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World SDG Summit 2023

On 18-19 September 2023, world leaders will gather at the SDG Summit in New York for the mid-point review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the implementation of its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).The Summit is expected to adopt a political declaration that will provide a roadmap for putting the world back on track to achieve the SDGs by their 2030 deadline. The Summit will be informed by the 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report prepa...

Climate Commons Documentary Screening

The Climate Commons Movement is a nationwide collective dedicated to tackling the climate crisis through knowledge sharing, practical action, and partnerships. With a strong focus on scientific research, indigenous wisdom, and practical solutions, the movement inspires individuals, communities, and governments to work together to protect our shared resources and build a climate-resilient Aotearoa.Find out more about the screening herehttps://events.humanitix.com/climate-commons-documentary-scree...

Welcome Amber Hammill

We’re extremely delighted to announce the appointment of Amber Hammill as Project Lead for the Waikato Kai Challenge. Amber, an Australian who moved to New Zealand from Europe in the late 2010s, recently completed a PhD on older people who use the radio for company along with an exhibition of images from her research. Amber's background in research and her passion for food and community development attracted her to the role.Amber brings a wealth of experience in research and community engageme...

Kaitiaki Advisory Board - Vacancy

We have a vacancy on our Kaitiaki Advisory Board and are keen to hear from people who would like to join the Waikato wellbeing movement.We recently said farewell to Jannat Maqbool, who has been a member of the Kaitiaki Advisory Board since its inception in July 2021. Jannat brought a wealth of experience to the board across a number of important areas including digital technology, smart cities and AI, as well as her significant community leadership roles.  After more than 20 years working a...

Poutoko: Impact Project Update - The Rangatahi Opportunity

On the 12th May we will host and facilitate 15 businesses and approximately 15 youth organisations to share perspectives, have constructive conversations and develop relationships. We anticipate this will provide a strong and trusting foundation for future developments in grass roots systems change and ethical business development, with regards to safe and holistic youth employers.We will film this event and present it to a wider business audience, showcasing what “good” looks like in terms ...

Poutoko: Impact Project Update - Waikato Kai Challenge

As reported previously, we held a kai workshop with 28 stakeholders with an interest in the Waikato food system early this year. We were interested in how the Waikato kai system works and what needs to change to meet our goals.Attendees at the workshop were asked to envision what success would look like for the Waikato Kai Challenge. Comments included:·       Food charities out of business as they are no longer needed·       People gr...

Poutoko: Impact Project Update - Waikato Climathon

As part of our contribution to SDG 13 Climate Action, alongside Trust Waikato, Hamilton City Council and the University of Waikato, the Waikato Wellbeing Project is excited to again be a major co-sponsor of the Impact Hub’s Waikato Climathon. Waikato Climathon is your chance to act - and for the second year in a row, this global hackathon event is coming to the Waikato region. At the heart of Climathon is an Ideathon, where you can work in a team with fellow changemakers from across the r...

Beyond the Surface: WWP Partners with Deep Dive Division

We are excited to be supporting Deep Dive Division and their work to help clean up the Waikato River.The WWP’s SDG 6 target is to increase the number of swimmable rivers and lakes in the Waikato region from 30% (rivers) and 73% (lakes) in 2019 to both waterway types achieving more than 80% by 2030. Our 2023 update report also reported that:·       70% of the rivers in the Waikato have satisfactory overall water quality (measured by the presence of E.Coli)- no cha...

Te Ara Poutama: Funding Partnership with Trust Waikato

Work has continued to developed Te Ara Poutama. We are extremely pleased to announce that Trust Waikato has agreed to co-fund Te Ara Poutama for the next three years. The funding, which will provide $450,000 from 2023 to 2026, will allow the Wellbeing Knowledge initiative to develop and share a deeper understanding of wellbeing at both the regional and community level, empowering people with greater knowledge about their wellbeing and its key drivers.The intended impact from the initiative is th...

Hau Kāinga: Lots of Little Fires | He pakipūmeka

An Update from Lead Social Innovator: Joe WilsonWe have now released our third video story the ‘Gift of Music’ from Fairfield College where a local businessman stepped up and made the project happen by teaming up with the school and the wider business community and college alumni to fund and provide in kind support to get the programme going.The programme, Takoha Puoro, which means the ‘gift of music’, is a beautiful example of local business, school alumni and community combining their ...

SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy: MBIE Electricity Demand and Generation Scenarios

The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is seeking submissions on New Zealand’s electricity demand and generation scenarios, with several changes and updates proposed in the report since it was last released.The 2023 projection of electricity demand and supply to 2050 will consider developments in new and emerging technologies such as solar, electric vehicles and green hydrogen, alongside the potential construction of offshore wind farms. MBIE’s scenarios are...

Call for Expressions of Interest: Kaitiaki Advisory Board Member

1. BackgroundThe Waikato Wellbeing Project (WWP) is a regional initiative to achieve a more environmentally sustainable, prosperous, and inclusive Waikato region. The project is led by an Executive Director, with guidance from a Kaitiaki Advisory Board. A leadership network of 25 manu taki (community outcome leaders) provides activation, direction and connection for the project.Our vision is that Our Mokopuna are Thriving and our mission is To hear our People and Transcend their Future through P...

Congratulations Tania Jones

Since last year we’ve known that our amazing Project lead Tania Jones was hapu and would be leaving us for a while to welcome her new family member into the world. We were super thrilled that Tania gave birth to a healthy young boy on Friday 3 March. Both Tania and her young pepi are doing very well. Tania has kindly shared a photo below....

Wellbeing Progress Report

In February we published our first progress report since the WWP started in 2020. The report acts as both an accountability document for our funders and stakeholders, as well as a summary of the region’s overall wellbeing progress. You can read the full report here Waikato Wellbeing Project | Waikato Wellbeing Project The report recaps the development of the WWP since then, including the development of our core operating model and strategic framework. The report shows the project’s ongoing e...

Poutoko: Impact Project Update -The Rangatahi Opportunity

Since the launch of our Case for Change in October 2022, we have shared the report with over 200 youth wellbeing stakeholders in the Waikato and beyond. The Case for Change has also been relied on by other youth organisations, such as Hamilton City Council and SEED Waikato, to guide their kaupapa. Key areas and ways where we have remained active include:Youth Friendly EmployersWWP Project Innovator Joe Wilson and Hamilton City Council Youth Advisor Zeta Mohn are co-leading the development of a y...

Poutoko: Impact Project Update - The Waikato Kai Challenge | He wero whai hua

Through 2021-22 our Manu Taki have been listening to the voices of those who experience food poverty, as well as sharing and celebrating the stories of communities who are finding ways to both feed their whānau, restore mana and knowledge about food cultivation, caring for the land and enhancing community connections.  Manu Taki for SDG 1 and 2 have undertaken a series of consultation hui to understand how we can develop kai resilience and kai sovereignty in our region including:· &n...

Pūrākau: Waikato Wellbeing Knowledge Centre | Te Ara Poutama

In early 2022 the WWP convened a cross-sector working group to review the current situation and develop options to better meet our strategic goal of sharing stories through data and insights. Research commissioned by MartinJenkins and Melde found that there is a case for change to enhance current arrangements to better understand wellbeing across the region.  Building on the Strategic Case developed by MartinJenkins we have further refined the opportunity as the confluence of empowerment, i...

Hau Kāinga: Lots of Little Fires | He pakipūmeka

An Update from Lead Social Innovator: Joe WilsonThe concept of ‘lots of little fires’ captures the idea that there are many small ‘fires’ of passionate people ‘burning bright’ across the Waikato. In the night sky, from above, we can see them all and it is a beautiful sight, but often at the ground level all we see is the fire in front of us and we feel the constant heat. When we rise above and look down from the sky, we can see there are so many others fuelling their own fires of pas...

Waha: Using our Voice to Advocate for Positive Change

In late February we submitted on the Future for Local Government Review. You can read the review report here. The WWP has submitted on this report because of the important and far reaching recommendations it makes about the form, function and role of local government in New Zealand. Like the review panel, we are not overly concerned with administrative boundaries, are and more interested in how local government functions in contemporary communities which re diverse, complex and dynamic.Some of t...

Aotearoa New Zealand SDG Summit Series

The 4th Aotearoa SDG Summit Conference was held 9-10 February this year in the Waikato. Co-hosted by the University of Waikato, Waikato Wellbeing project, Te Pukenga and Waikato Tainui. A wide range of speaker from the Waikato and across Aotearoa spoke to the summit’s theme of indigenous perspectives on sustainable development. Keynote speakers included Waikato Regional Council Char Pamela Story, WWP Co-Chair Mike Rolton, Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate, Koi Tu Director and President of the Int...

The Waikato Kai Challenge Project Activator 

12 month role | 20-25 hrs per weekFlexible Work Options AvailableAre you an experienced Project Manager looking for a role where you can use your creative thinking and strong people skills to achieve a food secure Waikato? We're on a journey to understand how we might create a region where all whānau have access to healthy kai, and are seeking a motivated Project Activator to activate the Waikato Kai Project.The Waikato Kai Project is an exciting and evolving ...

2022 in Retrospect

As the final newsletter for the year, it’s a time to reflect on 2022 and the WWP. Work led by our Kaitiaki Advisory Board has reframed our strategic goals and priority areas. Our new vision of “Our mokopuna are thriving” is a much clearer statement of what sustainable development in the Waikato looks like to us. Our mission makes clear our role as careful and active listeners, looking to really understand the root cause of our wellbeing challenges, and applying that to find transcendent b...

Waikato Awa Tira Hoe

On 12 December the Waikato Wellbeing Project team, manu taki, kaitiaki and partners joined together with Rahui Pookeka Water Sports to undertake a tira hoe journey from Turangawaewae Marae to near Waahi Pa at Rahui Pookeka | Huntly.  The purpose of the tira hoe was for us to all gain a deeper and better appreciation of the Te Ao Māori dimensions to wellbeing in the Waikato, to better appreciate te mana o te awa, and how it forms the backbone for any conversation about cultural environmenta...

Poutoko: Impact Project Update

The Rangatahi Opportunity Project reached a major milestone with the launch of our Case for Change “YouThink You Know” on 26 October. An event at the WINTEC Atrium was attended by community, government, philanthropic, youth and iwi leaders from across the Waikato. As well as sharing the major findings from our multi-year research, the event also celebrated our rangatahi and showed their incredible talent and potential. We were thrilled to host performances from Dujon Cullingford, Rosalie N...

The Waikato Kai Challenge | He wero whai hua

The WWP has an ambitious goal of reducing child poverty in the Waikato region to less than 1% and eliminating child hunger by 2030 and a vision 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.”  To date our Manu Taki for SDG 1 and 2 Anna Casey-Cox, Norm Hill, Ioana Manu, Cilla Abbott and Jo Wrigley have undertaken a series of consultation hui to understand how we can dev...