HOW WE DID THIS AND IF YOU WANT TO ADOPT THIS IN YOUR SUBURB
Firstly, there is some history going back 20 years briefly described here.
2019 From early 2019 we engaged with leaders in our community on how best to improve community and disaster resilience. We identified that:
Community resilience is having the resources, social capital, communication, and competence so the community is resilient.
Disaster resilience is being ready, able to respond to, and able to recover from a disaster. “A community is more likely to be disaster resilient if it is community resilient.”
Our view was that the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members. A community can be resilient if a holistic and sustainable approach is taken to the wellbeing of its people. A resident, particularly a vulnerable one, is more confident if his or her community is resilient. We decided the next step was to assess Newlands’ wellbeing and resilience using a survey. In late 2019 we used a survey, based on the Treasury’s Living Standards Framework, which the originator (Activate NZ) gifted to us. The intermediate students distributed the surveys amongst their family and whanau and analysed the results. We co-designed with residents the objectives and solutions.
2020 In mid-2020 we considered how best to connect residents and enable them to access solutions to improve their wellbeing and resilience. We developed a business case which was approved by the Newlands Paparangi Progressive Association in September 2020 with the preferred option being a “coordinated provider system”. To progress that we designed a “Coordinated Community Enterprise” with our community leaders, Nga Hau e Wha o Papararangi, Neighbourhood Support Wellington, Volunteer Wellington, Be Collective, Time Bank and the Citizens Advice Bureau. We also developed a volunteer training programme with input from these individuals and organisations.
2021 In early 2021 we recruited a diverse team of 12 volunteers through Volunteer Wellington covering Human Resources, Finance, Technology, Culture, and Engagement and Communications. In June 2021 we launched the Coordinated Community Enterprise comprising video clips prepared by intermediate students and their whanau to promote and explain the Enterprise costing $18,000, funded by Hutt Mana Trust. From July 2021 we tried recruiting Huia Leaders to build connections and trust and enable access to solutions to improve resident’s wellbeing and resilience. We selected “Huia” to align with the recent upgrade and renaming of our local “Pukehuia’ Park where residents connect. All Huia Leaders would need to apply, after watching the 20-minute training clip on the website, be interviewed with 2 acceptable reference checks, be police checked, participate in a full day training, and participate in a professional supervision framework, based on good practice operating in New Zealand, at no cost to them. We were unable to recruit Huia Leaders so were unable to operationalise the Coordinated Community Enterprise. In October 2021 we undertook our third survey hoping to inform some community conversations on those trends and some idea generation for us to implement in 2022.
2022 In early 2022 the responsibility and content of this work was transferred from the NPPA to a newly formed Aotearoa Community Resilience network-charitable trust. During 2022 we lost many of our volunteers. We were unable to proceed with the community conversations. In October 2022 we undertook our fourth survey.
2023 From January to April, we summarised the results of our annual community surveys here showing our economic, social, cultural, and environmental progress over the past 4 years. We used these results to test our early thinking with local leaders and make a collective start-up decision to release the business case to test interest of potential impact investors and community network providers, asking them to respond by the end of August. Due to interest from community network providers and the Marae we co-designed a coordinated provider centric resilience model in November. By 21st December 2023, 20 of the local leaders confirmed they supported seek funding from local and central government and impact investors. Wellington community network providers engaged in the co-design of a coordinated provider centric resilience model but were yet to confirm their support. No interest from potential impact investors. On 8th February 2024 we made “start-up” decision to release the revised Business Case to Wellington City Council, Coalition Government, NZ Treasury, Internal Affairs Local Government Branch, Auditor General, National Emergency Management Agency and Weave given we have support from 26 Local leaders, and levels of support from Neighborhood Support Wellington, Volunteer Wellington, Citizens Advice Bureau Wellington, and Timebank Wellington.
Other suburbs wanting to adopt. The bespoke copyright license for this work is held by the Aotearoa Community Resilience Network-charitable trust. We have selected this type of copyright so there is some flexibility in its adoption but also to maintain the consistency, so residents have the same experience when they move to a different suburb. We are willing to make this work available to other resident owned organisations and/or networks. Please contact us and we can have an introductory zoom call to discuss things in more detail. All we ask is that you acknowledge us as the initial creators of source material, agree to participate in an evaluation each November and adopt any enhancements in your suburb from the following February. Please connect with Rodney in the first instance on 0274788061 or [email protected]
Newlands Resilience Group Aotearoa Community Resilience Network-charitable trust.