http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz en-us Wed, 14 Oct 2026 11:58:23 +1300 Rocketspark http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/post/171021/wellbeing-waikato-an-update/ A) Resourcing our FutureSince our transition to an independent charitable trust in early 2026, Wellbeing Waikato has been focused on our business plan priorities while also strengthening the foundations that will allow us to continue as a trusted, enduring and valuable part of the wellbeing ecosystem in the Waikato region.Like all community and purpose-led organisations, our ability to create sustained impact ultimately depends on resourcing. Since our establishment as the Waikato Wellbeing Proj... Tue, 29 Sep 2026 11:32:50 +1300 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/#post171021 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/post/171020/kai-challenge-update/ Wellbeing Waikato (and Waikato Wellbeing Project) has had food security as a major focus from 2022. We have produced overall reports on the state of food security in the region, completed the region’s first foodshed assessment and undertook research on the lived experience of kai motuhake and its relationship with whanau wellbeing  with Ngati Maniapoto, focused on Te Kuiti[3]. To support this work, we committed resource to contract a Kai Champion, initially Dr Amber Hammill and more recen... Tue, 29 Sep 2026 11:24:09 +1300 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/#post171020 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/post/171019/the-waikato-affordable-energy-challenge/ The Waikato Affordable Energy Webinar Series1 was established to build a shared, evidence-based understanding of New Zealand’s electricity system at a time when affordability pressures are becoming increasingly visible for households, businesses, and communities. The intent is not to reach a single agreed position, but to surface where there is convergence, where there is contest, and what this implies for practical pathways forward.Across the series, a consistent message has emerged: New Zeal... Tue, 29 Sep 2026 11:05:13 +1300 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/#post171019 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/post/171018/social-investment-waikato-style/ Our Business Plan proposed that Wellbeing Waikato could support the development of a place-based, integrated social investment approach for the Hamilton city centre, both in its own right and as a possible model for other localities in the Waikato. Drawing on New Zealand’s social investment principles—targeting resources to those with the highest needs, using data and evidence to guide investment, collapsing resource competition and duplication and focusing on long-term wellbeing outcomes.Ou... Tue, 29 Sep 2026 11:02:07 +1300 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/#post171018 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/post/171017/local-government-reorganisation-on-hold-for-now/ When the Government announced the “Head Start” programme for local government reform earlier this year, it was always going to test something deeper than structure. It was testing whether complex regional systems can be redesigned on compressed timelines without losing coherence, and whether pace can ever be substituted for place without unintended consequences.The decision this week to pause the process until after the election is, in that sense, not surprising. It feels less like a shift i... Tue, 29 Sep 2026 11:00:51 +1300 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/#post171017 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/post/171016/seeing-the-waikato-through-a-different-lens-community-compass-reports/ Recently we have been sharing a district-by-district wellbeing snapshot of the Waikato, using one of our most useful (and still under-used) data tools: the Community Compass reports, produced by Justin Lester and the team at Dot Loves Data.These reports bring together strong quarterly data across housing, employment, business activity, crime, education, and broader wellbeing indicators. But their real value is not just in the numbers themselves—it is in what sits behind them.They help surface ... Tue, 29 Sep 2026 10:58:47 +1300 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/#post171016 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/post/171015/housing-home-truths--why-the-system-comes-before-the-market/ This month on FreeFM’s Connect with Community Waikato Series, I spoke[1] with Holly Snape about the Salvation Army’s Home Truths report by Alan Johnson and Major Campbell Roberts[2], and what it reveals about the deeper structure of housing in Aotearoa. This followed on from us hosting Alan in early September where he took our viewers through the report and its implications. The full recording of that webinar and his slides are on our website: https://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/kainga--hous... Tue, 29 Sep 2026 10:55:56 +1300 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/#post171015 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/post/171014/wellbeing-waikato-in-the-news/ As well as our own channels, public fora and FreeFM, Wellbeing Waikato also regularly contributes via other media.Here are several examples over the past 2 months:A. Regional Economic Development in the Waikato. A short article authored by Harvey and Dr David Waite of the University of Glasgow,  published on their Glasgow Social Sciences Hub. This paper argues that the long-standing separation of “urban” and “rural” thinking in New Zealand is increasingly unhelpful, particularly in ... Tue, 29 Sep 2026 10:49:26 +1300 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/#post171014 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/post/168626/webinar-home-truths--what-the-data-is-really-telling-us-about-housing/ We’re excited to be hosting a webinar with Alan Johnson, co-author (with Campbell Roberts) of the Salvation Army's recently released Home Truths report.It’s a genuinely sharp piece of work — cutting through a lot of the noise to show what’s actually driving housing outcomes in New Zealand. Affordability pressures, supply issues, who’s missing out, and why — it’s all there, clearly laid out.What makes this session particularly useful is that it won’t stay at the national... Tue, 11 Aug 2026 14:08:50 +1200 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/#post168626 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/post/168557/social-investment-in-new-zealand/ Social Investment emerged as a formal approach in New Zealand in 2016, introduced by the government to address the country’s social and economic challenges through a shift from short-term, reactive solutions to proactive, long-term investment in people. This strategy aims to enhance outcomes for individuals and communities by focusing on sustainable improvements over immediate fixes. Over the years, the concept has grown and is now championed nationally by the Social Investment Agency (SIA).Wh... Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:19:43 +1200 http://www.wellbeingwaikato.org.nz/blog/#post168557