Learning, leading and local change – Sept2025
This month we’ve been celebrating te reo Māori as part of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori. More than a language, te reo carries whakapapa, wairua and ways of being. It’s also been a great excuse to test our tongues and reconnect with the kaupapa that guides us.
In this pānui, you’ll find an upcoming Community Building Block focused on bringing Te Tiriti principles to life in CLD, alongside recordings of our Tūhono Impact webinar and kōrero from our Child Rich Communities whānau. Our regular offerings continue too, including CLD 101 and the Micro-credential programme.
And of course, I’d be remiss not to give you a gentle nudge toward your local ballot box. Voting is open now. Have your say in the places and decisions that shape your community.
– Aaron Hawkins, Director, Inspiring Communities
Rooted in Community: Introducing Tūhono Impact – Aug 2025
We’re so excited to introduce Tūhono Impact! A new, free resource developed by Powerdigm to help you understand, measure, and share the impact of your mahi.
Across Aotearoa, many organisations are navigating the uncertainty of new expectations around social investment and impact measurement. Tūhono Impact was developed to respond to that, providing a practical, values-based tool to support organisations to stay connected to their purpose, voice, and community. This approach is unique to Aotearoa.
It isn’t just a framework; it’s a practical, DIY resource co-developed with kaupapa Māori and community organisations, evaluators, and researchers. It includes worksheets, examples, and reflection prompts to help you assess, improve, and confidently share your impact story.
Check it out, spread the word across your networks and jump online to walk through the tool with us in our upcoming webinar!
🔗 Visit the website: tuhonoimpact.nz
The Power of Rangatahi-Led Community Change
“Take care of our children. Take care of what they hear, see, and feel. For how the children grow, so will the shape of Aotearoa.” – Dame Whina Cooper
Building child-rich communities means focusing our engagement and collaboration on the potential of our tamariki and rangatahi. Across the motu, many are passionate about building resilient communities for and with our young people, knowing that connection to each other and to place is essential. Tangata whenua have long understood this, offering rich lessons for community development.
In times of rapid and often challenging change, our mokopuna need strength and resilience to meet what lies ahead. Strong connections, mana motuhake, and a sense of being empowered and valued foster resilience and hauora. When we help these flourish in our mokopuna, we all benefit.
This pānui is packed with resources, stories, and events – including our next online kōrero, Learning Cluster updates, a free toolkit, and a trauma‑informed CLD workshop. Dive in, explore, and see what sparks your thinking and mahi!
Building stronger, connected communities – Aug 2025
Kia ora e te whānau,
There’s power in having the right tools and using your voice, and this month’s pānui reflect both. From our upcoming trauma-informed workshop and practical resources like the Tūhono Impact launch, to our online kōrero on community-led change for tamariki and rangatahi, we’re supporting the mahi happening across the motu.
As local elections approach, I also offer my own reflections on why your voice, and your vote, matter more than ever. Read on, learn more, and be part of shaping thriving, connected communities.
– Aaron Hawkins, Director, Inspiring Communities
Growing CLD practice! From local stories to global connections – July 2025
Kia ora e te whānau,
As I approach a year in this role, I’ve been reflecting on the rich learning, connection, and momentum we’ve seen throughout Aotearoa. I’ll share more on that next month, but for now, I want to acknowledge the many of you who are continuing to grow practice, share knowledge, and hold space for community voice.
That energy is reflected in the opportunities emerging across our community-led development landscape. From local workshops to global conferences, there’s plenty happening. This month we’re highlighting some of our upcoming events, with stories and insights that speak to the real impact of community-led approaches in action.
We’re steadily building out our CLD offerings to support individuals, teams, and whole organisation. If you’re looking to strengthen capability or would like a sounding board for your next steps, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’re here to help.
– Aaron Hawkins, Director, Inspiring Communities
Matariki Mā Puanga, celebrate together – June 2025
Kia ora e te whānau,
As Matariki and Puanga rise, we enter a time to reflect, reconnect, and reimagine. This year’s theme, Matariki mā Puanga, speaks directly to the heart of community-led development, reminding us that while regional stories and practices differ, it’s this diversity that enriches our shared identity and strengthens our collective wellbeing. At Inspiring Communities, we see this every day in the many ways communities are leading responses to the challenges and opportunities they face.
Strong communities grow from strong relationships – May 2025
This month, we return to what really matters: people, connection, and starting where we are. We’re sharing tools, stories, and insights to support your mahi, with a focus on strengthening relationships, whether with neighbours, councils, or within your team.
Our upcoming Getting Started in CLD online workshop offers practical tools, fresh perspectives, and real-world insight to support you to strengthen relationships in your community.
‘Tis the season for collaboration too, so I’ve shared a few thoughts on what it takes to get councils and communities working well together, following on from last week’s Community Building Block session.
For more inspiration, check out our free Child Rich Communities kōrero, sharing the journey of Stone Soup and Te Ora Hou, or dive into our flexible CLD 101 Online Module, available anytime, anywhere, for a self-paced introduction or refresher.
Heaps of good stuff this month, dive in and share with your networks!
– Aaron Hawkins, Director, Inspiring Communities
Shaping better systems for better outcomes – Powerdigm April 2025
| Kia ora koutou,Promoting and supporting community-led approaches is one of our core values, so when I came across a short piece I wrote for Inspiring Communities a decade ago on the benefits of taking a community-led approach to economic and social policy, I was pleased to see it has aged well! |
| “Putting the community at the centre of the change process can improve the return on investment because it is more effective, efficient and enduring, and it achieves a wider range of benefits than traditional policy approaches alone.”These basic points are still relevant for the current social return on investment policy, and are embedded in our Powerdigm project on demonstrating social impact. Donna Provoost, Director |
Ngāhuru – Autumn has arrived! Child Rich Communities pānui
Ngāhuru – Autumn has arrived! To all of our whānau around the motu affected by the weather, kia kaha – we are thinking of you.
This pānui, our second of 2025, highlights the start of the Learning Cluster engagement with four incredible community groups around the motu who are each intentionally engaging with mokopuna and whānau to reshape the narrative and response around child and whānau-led empowerment and decision-making.
We also have the first of our online kōrero for this year, where we reconnect with one of our original Bright Spots from 2014. Read on to find out more!
Strengthening Your CLD Practice – March 2025
Community-led development (CLD) is a journey of learning, connecting, and taking action and we’ve got some great opportunities coming up to support your mahi!
If you’re just starting out, explore our self-paced CLD 101 online module or join our interactive Getting Started in CLD workshop this May. We’re also offering a free Community Building Block focused on making local government work better for your community, a great opportunity to dive into practical tools for local change. And if you missed the Hapori Aotearoa – Growing Communities Together conference, highlights, resources, and photo gallery are now live. Plenty to inspire your next steps!
Read on to find out more!