhoods. The MPHS team has grown a team culture of learning, with team hui always asking:

• How is the community responding to what we’re doing?
• What are the emerging needs we’re seeing?
• What are the community asking us to do or wanting to do themselves?
• What are people talking about – what’s exciting or concerning them?
• What are we noticing about where people are at now?

Working relationally is important to MPHS, with extra effort in recent years to rebuild and strengthen local connections that had fallen away. Hub West also provides a critical space for relationship building, with Hub West Coordinator Agnes personally taking bookings and returning phone calls.

Post Covid, the MPHS team have also noticed a change in what local people need from their Hub too. With more people now sleeping in cars, there’s a need for somewhere to charge a phone, have some weetbix, a hot drink and a chat.

While collaboration is resource intensive, MPHS is at a scale now where they can participate in collective city-wide forums like West Auckland Together, unlike many other smaller local hubs who simply don’t have capacity to participate. There are many benefits from relationships and others knowing a lot about your mahi.

MPHS’s collaborative approach also extends to supporting other small local groups and initiatives in their rohe. Sometimes the request is to hold funds or provide back office support. At other times, it’s to assist people with ideas to move into a doing it phase. For MPHS the benefits of umbrellaing include new connections, relationships and supporting small scale local action. However, in reality the role generally involves much more than being a bank account and is time consuming.

FUNDING AND SUPPORT

MPHS continues to be funded through a mix of grants, contracts and enterprise income with the revenue splits for the 2022-year end noted in the adjoining table. With no cost of living increases in recent Council grants or contracts, funding has got tighter. MPHS notes however they are more fortunate than some NGOs in Tāmaki Makaurau who have had funding cuts. Much of this they attribute to a positive working relationship with their local Board and a strong track record of effective community-led delivery and support.

With increasing pressure to self-generate more funding and diversify income streams, MPHS notes the importance of being clear about just where additional income will be targeted.

In 2015, MPHS established social enterprise the Tipping Point, a community recycling centre.  For the 2021-22 year, 334 tonnes of waste (123 elephants!) were diverted from landfill, with the enterprise clearly supporting the organisation’s social and environmental goals.

CE Kathryn Lawlor is quick to point out that while financially beneficial, running large scale social enterprises puts an additional strain on the organisation’s management resource and requires the Board to be comfortable with taking greater financial risk. MPHS is clear on bottom lines however: the new Waiōrea Community Recycling Centre will need to be sustainable to support similar wider community outcomes like what is achieved at Tipping Point.

When it comes to reporting and accountabilities, MPHS acknowledges the importance of stories and gathering participant feedback, with value not just for funders but also for staff so they know how they and their work is valued. The MPHS team would also prefer to do more face to face reporting and/or have funders come and spend time in the hub and see their work in action.

With most funder-driven templated reporting providing limited value to MPHS, having the time and head space to do more solid thinking on what information MPHS would like to collect and report back on is something that remains on the MPHS wish list. As Kathyrn notes “it’s one of those important things we never have time or capacity to properly do.”

BARRIERS/ENABLERS OF SUSTAINABILITY AND GROWTH

ENABLERS:

• Investment in organisational development and capacity building, alongside programme delivery. It’s important that financial, governance and people systems are all strong too.
• Time/putea for relationships, connecting, collaborating, and gathering insights and intel across everything happening in the community.
• Regular hui and information sharing across key partners so relationships and trust is maintained.
• Having the right skillsets and capacities in place when taking on community engagement and facilitation roles. Working in and with your community to progress challenging local issues and solutions is nuanced work, not a technical exercise.

BARRIERS:

• People – collaboration is good in theory but it’s really people dependent. So much depends on individuals, their mindsets and who’s in what roles.
• Ongoing restructuring/people turn over in Councils. Having to continually restart relationships impacts on momentum and impact.
• Government departments generically cancelling programmes/contracts, even when effective locally-led services are in place e.g. When the Ministry of Education cancelled MPHS’s 10-year HIPPY contract in 2022 they were supporting 50 local families and had a waiting list. MPHS long term success was built from supporting whānau well, and going door to door to engage and enrol vulnerable families because they knew who they were.  

ADVICE FOR COUNCILS AND OTHERS LOOKING TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY STRUCTURES THAT SUPPORT DELIVERY OF LOCAL COMMUNITY OUTCOMES:

• Local community facilities are a key lever for local development, community connections and wellbeing collaboration. Community-led (as opposed to Council run) hubs are more vibrant, active and cost-effective spaces. When a local community has skin in the game, they care and co-invest and can be responsive to what’s needed, holding community-led values.
• While ownership should be in the community, Council needs to be connected and enabling things too. It’s about collaboration not devolution. There’s a huge opportunity to bring the technical skills/resources of Councils and others together with the community development/relational/social process skills of community anchor organisations. Most complex issues have both technical and community elements so you need to have both working together to make real progress.  
• Ensure capacity building support (e.g.professional and organisational development) is included above and beyond service delivery contracts, along with resource to enable ongoing community listening, engagement and relationship mahi.
• In health there are huge opportunities to partner with grass roots organisations and community hubs like MPHS who have local relationships and support bases to build new local wellbeing approaches. With the right support, community hubs could become new wellbeing hubs.
• Ensure local anchor organisations have really solid foundations in place before setting expectations that they grow to take on lots more. Provide HR support when and as they grow and assist them to build their communications and storytelling capacity so that everyone knows what’s happening – locally and externally too.

Focus Paihia – Championing Community-driven Action

This case study was curated to spark thinking about local structures and approaches that can enable communities to improve their own wellbeing. It’s part of a wider Think Piece, Powering Up Communities to Deliver Local Wellbeing 2024, commissioned by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council.

JOURNEY TO DATE

The start point for Focus Paihia was a realisation that it was time to stop waiting for someone else to fix the town’s problems and for the town to work together and ‘get their hands dirty’ and make positive change happen. In 2009, the community came together to shape a plan of action which included creating an aspirational vision for the Paihia village centre. In the 15 months that followed, this vision was turned into a Council-mandated village master plan that continues to guide activities today.

Place making (community inspired improvements to public places) has provided a key vehicle for the community driven urban design and action that has helped transform Paihia over the last decade. The very first project saw around 100 volunteers renovate an unattractive public space next to the local I-Site, supported by a $5,000 community board grant. The results were visible, generated a sense of local pride and helped foster next phase interest and momentum for further community -led action in the town. Over the last decade, Focus Paihia initiatives have included:

• Revitalising multiple public spaces, including the town’s waterfront area, local reserves, playgrounds, walkways and public toilets.  
• New water fountains, a swimming pontoon, and BBQs for community use.
• Painting murals to brighten the town that reflect the Paihia’s history, flora and fauna.
• Purchasing and installing CCTV cameras to address safety concerns in the village centre.
• Employing Town Custodians – who, as part of a contract with the Council, are paid to take care of regular tasks to keep the town looking beautiful such as emptying rubbish bins, cleaning toilets and sweeping footpaths.
• Establishing a Village Green market to make the town more vibrant, attract people to stop in the town, and provide an additional activity for cruise ship visitors over the September – May period.
• Creating a new mountain bike park at Waitangi.
• Hosting annual volunteer of the year awards to celebrate outstanding local leaders.
• Establishing annual arts, cultural and sports small grants to support other local organisations doing good in Paihia.
• Making a $150k donation to support Paihia 200 year heritage celebrations.
• Opening a volunteer-managed Op Shop to financially support Focus Paihia’s community change efforts.

In 2015, Focus Paihia’s efforts were nationally recognised when they were honoured as NZ Community of the Year. With continuity of strong local leadership and a business-like approach to its activities, Focus Paihia has continued to grow from strength to strength with a strong desire to keep doing things better and celebrate community project successes along the way.

Looking into the future, the mix of Focus Paihia activities is likely to stay the same, with more exploration of social support for the town on the horizon as noted above. There’s also a bubbling interest in environmental sustainability, including community gardens, and local food generation. There’s also recognition of the increasing importance of growing community connections through key national celebrations like Waitangi Day and Matariki.

ORGANISATIONAL MODEL

Rather than a ‘doer’ of projects, Focus Paihia is clear in its role as facilitator, supporter and (often) co funder of community projects. Focus Paihia projects are volunteer-led and driven by community champions, with local businesses, iwi, community groups (such as Rotary and Lions) and local residents collectively getting in behind to support with their time, equipment and resources. Community working bees are regularly called as needed to help build and/or spruce things up to keep the town looking good.

The Focus Paihia Trust Board that oversees Focus Paihia activities includes an intentional mix of local leadership from different parts of the community, with local Māori, business and young people formally represented on the Trust. In this way, Focus Paihia has been able to grow in ways that are cognisant of and connected to a wide range of aspirations, issues and opportunities seen for the town.

The Focus Paihia Trust board meets monthly, with the organisation’s sole paid position a 10 hour a week coordinator role, focused on supporting trustees and their meetings, responding to general enquiries, and supporting communications with the wider town via regular community e-newsletters, and updates to the Focus Paihia Facebook page and website.  

An annual community get together is a key mechanism through which the Focus Paihia team share back with the community what’s been achieved over the year, this process is a way to celebrate collective success and enable local accountability for outcomes. The event also includes space to talk about community needs and what else would make a positive difference for people and place. Moving from ideas to action is contingent upon people putting their hands up to own and champion causes they care about and are prepared to put time into. Focus Paihia’s role is to come alongside and support as needed. This might include approaching Council or other key stakeholders for support, making funding applications, providing resources, putting out the call for volunteers and/or other resources needed to help make things happen.  

Invitations for community ideas are also encouraged throughout the year via the Focus Paihia website, with Focus Paihia also hosting community discussions, surveys and workshops as needed. For example a broader community call for ideas came ahead of a two day community design workshop in early 2023 and helped bring locals together to think about what could be done to rejuvenate the southern entrance to town and the waterfront area. Around 35 locals attended the hui which was facilitated by Australian placemaking expert David Enwight, who has supported a number of successful community makeover projects in the town.

While Focus Paihia relies significantly on volunteer leadership and contribution, there are limits to a purely volunteer-led model.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

Community engagement and collaboration lies at the heart of Focus Paihia, with the Trust Deed requiring “Focus Pahia to seek and recognise the views and expectations of both local residents and tangata whenua of the Paihia District” in their activities.

From the very early days, considerable effort has gone into building relationships with key stakeholders such as the Far North District Council (FNDC) and The NZ Transport Agency/Waka Kotahi and local iwi upon whose land and jurisdiction Focus Paihia activities have been very closely connected.

While relationships with hapū and iwi are positive, both sides are committed to respectfully keep working through any issues as forward plans for the town are progressed.

Attention to relationships is important to current Focus Paihia Chair Peter Robinson who meets regularly with the Chairs of the Paihia Business Association and the Bay of Islands – Whangaroa Community Board. He notes the complementary roles each group plays in supporting the town’s development and the value in finding opportunities where the three organisations can work together, whilst also respecting each other’s differences.

FUNDING AND SUPPORT

Resourcing of Focus Paihia activities comes from a variety of sources – contracts, grants, donations, enterprise earnings and volunteer contributions of time/resources.

In 2022, Focus Paihia’s flagship op shop generated a $139k profit that was directed into community-led initiatives in the town. With the op shop entirely volunteer run, this income stream is a key component of Focus Paihia’s sustainable funding model. Being part of the op shop team also provides a valued way for passionate locals to connect and contribute to Focus Paihia efforts, with the dedicated team often working weekends to restock the shop and get ready for the following week’s trade. A TV screen with a rolling Focus Paihia slideshow is displayed at the op shop to help promote the group’s activities and let customers know what their shop purchases are supporting. A forward thinking, entrepreneurial approach also led to Focus Paihia purchasing the op shop building.

While huge community generosity and an enterprising approach have underpinned Focus Paihia’s model from the start, not everything is expected to generate a financial return. Activities such as the markets on the Village Green return relatively little to Focus Paihia, but provide other benefits such as vibrancy, bumping spaces for locals and visitors alike to meet and connect, as well as enabling business development opportunities for creative locals.

As noted earlier, Focus Paihia is also a mechanism through which Paihia passionate locals can direct donations and respond to community support requests. For example in 2019, a local resident donated $10k to support something that benefited local and visiting children. Focus Paihia facilitated discussions which resulted in the donation supporting completion of shade sails over the local primary school playground which is used by local and visiting children alike.

While Focus Paihia contracts with FNDC annually to support a range of activities such as the Town Custodians, there’s recognition that as time progresses, there may be less financial support at Council’s end due to growing fiscal constraints. FNDC however is keen to see how the Focus Paihia model could be activated more widely in their district and is looking to open up their procurement process next year to increase opportunities for new community-led suppliers to provide services in their part of the rohe.

BARRIERS/ENABLERS OF SUSTAINABILITY AND GROWTH

ENABLERS:

• Working in business like ways with a clear vision and purpose.
• Finding ways to welcome contributions from everyone – noting that while you need lots of people to champion things, whatever goes ahead has to be what the community wants and needs, not just an individual’s pet project.
• Great communication – with multiple channels to proactively share information so that people know what you’re about, what’s coming up, how to get involved, and what’s being achieved through community collaboration and contribution.
• Partnerships with Council and others so that community accessed grant funds and contributions can be matched with ratepayer funds to achieve so much more in the town.

BARRIERS:

• Volunteer time and capacity – impacts of cost of living increases are practically impacting on volunteer time/resource contributions in the town.
• Relationship turnover in key partner agencies such as the FNDC, which then requires time to rebuild trust and knowledge about the collaborative Paihia way of doing things.
• Someone proactively dedicated to fundraising is needed so that new potential sources of funding are known in advance of needing them.
• Contract limits – Focus Paihia would love to be doing maintenance of civic facilities they’re looking after, not just keeping things clean. But that also requires another layer of coordination and skillsets on hand to help fix things.

ADVICE FOR COUNCILS AND OTHERS LOOKING TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY STRUCTURES THAT SUPPORT DELIVERY OF LOCAL COMMUNITY OUTCOMES:

• When there’s a group of people who want to do things for their community, back and support them to get started. It’s good to start small, do things that are visible so everyone can see. Building confidence and local pride as you go means each small success can be leveraged for the next project.
• Pay attention to relationships and collaborate wherever you can – success is about interdependence not independence.
• Ensure the basics are done well – financial systems, transparency and communications so that accountabilities are clear and everyone can see where money is coming in/going out.
• Enabling flexible place-based funding in long term Council plans, with priorities for co-investment determined in conversations with communities in real time to tap into local energy and contribution.

Environment Network Manawatū – Collective Impact, Together

This case study was curated to spark thinking about local structures and approaches that can enable communities to improve their own wellbeing. It’s part of a wider Think Piece, Powering Up Communities to Deliver Local Wellbeing 2024, commissioned by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council.

JOURNEY TO DATE

From small beginnings and the passion and drive of a select group of founders, ENM has evolved today into an environmental organisation that is unique for being led by the voices and shared input of its 65+member groups. A wide range of projects are undertaken by ENM member groups each year with ENM’s key purpose focused on facilitating and enabling communication, co-operation and increasing collective action amongst its member groups and the wider community. Leadership is provided by underpinning, fostering, and encouraging environmental initiatives in the region. ENM member groups work across the Manawatū River catchment area and cover a wide range of interests that include:

• Freshwater quality
• Regeneration and biodiversity
• Food security and resilience
• Alternative energies
• Sustainable living
• Active transport

The network is organised into two collectives: Manawatū Food Action Network and Manawatū River Source to Sea, with both strands caring for and supporting environmental activities and connecting people.

ENM has been strategic in their approach – enabling a collective voice right from the start at a time when smaller groups did not have agency. Coming together to make a collective statement has given the environment a much stronger voice in the Manawatū. Their calculated collective approach has involved finding ways to make collaboration work for everyone.

In 2015 workshops were held to consider what was needed to set up a 10-year plan for ENM. Through this process, a decision was made to align ENM goals to Palmerston North City Council’s environmental goals, with the ENM plan articulating what ENM was going to do to make the City’s goals happen. ENM’s strategic plan is reviewed every 2 to 3 years by ENM governance with membership consultation and continues to provide a great platform for maximising potential collaboration.

ORGANISATIONAL MODEL

Governed by its member groups, a management committee of up to 9 people from across the ENM membership is elected at the AGM each year. There is also room to co-opt to fill vacancies if required. ENM are active members of Environment Hubs Aotearoa who provide backbone support and connection to other environmental hubs nationwide.

With a strong sense of responsibility to the region, ENM relies on numerous volunteer hours, communicating an extensive list of opportunities volunteers can contribute to. Volunteers also support ENM via their participation on governance (management committee), some project delivery around public events, and advocacy. The contribution from the volunteers allows the organisation to be more flexible and responsive to the community, with over 2,700 volunteer hours clocked for the 2023 financial year.

Some diverse collaborative projects within the current ENM umbrella include:

• Ruahine Kiwi – partnering with Te Kāuru Eastern Manawatū River Hapū Collective (Te Kāuru) with the vision of returning North Island eastern brown kiwi to the southern Ruahine by 2026.
• Plastic Pollution Challenge – a collaborative initiative with Massey University’s Zero Waste Academy, Rangitāne o Manawatū, Te Kāuru in Dannevirke and RECAP in Ashhurst to deliver a range of initiatives to clean up local waterways.
• Manawatū Food Action Network – a collective of nearly 40 organisations and initiatives collaborating on food security, resilience, and localisation. Two key initiatives focus on the mitigation of food insecurity in the Palmerston North 4412 postcode area and supporting backyard gardens.
• Creative, tailored delivery of The Future Living Skills Programme, a nationwide, local government supported and funded programme encouraging lifestyles that generate less carbon to the air, less waste to landfills and less pollution to rivers.
• Palmerston North Repair Café, spearheaded and supported through ENM as well as helping to develop a repair cafe in Fielding.

ENM Coordinator Madz BatachEl describes their direction as “intentional and strategic as well as flying by the seat of our pants.”

With the ENM staff team experiencing ongoing high demand for connection and support, the stretched team is having to make some tough choices on where to prioritise their time across so many very worthy projects. Feeling pushed and pulled and wanting to deliver at the highest possible level, the team is mindful of looking after themselves and their colleagues’ mental wellbeing.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

ENM work hard investing in key relationships across the network and with a broad range of environment partners and stakeholders. Their highly skilled team know and understand the regional eco system in which people are central to making change. ENM are not necessarily there to deliver special projects or to develop projects but to understand who is doing what and then co-ordinate across the range of activities happening. Describing themselves as holding the space and doing the boring bits so others can reach their dream, “it is important to keep doing that, so they don’t have to.”

ENM are able to provide guidance on strategic approaches to environmental issues and action. Rather than leaping in and finding solutions they pause and constantly consider “what is our real role here?” Madz reflects that “in some ways we are leading and other times, we are participating, but we are always building community and connecting.” She notes that attracting resources to do this essential back room coordinating and gluing work is challenging.

Reporting is largely driven by data, and Madz stresses it is important to tell stories and to inspire as it’s the impact of their work that matters most. Often after workshops, events, trainings, engagements, hui (gatherings) or simple small interactions it is hard to know or see what the immediate impacts are. She notes that outputs focused data does not capture the other flow-on changes that may have occurred such as behaviour change, environmental change and the increase in knowledge and skills, which often has long lasting impacts across neighbourhoods, whānau and friends.

Some of ENM’s own learnings have been to frame and negotiate contracts where they can be non-specific about what they’ll count and build in ways to explore what really matters through impact stories, as projects progress. They are finding that combining data and stories helps paint a broader view.

With a strong track record of working with integrity toward great results which itself helps attract resources, there’s a high level of trust and belief in what ENM does and can do. This leads to lots of approaches for ENM involvement. Rather than simply say “yes we will do that” – the team now pauses to consider things asking:

• Do we have the capacity?
• What are we best to do here?
• Do we co-ordinate, lead, or bring in others?
• Who is missing from this conversation and how can we extend this project by collaborating with others?

At the heart of these decisions is making sure the intent and outcome is solid and viable. For example, an opportunity arose to manage one new garden but having the networks and shared resources to coordinate many more gardens in the area, ENM extended the project which has led to far greater impact. Over 100 backyard gardens have been installed since 2020, supported through volunteer time, resources and donations. This process has enabled much more as a result, with more open doors for the community to connect and learn about gardening. Initial success also led on to finding a project sponsor, and resourcing a local food growing champion, Beth Lew, whose tender approach inspires and empowers whānau. ENM are now able to employ someone for one day per week, build on existing previous strategies around food resilience, and accelerate them with other organisations who are bringing community voices to the food insecurity conversation.

ENM recognises that informal groups have great ideas and want to respond to a local need but they don’t want the paperwork or meetings that goes with it. Being the underpinning support for groups is a key role that ENM plays, happily shouldering the backroom infrastructure so good work can get done.

FUNDING AND SUPPORT

Funding is received from a range of grants and some donations. Key projects funding e.g. support for Ruahine Kiwi, has come through Department of Conservation’s (DOC) Jobs for Nature programme. Other key kai resilience related programmes have been supported by Lottery Community funds. Core operational funding comes via PNCC’s Sector Lead Partnership funding, Horizons Regional Council’s Climate response fund, and a partnership with Kāinga Ora, with Environment Hubs Aotearoa resourcing ENM’s capacity building activities. A range of smaller grants cover other operational and project expenses.

ENM also acts a fundholder and backbone for some of its 65+ member groups, enabling them to get on with doing and delivery. For example ENM take donations on behalf of one group (Whiowhio hut), sell jam for Timona Park Orchard Trust, sell books/calendars for Ruahine Whio Protectors and Awahuri Kitchener Park Trust, and umbrella the work of Growing Gardens and Communities by securing funding and employing a casual staff member to provide physical labour.  

While constantly being drawn into the quest for funding, ENM acknowledge that they are well supported by PNCC. Twenty plus years of respected work means that ENM are now recognised as PNCC’s sector lead partner for the environment, and there is an expectation to deliver on that partnership. Part of the partnership involves providing Environmental Initiatives Grants to the community. For the last three years, an ENM Environmental Initiatives Fund Sub-Committee has made decisions on both small (up to $1k) and large (up to $12k) grants to support projects that deliver on PNCC’s and ENM’s environmental outcomes. In 2023, $49k was allocated from the large grants to support the mahi of seven different organisations. Small grants are able to be distributed to individuals or informal groups as ENM hold the funds and can reimburse actual project expenses or pay invoices directly if the individual is not able to do so upfront.

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES TO SUSTAINABILITY AND GROWTH AT ENM

Given difficulties in knowing what is going to happen during the year that might require pivoting or more funding, ENM would like to see more flexibility in contracts to allow them to do the work but be more able to renegotiate outputs and outcomes as required. Inclusion of support for ENM organisational capacity building would also be timely – with a need their end to develop more skills in business/commercial delivery models so that the organisation can more fully understand the value of their work and the time good work takes, so that this can be better built into contracts.

Like other community groups, Madz says ENM may not believe in themselves enough and while staff come into the organisation with passion and a reason for being here, being a small team without access to a HR manager, recruitment consultants, and adequate capacity for communications support puts constraints on people’s time and stretches them across multiple roles. Solutions to these issues that EMN and others face could be secondments from Councils, or access to groups who offer specific project support pro bono. People resources are highly valued and supporting the contributions they are able to make is vitally important.

CHALLENGES:

• Uncertainty and instability brought about by DOC’s Jobs for Nature funding cuts, including little discussion with DOC around what this means for the 1800 new traps ENM and its hapū collective partners have put on the ground in the Ruahine Ranges. While Jobs for Nature funding has practically enabled new local skills and jobs and built on the ground knowledge and community connections, there is a real fear these assets could just disappear, which means considerable investments of time, energy and infrastructure might effectively be wasted.
• High volume of ongoing requests for knowledge and support. Currently ENM don’t have the resources available to respond to every request.
• With demand and need for ENM services are growing, ENM are mindful of the balancing act required and not taking on too much. The priority is ensuring staff are looking after themselves and not reaching breaking point.
• Social enterprises are often seen as the answer to funding sustainability. There are some good models such as Beautification Trust in South Auckland, however dedicated, funded time and resources are required to properly explore and test the benefits and viability of a social enterprise model.

OPPORTUNITIES:

• Future development – opportunities are coming faster from great relationships that have been built and nurtured. Environment Hubs Aotearoa is working hard to see how ENM can upskill, move beyond project to project and enable greater funding stability to sustain and grow their staff team.
• Recognising and valuing the need for upskilling in community consultancy mechanisms for future contracting with councils and others.

ADVICE FOR COUNCILS AND OTHERS LOOKING TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY STRUCTURES THAT SUPPORT DELIVERY OF LOCAL COMMUNITY OUTCOMES:

• Hubs around the country could recover food waste for councils through local community collection or drop off points for food scraps. At present, most council defaults are to generic household commercial collection models. Community-based solutions and models would provide additional opportunities for community members to bump into each other, and learn more about composting, gardening and more sustainable living.
• Communities provide a wealth of knowledge, local expertise, local relationships, and access to diverse views – tapping into this should be paid for, not expected for free.
• Communities trust community organisations and don’t always engage with councils. When they have had positive interactions with local community organisations, they open up to them in different, honest and raw ways. Often, community organisations are the conduit that can advocate, advise, and give a voice for others.  Again, value the expertise brought to the table by paying community organisations in the same way you would pay other professional contractors for a specialised skill set.

Child Rich Communities – we all want what’s best for our tamariki! 

After the launch of the Child Rich Bright Spots Report back in 2016, a number of the community-led initiatives featured in the report came together to share learning and ideas. Some were based around an early childhood hub, others around developing their local park, some focused on engaging and empowering leadership of local parents, others on youth voice, supporting gang whānau, and building safe streets for kids. What the group first saw was how different they all were. After the morning’s korero though, what they all shared in common was much clearer – enabling wellbeing for their tamariki.

This is a timely reminder of the need to focus on what unites us, rather than what divides us. Focusing our efforts on our children and youth brings joy, hope, possibility and resilience. Especially when we let their voices and energy lead out on what matters most to them. They can help us as adults transcend barriers and divisions, if we’re willing to share power and put their needs and ideas at the centre. 

The care environment our children live in is crucial. We know so know much about those first three years of life, and the importance of a stable and supportive homelife and community. Time and again we see that children and youth thrive when they are connected to whenua/place and feel a sense of belonging and identity. 

Mātauranga Māori inherently knows that connection to whenua, to place, relationships and whakapapa is nurturing and mauri-ora building. The NZ Child Youth Wellbeing Strategy lists connection as a key determinant of wellbeing. The Strategy and its 2022 Review noted the importance of harnessing collective ownership and involvement of children and young people, enabling whānau centred, community-led approaches, and embedding te ao Māori concepts of wellbeing. And yet, committed investment and focus in these areas remains slim.  

As a Child Protection Consultant for many years, I remained constantly surprised how quickly we adults assume a default ‘adult view’ position in our methods of engagement. Without a deep and holistic commitment to go beyond the tick boxes- to really lead out with youth, child and whānau-led and centred responsive practice, with inbuilt reality checks and reviews –the same old things happen. 

So, are we doing enough in our work lives, our personal lives and our community lives, to ensure this pathway of resilience and health, of connection to place, is available directly to our children? Many places across the motu are and we need to hear more about these. This why the Child Rich Communities project was created – to elevate and celebrate those locally working in mana enhancing ways with and for our tamariki. 

In Aotearoa, there are some amazing youth-led projects and spaces, whānau led community hubs, and child focused initiatives which are being driven and led by local places. Where these initiatives have a focus on leadership by rangatahi, whānau and tamariki, whānau become involved from all generations, neighbours are brought along too. Many different services begin to connect and provide support where it’s needed. Soon wellbeing outcomes increase for a pocket of that community, sparking potential for wider impact in the rest of the community too.  

Te Tiriti o Waitangi provides us with a foundation and pathway to shape our engagement with all tamariki, rangatahi and whānau in community. Communities around the motu have reported the Child Rich Community Practices are a useful starting point to nudge into this child and youth-rich way of engaging, of enabling self-determination and collective leadership around what matters locally.  

For 2024, let’s deepen our commitment to work together for the health of our children and young people, in the place where they live, the place where they can belong – their community.  

Mā whero, mā pango ka oti ai te mahi 
With red and black the work will be complete 

Mary-Jane Rivers becomes an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit

First, to go back to the early 2000s. Mary-Jane was extremely concerned at the way communities had been hollowed out by the massive socio-economic reforms of the 1980s and 1990s. They brought with them growing levels of intergenerational unemployment and inequality, a market model preference for competition over collaboration and a sense of despair, frustration and powerlessness in many communities. At the same Mary-Jane also observed pockets of hope in few local places where through intentional collaboration and working differently together, positive locally-led change was happening. 

During 2004-6, Mary-Jane had many, many of cups of tea, tapping into her extensive web of relationships and connections across community, philanthropy, academia, iwi and central and local government. She wanted to understand what others were noticing about was working and how together they might respond. During that time it became clear to Mary-Jane that there was an emerging opportunity for new collective action to help communities reassert their value and agency for finding solutions in  their places. 

Many of us talk about what could be done to change things, few people actually take up the national leadership mantel and act. 

Mary-Jane’s committed catalytic leadership, those many cups of tea resulted in the creation of the Inspiring Communities Trust – a new national organisation to champion and support community-led development in Aotearoa. Seventeen years on, Inspiring Communities has long since been recognised as one of New Zealand’s leading community organisations. More important however, is the national network of 5000 people, groups, agencies and communities currently on our database, and 4000 people who connect via our social media channels. This movement for community-led change in Aotearoa is Mary-Jane’s legacy.   

Starting a national change movement from scratch is no easy task! Inspiring Communities’ success is largely due to the very meticulous way she curated our set up phase, creating an overarching culture that was participatory, inclusive and courageous. Responsive to what was needed next. Eighty-hour weeks were not uncommon, she and her family gave so much over an intensive five year period to bring the aspiration of Inspiring Communities to life. 

To ensure its ongoing success, Mary-Jane intentionally moved from the inaugural Development Manager role onto the Inspiring Communities Governance Board in late 2011, spending some time as Chair, before stepping down in 2015. She has continued to be a supporter of our mahi, forever making introductions and connections for Inspiring Communities with like minded peers, and with those that could do with our support as they cross her path.   

Mary-Jane’s leadership style comes without ego, and is embedded in a dogged determination to do what needs to be done, not just for people – but with people. She is relentlessly optimistic, with her passion and commitment to collective approaches inspiring hope, trust and confidence that the world can be a better place. She is a person that others want to be around and support – as she in turn always enables for others. 

National recognition of Mary-Jane’s community service achievements is timely and so very well deserved. This is one small way, the nation can ‘give back’ so she knows her life’s passion and years of service has been both noticed and appreciated. 

Ngā mihi mahana Mary-Jane.