SHAPING the FUTURE Enabling Community-Led Change
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SHAPING THE FUTURE Enabling Community-led Change. Kia whakamana i te whakawhanake ā-hapori. SHAPING THE FUTURE P. 2 FOREWORD from Inspiring Communities. Mā te huruhuru, The COVID-19 pandemic is an extraordinary challenge “ To make a difference, we ka rere te manu. that has required extraordinary solutions. Harvesting and need to be up for change, documenting the extraordinary, to distill what we now including changing Adorn the bird with know possible, lies at the heart of this report. ourselves, no matter feathers so it can fly. where we sit.” Thanks to Covid, we have a new to activate positive change reference point for what can be (Te Whakawhanake ā-Hapori). achieved when we all work together COVID-19 has taught us many things. – in our communities and as a nation. High up on the list is that when it One of the major lessons from Covid was required, people ran from their is just how much place matters. We silos, stepped up, focused on shared all live in a place and every place has purpose and got ‘#@it’ done. Power unique strengths, assets, contexts was shared because it was the right and wisdom. When we build on these, and necessary thing to do. We all transformative change becomes understand a crisis enables this – the possible. Understanding and activating opportunity now is to embed these all the resources in our places is key to changes in the way we work all the enhancing social, economic, cultural time. Using what we’ve learned and environmental wellbeing. can help us solve other complex Inspiring Communities1 proudly flies the challenges which have spent too flag of community-led development; long mired in top down mindsets and but we understand for some the ‘led’ inflexible responses. part is misunderstood. Shaping the Future is rooted in the Community-led development does experiences, insight and wisdom not mean that local residents or generously offered by those we community organisations are sole interviewed. It also draws on the decision makers. Rather it recognises knowledge and understanding that that successful solutions cannot sits within the Inspiring Communities be parachuted in from the outside. team. Our expertise comes from Success is framed within a collective many years of working with and lens – a local systems approach – where alongside communities, and in everyone has something to contribute navigating all layers of the system. 1 For more about Inspiring Communities see page 20 SHAPING THE FUTURE P. 3 We proudly use this to interpret and provide context to this report. As you read Shaping the Future, we ask that you both reflect and take action to realise the potential of community-led action, local resilience and nationwide revitalisation. We are all part of the system; we all have spheres of influence and can all be part of solutions. To make a difference, we need to be up for change, including changing ourselves, no matter where we sit. We also need to be up for working collectively, leaving no one behind. While much of the innovation and action discussed here predates COVID-19, we now need to do more – because when our communities are resilient, Aotearoa is a better place for everyone to live. Nō reira ruku mai, whāia te mātauranga hei oranga mō tātou katoa. Community food distribution, Tāneatua. SHAPING THE FUTURE P. 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TAKING ACTION Decentralise. Devolve funding and power to hāpu and local communities. Involve hapū and Aotearoa’s success in eliminating COVID-19 is remarkable, communities in design and local decision-making matched by only a few other countries in the world. It processes alongside iwi, councils, business, and other required not only effective leadership and fast action by key stakeholders. Support tino rangatiratanga and central government, but also the co-ordinated effort of local self-determination. thousands of local people around the country. Recognise and respect difference. A variety of responses will be needed to serve and support diverse parts of local communities and enable equity. One Working together, individuals, whānau, carry forward the things that worked size solutions do not fit all, and imposing them can hapū, iwi, NGOs, councils, agencies well during the crisis: high trust undermine local initiatives and marginalise those and businesses ensured the hauora funding, use of technology, better outside the mainstream. (health and wellbeing) of their co-ordination and mobilisation of communities. Clear messaging and local resources, and nimble, flexible Value people and relationships. People, expectations, a strong sense of shared responses. Embedding these ways of connections and trust make things happen. Build purpose, empowering people to work working into ‘business as usual’ will social infrastructure through networks, brokering differently and adequate resourcing result in more effective responses and weaving roles. Relationship comes before were key central government enablers to ongoing challenges – as well as partnership. of these locally-led responses. future crises. Embed collaboration. Look for further opportunities Drawing on the assets and strengths Community resilience will be key to to work with others, especially across silos. Partnering already in place, including strong facing these challenges. We now makes better use of local resources, shares risk and leadership, trusted relationships and know that how well we look after encourages innovation and learning. diverse connections, local responses our most vulnerable impacts on the Build local economic resilience and redefine were incredibly successful. Tino safety and wellbeing of all, and we shovel ready. Fund locally-led enterprise and action. rangatiratanga saw hapū and iwi take have a new appreciation of the value Support processes and capability building that a leading role. United with a shared of spending time with our whānau, connects and builds more integrated social and vision, communities came together connecting with our communities, economic capacity. quickly and organised solutions that enjoying our local places and Tolerate more risk. Complex challenges require were generous, holistic and mobilised supporting our local businesses. creative responses to see what works. Mandate resources to enable an effective local We have a once in a lifetime innovation and learning and provide flexible funding systems response. opportunity to ‘build back better’ that allows for change and adaptation. As a result, there’s a new respect in many different spheres. To do this for – and confidence within – local we need to leverage and embed communities, hapū and iwi, who’ve key system shifts brought to light shown how effectively they can through the rāhui, by taking the respond. There’s now an opportunity to following actions: For more about Inspiring Communities see page 20 SHAPING THE FUTURE P. 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Ka nui te mihi ki a koutou CONTENTSPractices in katoa i tautoko i ngā Action E&E kōrero nei. Tēnā koutou FOREWORD mō tō koutou kaha me tō koutou manawanui ki te SETTING THE SCENE PG 6 āwhina i tēnei kaupapa HOW COMMUNITIES PG 7 hirahira. RESPONDED WHAT WORKED? PG 10 Inspiring Communities would like to thank the many people who so REFLECTIONS generously gave their time to ensure ON THE RĀHUI PG 12 that what they did, observed and What matters? reflected on will endure and contribute to shaping the future. Inspiring WHAT’S IMPORTANT Communities’ kaupapa is sharing PG 13 TO CARRY FORWARD and learning from each other. As an organisation we feel privileged to be WHAT NEXT? working with so many insightful and PG 15 inspirational people. Building local resilience CONCLUSION PG 19 Christina Howard, Megan Courtney, Denise Bijoux and Rachel Roberts. APPENDICES Inspiring Communities Shaping the ABOUT INSPIRING Future Publication team - July 2020. PG 20 COMMUNITIES REPORT PG 21 CONTRIBUTORS Lockdown Teddy Bear Hunt, Aotearoa. SHAPING THE FUTURE P. 6 1.0 | SETTING THE SCENE In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, effective leadership and fast action by government was matched by people and communities across Aotearoa. Both local and nationally-led responses mattered – he waka eke noa, we were in this together. Amidst massive disruption the Our aim was to find out as much impossible became possible, with as possible about local rāhui (lock- amazing examples of community- down) experiences, and to capture: led organising2 and action seen right • some of the new ways of thinking across the country. and working in community that Locally-led checkpoints. Over May and June 2020, the Inspiring emerged. Communities team spoke with nearly • key aspects (mindsets, relationships, 70 people3 -from locals leading kai policies and practices) that we want resiliency, to economic development and need to hold on to rather than and enterprise champions, to hapū fall back into business as usual. The opportunity now is to further leaders, community activists, NGOs • systems change that will enable support locally-led community and central and local government greater community resilience to action, harnessing the power and officials. While not exhaustive, face future challenges and better potential that was activated collectively they covered a wide range enable local wellbeing. during the rāhui to contribute to of sectors, interests, perspectives 4 the social, environmental, cultural and places. Their insights help paint From these conversations , it was and economic revitalisation and a comprehensive picture, not just of clear that collaborative, locally-led reimagination of our country. local experiences but of hopes and action was a key factor that ensured aspirations for the future. the hauora (health and wellbeing) of the population during the rāhui. 2 Community-led and locally-led are interchangeable terms used throughout the report. Both reflect The success of our health response collaborative local planning and action approaches means we can now face the coming built from local contexts, needs and aspirations. global economic recession from a 3 See page 18 for our report contributors. Nelson playground is 4 position of strength.