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Takurua 2024 | Winter 2024

A lot can happen in 8 weeks! Since our May update, we have started to see some of the major research projects we have co-funded and supported over the past 12-24 months reach a conclusion point, and several others major new projects have also kicked off. You can catch up on these below.We are starting to see some definite links and threads to our workstreams. For example between food, organic waste, climate change and water/river quality. There are also some very clear interconnections between p...

Hunger and Poverty (SDGs 1,2)

While we search for a replacement for Amber, we are making sure that the work programme she started continues.The Waikato Wellbeing Project’s Kai Challenge has an ambitious target of reducing child poverty in the Waikato region to less than 1% and eliminating child hunger by 2030. Our goal is that: “Our children can thrive because none are hungry at school or cold at home. They can afford to participate in social, artistic, cultural and sporting activities.”People and groups working at the...

Waikato Foodshed

A baseline foodshed analysis shows the estimated food production potential of a specific area’s productive land relative to the food needs of its population. A foodshed is a geographic area (typically within the boundaries of a district or region) that encompasses all the sources of food that are grown within that area. In an ideal world, a localised foodshed would also supply the population or community within that foodshed. Due to the complicated nature of a globalised food chain, this is no...

Circularising Organics Project and Webinar (SDG 12)

Update provided by Valerie Bianchi, Manu Taki SDG 12, Waste Prevention Advisor Waikato Regional Council....

Waikato Housing Stocktake (SDG 11)

The WHI was established under the Waiakto Plan in 2016 as part of the Waikato Plan and is the peak leadership body for housing in the Waikato. The WHI vision is that “Every person and every family in the Waikato region is well-housed, living in sustainable, flourishing and connected communities”.WHI members work to change the current status quo of housing across the region by leading, connecting and facilitating the delivery of affordable, quality and accessible homes in the Waikato. The Ini...

Awhi Healthy Homes Initiative

AWHI is a free initiative that works to improve housing conditions for whānau in South Auckland and Waikato. At the heart of the AWHI programme is equipping whānau with the skills, confidence and knowledge to create homes that are healthy, safe, warm and dry.The AWHI team achieves this by connecting whānau with local service and community providers who help ranging from minor repairs, access to resources like bedding, curtains and heaters to providing advice, support and education.A...

Lots of Little Fires

An update by Lead Social Innovator, Joe Wilson...

Te Ara Poutama- Hauraki Opportunity

Updated provided by Michelle Macaskill, acting CEO Huber Social...

Pacific Peoples Wellbeing in Aotearoa: Webinar

Te Hiringa Mahara |The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission and Le Va Pasifika will be co-hosting a webinar on supporting Pacific people's wellbeing in Aotearoa 12pm Thursday 8 August 2024 via Zoom.This webinar will share and expand on the findings of the Pacific wellbeing report which was released in May 2024.  A summary infographic can also be downloaded here.Te Hiringa Mahara Principal Advisor Wellbeing Matt Bloomer will focus on understanding how we can better support Pacifi...

Waikato Housing Initiative 2023 Housing Stocktake Update

In 2018 the Initiative first produced a housing stocktake that has been referenced at all levels of government as a roadmap for measuring housing outcomes.The stocktake aims to serve as a tool which determines overall housing needs and availability across the region.This updated stocktake report serves as the first publication in a series of housing related reports, with the subsequent report focussing specifically on regional affordability....

Circularising Organics Report

Recycling organic material back into the soil was a common practice among both Māori and Pākehā until the mid-20th century. However, in today's linear waste system, around half of the waste sent to landfills in the Waikato region is organic material. This not only represents a significant waste of resources but also contributes to pollution, as each tonne of food waste generates a third of a tonne of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gases. Various organisations are working to address this issue, suc...

Spotlight on Awhi Healthy Homes Initiative

Awhi Healthy Homes is a free initiative in South Auckland and Waikato improving wellbeing through better housing conditions.Awhi equips families with skills and resources for healthy, safe homes by connecting them with essential services like repairs, bedding, heaters, and advice.Healthy homes are essential for preventing common illnesses. Many common illnesses are preventable and are linked to poor ventilation and dampness in the home. Awhi is leading the way in improving living conditions and ...

Rebalancing Our Food System

I have decided to lean into my optimism about this report, ‘Rebalancing our food system’ produced by the Public Health Advisory Committee in May 2024. There is a lot to love in here!...

Acessing Food Data

The Waikato Wellbeing Project has a target to reduce child poverty from 1 in 6 to fewer than 1% of children by 2030. There are no specific indicators for hunger, but the goal is that “Our children can thrive because none are hungry at school or cold at home. They can afford to participate in social, artistic, cultural and sporting activities”.As we move towards this target, I wonder what signs, signals and indicators will we look towards to confirm what we are hearing and seeing anecdotally?...

Waikato Wellbeing Project celebrates one year of Lots of Little Fires - sharing inspiring stories and positive impact

Waikato Wellbeing Project is thrilled to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Lots of Little Fires, marking a milestone in its mission to celebrate incredible people, doing incredible things, and inspiring others through the power of storytelling. As Lots of Little Fires turns one, we reflect on the journey thus far and look ahead to the future with renewed enthusiasm and purpose.At its core, Lots of Little Fires aims to amplify the voices of inspirational people and kaupapa that are working to...

WEL Energy Trust Funding Update

In our last newsletter we provided an update on the draft 2024-25 WEL Energy Trust Annual Plan. The WEL Energy Trust is the most significant partner and funder of the Waikato Wellbeing Project (WWP). Our funding is secured in a Partnership and Funding agreement between the Trust and the Waikato Regional Council. The draft plan proposed to reduce the 2024-25 funding for the WWP from $400,000 to $200,000. Because of the submissions and presentations made, the WEL Energy Trust agreed to restor...

WWP Business Plan

We have updated our 2024-25 Business Plan to reflect the changes and updates above. We have also made some changes from our earlier draft, in particular:Poutoko: Major Projects – we have sharpened our focus and for 2024-25 we will focus the majority of our effort on completing and amplifying the results of the Kai ChallengeTe Ara Poutama –will continue, and we will seek a person to lead this initiative for the next 12+ months to maximise the impact of greater knowledge and insight into wellb...

Clarifying our Role and Purpose

Following reconfirmation of our WEL Energy Trust funding, the Kaitiaki Advisory Board reflected on the wider messages we heard.  A key message was that people are not always entirely clear what we do. As now shown in our logo, the Waikato Wellbeing Project (WWP) is a research, knowledge and storytelling project focused on environmental and social equity in the Waikato.Our work illuminates the deeper stories of our regional wellbeing challenges, to awhi the real-life initiatives, people and ...

Poutoko: Major Projects Hunger and Poverty (SDGs 1,2)

An update by Dr Amber Hammill, Kai Challenge Activator...

Lots of Little Fires

An update by Lead Social Innovator, Joe WilsonLast month we released the beautiful story of Rainbow Hub Waikato and this has received such beautiful and heart warning responses from across our community.The video has enabled the team at RBH Waikato to engage in a safe and welcoming way to their current and new community members at a time where the social climate around the rainbow community has been incredibly turbulent.  Feeling seen, valued and supported through Lots of Little Fires and t...

Te Ara Poutama - Hauraki Opportunity

The Hauraki Opportunity is a flagship project of Te Ara Poutama, designed to deliver in co-construction with the people of Hauraki a repeatable Wellbeing Measurement and Management System that measures what matters to them, so that their needs, aspirations, and priorities can be further understood and evidenced, and so that – aligned to the intentions of Te Ara Poutama - important choices regarding the present and future wellbeing of the region can be made wisely.The purpose of the Hauraki Opp...

Waha | Advovacy

Councils in the Waikato region and across New Zealand are currently developing their plans for the next 12-36 months, through their Annual and Long Term Plans. Most people will be aware of the considerable pressure all councils are facing as their costs have increased over the past few years, driven by post-COVID increases in inflation, insurance and the cost of infrastructure.As they have worked to develop balanced budgets and rates which are achievable and affordable, many for-purpose organisa...

Join the WWP Team- Te Ara Poutama Knowledge Lead

Are you interested in the betterment of intergenerational wellbeing in the Waikato with a particular focus on wellbeing knowledge and systems thinking?We are looking for somebody to lead, coordinate and facilitate the further development of Te Ara Poutama. This is the Waikato Wellbeing Project's wellbeing knowledge initiative. This initiative seeks to be an active yet independent initiative that helps people understand what enables wellbeing, and to move towards implementing action that achieves...

National Science Challenges

The National Science Challenges are wrapping up in June this year, rounding out several years’ worth of research initiatives.One of these Challenges, Our Land and Water | Toitū te Whenua, Toiora te Wai, has been hosting a series of regional engagement events to report on various aspects of the work. Healthy land and water are essential to a functional food system, so the opportunity to learn more about this research was great for the Kai Challenge.I was able to get to the events at Karapiro ...

Updated WWP Logo

We’re thrilled to share our updated logo!As we have travelled from the original concept for the WWP to the programme we have today (see business plan update) it has become clearer that at its heart, the Waikato Wellbeing Project (WWP) is a research, knowledge and storytelling project focused on environmental and social equity in the Waikato. We have updated our logo to make it clear these are our major contributions to wellbeing in the Waikato, which aligns fully with our purpose statemen...