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Waha: Using our Voice to Advocate for Positive Change

Across 2023 we have used our voices- individually and collectively in many ways to advance the Waikato Wellbeing project kaupapa. As part of the choir of Waikato change-makers, we’ve also humbly lent our voices to support the other awesome people making a difference as well.As well as what’s been mentioned already, some of the other ways we’ve supported positive change include:·       Making submissions to the government on key inquiries and change proposals ...

Celebrating Excellence: Joe Wilson and "Lots of Little Fires" Receive Prestigious Billie Award

The Waikato Wellbeing Project is thrilled to announce that Joe Wilson, the visionary behind the Lots of Little Fires storytelling research project, has been honoured with the Billie Award for Strengths-Based Research at the Te Auaha Pito Mata – New and Emerging Researcher Awards, hosted by Community Research New Zealand.The Billie Award, named after Garth Nowland-Foreman's mother, who was known for her ability to see the positive in everyone, recognises the transformative work of Lots of Littl...

Lots of Little Fires an Award Winner!

We are not the only ones who believe in the power of storytelling; Lots of Little Fires has just been awarded the Community Research ‘Billie Award’ for Strengths Based Storytelling. Joe Wilson will travel down to Pōneke to receive this award in October. We thank all the incredible people and communities who have so vulnerably told their stories and trusted us to share with you all.  This award is absolutely yours, for the heart, mana and mahi you do in your communities. Ngaa mihi nui.L...

Congratulations Dujon Cullingford!

Kaitiaki Advisory Board member Dujon Cullingford was recently awarded a civic award for services to the community by Mayor Paula Southgate.Dujon says “his journey started in the hood with parents who valued expression. Stumbling into dance, church, youthwork and Hip Hop culture young, took me to places I would have never imagined and built a strong base. The amazing mentors and people I've had in my life since have influenced me for the better, helping me grow and serve community, youth and th...

Kia Ora and Welcome Dr Rebekah Graham

In August we were excited to welcome Dr Rebekah Graham to our Kaitiaki Advisory Board. Rebekah has a passion for community wellbeing and expertise in various interconnected areas, namely food insecurity, but more recently disability.“The Waikato Wellbeing Project’s strategic priorities and focus areas (such as leading impactful projects, sharing wellbeing stories through data and insight, fostering community engagement, advocating for positive change, and supporting regional plans), resonate...

Community Led Youth and Business Collective

As part of the cross-sector collaboration including the ‘Stronger Together’ Business Collective and the Kirikiriroa Youth Sector Services, the WWP has facilitated this ongoing community led project to build a united relationship between the business and youth service sectors.The bringing together of both sectors was carefully documented and captures the whakawhanaungatanga as it happened and the sharing of, what were both polarising and shared perspectives and experiences. The result was an ...

Outward Bound and Youth Employability

Joe Wilson has built a strong relationship with Bevan Smith (Principal Advisor at MOE) and Krishan Kumar (community development lead at Outward Bound). Together, along with Elle Freestone (Mayors Taskforce for Jobs), the WWP are funding two places out of a group of 14 for rurally placed rangatahi in the Waikato entering employment. This is an incredible opportunity to attend the 8-day Whakatipu Course with Outward Bound in Anakiwa. This is a Waikato based kaupapa and we hope to build this furthe...

Waikato Kai Challenge

Thanks to the many people who took the time to share their work with me over the Winter, the Kai Challenge comes into the Spring with a path forward into the next phase of the work.The big message from people working at the hungry end of the food system in the Waikato is that the need for their support is growing. This is echoed across the motu. A recent paper from Kore Hiakai shows that, amongst the services they’re in touch with, the number of food parcel they are distributing per month rose...

Te Ara Poutama Public Webinar

The Waikato Wellbeing Project is proud to introduce Te Ara Poutama, a digital library aimed at equipping individuals and communities with the essential knowledge needed for making informed decisions that positively impact their lives.Developed with support from Trust Waikato, Te Ara Poutama embodies the mission of the Waikato Wellbeing Project: to transform lives through meaningful initiatives. This innovative digital library represents a significant stride towards realising this vision.Join the...

Waha: Using our Voice to Advocate for Positive Change

It's nearly three years since the operational phase of the Waikato Wellbeing project started. In that time we have done a huge amount to partner, collaborate, communicate and share our wellbeing insights and to celebrate the awesome mahi of those in the community who are leading and being the change we champion. Here’s a snapshot of our activity since January 2021!...

The Good Day Matrix: Take Ten Leadership Event

The Good Day Matrix is hosting a Take Ten Leadership Event on Friday 10 November at the Galagher Hub, Te Pukenga (WINTEC) campus in Hamilton.  Hear from ten amazing leaders each taking ten minutes to share their leadership stories and insights. Speakers are:David Galbraith - Olympics Performance Psychologist & Performance CoachCarol Brown - Sales Director @ Microsoft & Forbes Coaching CouncilHusain Al-Badry - Datacom Associate Director of Innovation and Growth & Refugees as Surv...

EDNZ Conference

The annual Economic Development New Zealand (EDNZ) conference is being held this year in the mighty Waikato.To register for the conference please go to: Personal Information - EDNZ Conference 2023 (cvent.com)Economic Development continues to evolve and change. As a profession it is good for us to step back and assess changing landscapes and what it means for us as economic development practitioners.Thursday morning will provide the opportunity to hear and reflect on some important aspects of new...

SWIFT have launched a $50,000 scholarship scheme

South Waikato Investment Fund Trust (SWIFT) have launched a $50,000 scholarship scheme to help South Waikato residents of all ages with their tertiary education.The scholarship programme is not only for school leavers....

2023 Climathon Waikato Impact Report

In this pivotal year for humanity, the call for decisive climate action is more urgent than ever. So, what happens when you bring together students, professionals, climate experts, and citizens to co-create solutions for our shared climate challenges? That's what we sought to find out in the 2023 edition of Climathon Waikato. Through a series of interactive 'warm-up' events and workshops in the lead-up, plus a 13-hour hackathon-style 'Ideathon', we brought together more than 200 aspiring ch...

Matariki

Matariki is the name of a star cluster in the constellation of Taurus, commonly also known as Pleiades, which rises on the horizon towards the end of May each year and heralds Te Mātahi o te Tau, the Māori New Year. The arrival of Matariki signals that it is time for people to gather, honour the dead, celebrate the present, and make plans for the future....

June Manu Taki Hui

Consistent with our kaupapa of being flax-roots led and informed by lived experience, a key component of the wider leadership model of the WWP has been the call for manu taki to join with the WWP movement.Manu means bird, Taki means to entice, to lead, to bring along. Manu taki therefore symbolises leadership, uplift and succession. Our Manu Taki are leaders who can catalysing the Waikato wellbeing targets into action. As with a murmuration of flocking birds, our Manu Taki are not...

Poutoko: Impact Project Update - The Rangatahi Opportunity

Following our 2022 case for change report, we have been focusing on supporting our rangatahi in two areas- youth homelessness and youth employment.Youth HomelessnessWWP Lead Social Innovator Joe Wilson has been working closely with the ‘Manaaki Rangatahi’ collective, a ‘End Youth Homelessness’ kaupapa lobbying and advocating to government for policy and housing change to tackle the endemic problem facing so many rangatahi, across Aotearoa including here in the Waikato.Joe sees his role a...

Poutoko: Impact Project Update - Waikato Kai Challenge

An Update from Kai Challenge Project Activator: Amber Hammill...

SDG 13 Climate Action

Waikato ClimathonAs part of our contribution to SDG 13 Climate Action, alongside Trust Waikato, Hamilton City Council and the University of Waikato, the Waikato Wellbeing Project co-sponsored the Impact Hub’s 2023 Waikato Climathon. The second Waikato Climathon was held 2023, culminating in an ideathon at Waikato University on 20 May. WWP was a co-sponsor for the events. The ideathon was preceded by a series of events held across towns in the Waikato, supporting local climate leaders who ...

SDG 13 Climate Commons

At the 2022 Waikato Climathon (which we also co-sponsored), Sija Soman shared her ideas for a new collective impact initiative to support people and communities to take positive action to address climate change. At the Climathon, Sija’s idea won the Community Prize, which was a great encouragement to continue to develop her ideas further. Climate Commons has now been launched.It is a free collaborative platform for positive climate action which aims to inspire and support grassroots climate ac...

SDG 11 Waikato Housing Initiative- Dashboard update

Together with the Waikato Wellbeing Project, the Waikato Housing Initiative have been working to reach the region’s housing goals. Our partnership has focused on the quality and availability of high-quality information on the Waikato housing system. In 2021, the Waikato Wellbeing Project funded the development of an on-line dashboard for the system, which allows users to access data at the smallest scale available, using a highly accessible digital portal.The WHI has been working to update and...

SDG 6: Beyond the Surface

In May we shared the work being done by Deep Dive Division, in partnership with the Waikato River Authority and Waikato Tainui, to start to clean up the Waikato River by removing large scale rubbish and dumped material, including cars. To date, the programme has removed:12 cars21 tonnes of debris8 Lime scooters2 gaming machines6 bikes2 motorbikesThe Waikato Wellbeing Project has supported Deep Dive Division by co-funding the videography to share their story....

SDG 17 Partnership for the Goals The Good Day Matrix: Community Leadership Workshops

Alongside Trust Waikato and Hamilton City Council we have partnered with the Good Day Matrix to support their community leadership workshop programme.  The workshops are designed to invest in the people in our community who are doing great things and ultimately having a positive and meaningful impact. The first Community Leadership Workshop Series got underway last month with 40 amazing community leaders signed up!The 6-part workshop series kicked off with the focus of 'Who am I as a leader...

Hau Kāinga: Lots of Little Fires | He Pakipūmeka

An Update from Lead Social Innovator: Joe WilsonLast month we released the story about Shani- her journey through meth addiction and gang life and how she is now using her experiences to support rangatahi and whanau who are at risk of falling into the same trap she did.  Click on the image below to see Shani’s story:...

Waha: Using our Voice to Advocate for Positive Change

Since 2021, we have focused our engagement effort on New Zealand scale initiatives which are also motivated by the search for insight into root causes to some of our wellbeing challenges, and where there is a movement for change in the way wellbeing is led, funded and delivered. This has seen us focus on two major pieces of work:·       Productivity Commission: A Fair Chance for All- breaking the cycle of persistent disadvantage (Productivity Commission |...