http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz en-us Sun, 14 Jun 2026 20:02:39 +1200 Rocketspark http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/post/165506/the-waikato-affordable-energy-challenge/ The Waikato Affordable Energy ChallengeThe Waikato sits at the heart of New Zealand’s electricity system—home to major hydro generation along the Waikato River, extensive geothermal resources, and large-scale thermal generation at Huntly, with wind and solar continuing to expand.Yet despite this abundance, electricity is becoming less affordable for many households and businesses. Evidence shows these costs ripple through household budgets, reducing what’s available for essentials like hou... Wed, 27 May 2026 13:48:27 +1200 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/#post165506 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/post/164486/webinar-what-would-it-take-for-housing-to-be-affordable-in-the-waikato/ Housing affordability, or more correctly its unaffordability, is a significant determinant of wellbeing. Many cities and communities are grappling with house prices (to rent or to own) which are now significantly out of proportion with incomes.Unaffordable and unavailable housing creates a cascading series of other challenges, from less money for other households needs, especially food, to insecure housing and ultimately severe housing deprivation and even homelessness.In the Waikato, collective... Tue, 12 May 2026 15:52:04 +1200 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/#post164486 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/post/164125/presentation-to-hamilton-city-council-community-committee/ 21 April 2026.In support of the homelessness report: Agenda of Ordinary Community Committee Meeting - Tuesday, 21 April 2026IntroductionKia ora and thank you Chair, Mayor and Councillors. Ko Harvey Brookes toku ingoa, I’m the Executive Director of the Waikato Wellbeing project.I’m here today to thank the council for its work on homelessness and encourage it to keep going! I’m also here because our research and work points to a well-known truth- housing IS a vital underlying factor which ma... Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/#post164125 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/post/162767/next-steps-for-the-waikato-wellbeing-project/ In previous newsletters we’ve described how the WWP was initially established, funded and operated. We’ve also talked about the results of our 2025 independent review, and further work to explore a series of future operating and funding options for the project.The key outcomes of that work included:A need to further refine our operating model to better show how our work leads to real world changes and impactsA need to broaden our funding and operating model to ensure financial sustainability... Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:05:15 +1300 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/#post162767 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/post/162689/clarifying-our-role/ As the WWP continues to evolve and change, so does the rest of the wellbeing community in the Waikato, and across Aotearoa New Zealand. We have been working to keep our contribution as clear and focused as we can, so that we can continue to add value.Our distinctive contribution lies in high-quality primary research, deep engagement with lived experience, and rigorous synthesis across silos. We set our agenda by identifying system pressures early, clarifying trade-offs, and translating insight i... Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:02:28 +1300 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/#post162689 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/post/162828/the-increasing-importance-of-household-affordability/ As our programme has progressed, the vital role that household income and affordability plays in prosperity and wellbeing has become increasingly evident. For example, while the Grocery Commissioner has found that retail food is slightly (+3% in 2023) more expensive in New Zealand than the OECD average[1], this cannot fully explain why thousands of children and families in the Waikato regularly go without food.Affordability is high on everybody’s mind right now as the Iran conflict enters its ... Thu, 26 Mar 2026 09:51:13 +1300 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/#post162828 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/post/162811/state-of-the-region-report/ An important role of the WWP has been to provide an overview of the region’s progress towards greater wellbeing. In the past we have tracked this against our original wellbeing targets- for example our 2023 Progress Update, as well as providing more specific data and information on wellbeing in relation to areas such as rangatahi wellbeing, food security, housing, the wellbeing of young woman, and the wellbeing of people in the Hauraki rohe.Our 2025 State of the Region Report has now been comp... Thu, 26 Mar 2026 09:43:11 +1300 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/#post162811 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/post/162854/waikato-kai-challenge-update/ By Hera DentonPhoto credit NZ Herald... Thu, 26 Mar 2026 09:40:41 +1300 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/#post162854 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/post/162725/housing-challenge--affordability/ Housing affordability in the Waikato remains structurally constrained, with significant implications for regional productivity, wellbeing, and economic resilience. Despite increased housing supply (~20,000 homes over five years), only ~1% has been affordable, indicating that current system settings are not delivering accessible outcomes—including for middle-income households. Our more recent State of the Region Report[1] further reinforces the role of affordable housing in wellbeing and family... Thu, 26 Mar 2026 09:34:17 +1300 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/#post162725 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/post/162695/community-compass-reports/ In partnership with Dot Loves Data, the WWP regularly publishes Community Compass reports foreach district in the Waikato region. The reports for Quarter 4 2025 are now available online and can be seen here. The Q4 2025 summary page for Waitomo District is shown below for illustration:... Thu, 26 Mar 2026 09:29:39 +1300 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/#post162695