INSPIRING COMMUNITIES - Learning By Doing by Curative

LEARNING BY DOING COMMUNITY-LED CHANGE IN AOTEAROA NZ

2013

A follow up to What we are Learning about Community-led Development

LEARNING BY DOING COMMUNITY-LED CHANGE IN AOTEAROA NZ

2013

A followup to What we are Learning about Community-led Development

ISBN xxx-x-xxx-xxxxx-x (print)

Citation This document should be cited as “Learning by Doing: community-led change in Aotearoa NZ. Author: Inspiring Communities. Publisher: Inspiring Communities Trust, New Zealand. 2013”

Copyright This work is subject to a Creative Commons Attribution–Non-commercial–Share Alike 3.0 New Zealand Licence. Unless otherwise stated, the contents of this document and all other material and Intellectual Property developed by Inspiring Communities or Inspiring Communities Trust is subject to a Creative Commons Attribution–Non-commercial–Share Alike copyright protocol. This licence lets you incorporate our work into your presentations, publications or websites, and to tweak, re-work and build upon our work, provided they are non-commercial, as long as you credit Inspiring Communities and license your new creations under the identical terms. You can download and redistribute our work, and you can also translate, make remixes, and produce new stories based on our work. All new work based on ours must carry the same licence, so any derivatives will also be non-commercial in nature. Alternative uses of our material may be authorised by agreement. Please contact us if you wish to use our material commercially.

Community Alchemy – Releasing the transformative power of communities “I suspect there is a moment in all of our journeys when we realise that we don’t know everything we need to know to achieve what is right and just for those around us. This is a not failure of intellect but a necessary training of our insight. It teaches us humility and for any successful community-led development to flourish humility is a necessary component. Everybody has the power to act in favour of the common good, but the temptation to impose resource where it is not needed or cleverness where it is not wanted is ever present. When something works, when that magnificent alchemy of insider/outsider interchange electrifies and magnifies the potential for good, it is then the transformative capacity of communities, empowering themselves, becomes manifest. This is not a linear process. Rather it is life experience shared, permeated with the capacity to surprise. We are at our best when we are in service of those with whom we share joy.” Pat Snedden Company Director Aotearoa March 2013

Titiro atu ki nga taumata o te moana Look beyond the horizon to a transfigured future 50 years from now (Te Ruki Kawiti, 1854)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

nspiring Communities would like to acknowledge and thank the many, many special people and organisations who have helped make Learning by Doing possible.

Firstly, thank you to our core project funders, Lotteries Community and the Todd Foundation. Without their generous support, publication of this handbook would not have been possible. We would like to acknowledge The Tindall Foundation and Lotteries Community Sector Research Fund for their investment in our three year learning and outcomes research with the Inspiring Communities' Core Learning Cluster. Results and conclusions from this work formed the basis for Chapter 6. We'd also like to acknowledge Margy Jean Malcolm who worked with us as co-author on Chapter 4. As noted in Chapter 1, the real life stories and experiences shared in Learning by Doing belong not to Inspiring Communities, but to community-led development (CLD) initiatives themselves. We wish to thank Core Learning Cluster communities we have worked alongside who have so readily shared their insights, experiences, and learning in order that the wider CLD movement in Aotearoa can move forward. Our appreciation and heartfelt thanks go out to all those we've worked with from: • Good Cents Porirua • Great Start Taita • Ka Mau Te Wero and Tãmaki community leaders and organisations more broadly • Õpõtiki • Massey Matters and the Massey-Ranui Back2Back Project • Mataura • Rakiura/Stewart Island • Waitara Alive

We would also like to thank those who offered their time to review, reflect on and critique this publication in its various stages: • Colleen Tuuta

• Mark Cabaj

• Charlie Moore

• Mary-Jane Rivers

• Dave Richards

• Michael Naera

• David Hanna

• Rachael Trotman

• Jen Margaret

• Rebecca Harrington

• Jenny Blagdon

• Roku Mihinui

• Jim Diers

• Ruth Tamihana-Milne

• Margy Jean Malcolm

• Vaughan Payne

We also acknowledge and thank those who have kindly provided pictures of community-led development in action to help bring this publication to life. To those who have purchased this book, thank you for supporting Inspiring Communities and our mission to support Aotearoa's CLD future. As an organisation, we feel privileged to be working with so many generous, inspirational and thoughtful people. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information included in Learning by Doing. Any errors, inaccuracies or omissions are our own. Megan Courtney, Barbara MacLennan, Denise Bijoux Inspiring Communities Development Team March 2013

CONTENTS Foreword from Pat Snedden 3 Acknowledgements 4 Preface from Inspiring Communities 10 Executive Summary 12 1. Introduction 17 1.1 About this book 17

1.1.1 Building new CLD understandings from multiple learning pathways

1.2 What is community-led development? 18 1.3 Noticing the difference that CLD makes

1.4 The current context for community-led development 22 in Aotearoa New Zealand 1.5 About Inspiring Communities 23

1.5.1 Inspiring Communitiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; role in learning and practice 23

2. Working together in place 27 2.1 Why focus on place? 28 2.2 Understanding dimensions of change 28 2.3 What helps people work together in place?

2.3.1 Incorporate core CLD practice principles into all that happens

2.3.2 Skilled facilitation is essential 31

2.3.3 Group work skills can build understanding

2.3.4 Intentionally ask powerful questions

2.3.5 Focus on meaningful engagement to build active relationships

2.3.6 Documentation is valuable 36

2.4 Maximising involvement in CLD 36

2.4.1 How can local and central government both enable and support CLD?

2.4.2 Resourcing CLD efforts 39

2.4.3 How can business be part of CLD?

2.4.4 Whãnau, hapú, iwi, Mãori and CLD 44 2.5 Leading together in place - new collaborative models emerging

2.5.1 Constellation governance 50

2.5.2 Starfish and Spider 50 2.5.3 Collective Impact 52

3. Community building 55 3.1 What is community resilience and why build it?

3.1.1 Tips for building community resilience 58

3.2 Strengthening neighbourhood connections 60

3.2.1 Many ways to engage residents 61

3.3 Role of community hubs in neighbourhood development

3.3.1 Role of schools in neighbourhood development

3.4 The role of neighbourhood brokers 65 3.5 Building resident-led participation and leadership

3.6 What’s the impact of a national celebration of neighbourliness?

4. Leading in and leaderful communities 73 4.1 The concept of leaderful communities is important

4.2 Leadership is multilayered and contextual

4.2.1 Leading out front still matters too! 76

CONTENTS 4.3 Everyone’s a leader - the rise of active citizenship

4.4 Bringing out the best in others - what does leaderful practice take?

4.4.1 Relationships are at the heart of CLD

4.4.2 The magic enabled by ‘middle-space’ leader

4.5 Paying attention to the ‘I’ and the ‘we’ within the collective leadership journey

5. Creating and sustaining momentum 89 5.1 Frameworks for understanding the continuing journey ahead

5.2 Keep checking to make sure CLD is at the fore

5.3 Funder approaches that create and sustain momentum

5.4 Weaving community-led development into local approaches and building on local strengths

5.4.1 Communities have local history and experience to draw from

5.4.2 Incorporate CLD approaches into organisational practice as opportunities arise

5.4.3 Weaving CLD approaches into strategic initiatives

5.5 Creating collective thinking and ownership

5.6 Collective asset mapping - a useful approach to build momentum

5.7 Keeping everyone connected and bringing others on the journey

5.8 The Fitness Landscape 101 5.9 Supporting and growing CLD practice and thinking in your community

6. Noticing the difference community-led development makes

101

105

6.1 About the CLC and Learning Together

106

108

6.1.1 The challenges of embedding a CLD learning culture

6.1.2 Enabling local CLD reflection 109

6.2 How working in CLD ways makes a difference

109

6.2.1 Motivation and intent – what matters here and why are we doing this together?

111

6.2.2 Being outcomes focused – understanding contribution

111

6.2.3 Vision and action – what are we trying to achieve and which comes first?

113

6.2.4 The role of leaders and joiners – who and how

114

6.2.5 Coordination, convening, organising and working together

115

6.2.6 Capacity and capability – accessing and growing skills.

118

6.2.7 Scale - me and we, and beyond

119

6.2.8 Influencing practice and outcomes 121 6.2.9 Recognising the difference 123

Appendices 1. About Inspiring Communities. 126 2. Executive Summary of 2010 What we are learning about community-led development in Aotearoa New Zealand.

128

3. Leaderful Practice and Quadrants of Change.

130

4. Sustainable Neighbourhood Development in Massey-Ranui – the story of Back2Back. 136 5. Growing resident-led leadership - Me Mahi Tahi Tatou.

139

6. Core Learning Cluster Community Initiative Profiles.

140

7. Reflective Learning Methodologies. 153 8. Useful tools for noting the difference CLD makes

154

9. Core Learning Cluster: Results and Achievements 160

Links & Resources 166 Glossary 173

PREFACE

nspiring Communities was established in 2008 by a small group of New Zealanders passionate about community-led development and collective community learning.

Inspiring Communities’ vision is an Aotearoa New Zealand where all communities flourish – connected, positive communities with healthy people, environments and economies. Since our inaugural What we are learning about community-led development publication in 2010, community-led development activities have continued to increase in visibility and scale throughout Aotearoa. The rapid growth of time banking, community gardens and local markets, social enterprise activities, hapú and iwi development plans, neighbourhood strengthening initiatives, men’s sheds, and community-developed plans are all great examples of locally-led responses to build community resilience, more sustainably manage resources, and enhance local environments. There is much to celebrate! Global financial, social and environmental crises have provided, and will continue to provide, critical new platforms for alternative approaches such as community-led development to thrive. If we want things to be different, we have to do things differently. This will require new paradigms of thinking and working together towards shared aspirations. More than ever, local, regional, national and international futures are interlinked. On the international stage, community-driven approaches continue to thrive in acknowledgement that complex problems1 faced by communities and countries cannot be solved by any one group. Enabled by social media, strong local connections and citizen-led responses are becoming key ingredients

For example climate change, earthquake recovery, resource scarcity and poverty.

in the broader â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;change makingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; mix. And, while there are macro issues that communities alone cannot solve (poverty, economic prosperity, climate change) there are also issues (strong local economies, clean local environments, locally grown food, safe and caring communities) that communities are in the best position to change. Four years on, Inspiring Communities represents both an organisation and a movement of people and communities who are passionate about connecting up and sharing ideas, knowledge and learning about community-led development, to help bring local aspirations to life. In this, our second major learning publication, we again share diverse examples, stories, ideas, and results from community-led activity around Aotearoa. We would like to acknowledge and thank all those who have generously contributed their learning, wisdom and time to enable the creation of this publication. We hope this supports and inspires you to use community-led development to make positive change in communities. As always, we welcome your feedback and to hear what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re seeing and noticing about community-led development. You can contact us on exchange@inspiringcommunities.org.nz. Inspiring Communities March 2013

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY What we are learning about creating positive change in communities through community-led development

earning by Doing marks another important milestone in Aotearoa's community-led development (CLD) journey and there is much to celebrate! We are learning that if we want things to be different, we have to do things differently. Inspiring Communities believes that CLD is a key ingredient in the positive community change making mix. CLD is about working together in place to create and achieve locally owned visions and goals. It's a 'learning by doing' approach that focuses on five core principles: 1. Planning and action that's driven by local visions. 2. Local people leading in strengths-based ways. 3. Many sectors working together to unlock creativity and resources. 4. Intentionally growing local leadership capacity. 5. Concurrent and adaptive planning, action and reflection of outcomes against intent.

CLD has multiple potential start points and will look different in every place. CLD is achieving visible results in communities, and transforming relationships, culture and structures at the same time. Research is showing that the potential for change is maximised when action is both collectively agreed and linked to shared visions. It is not however, a cut-price or 'quick fix' option. While hugely rewarding to be part of, CLD requires patience, persistence and a critical mass of people with the right skillsets who are prepared to work collaboratively and innovatively for a long time. Learning by Doing, builds on advice from What we are learning 2010 and focuses again on key messages in identified theme areas:

WORKING TOGETHER IN PLACE: • Place is at the heart of CLD. When relationships and networks are mobilised, 'place' is a very useful organising platform as those who live, work, play, care, invest or connect to a particular place often have a

shared vested interest in making things even better. • Critical foundations for successful working together in place include respectful and trusting relationships, a documented common focus and a sense of cohesion, proactive engagement strategies and effective processes for talking, working, and learning together. • An understanding of different kinds of 'power' and where it sits in both in the community and in collaborative processes is vital. Rebalancing power dynamics is a critical part of CLD change. • Well-developed group work, dialogue and facilitation skills are essential for CLD practitioners, and for fostering multiple parties to work together in place. • CLD is filled with both tensions, paradoxes and uncertainty and hope, possibility and potential. It's from these 'uncomfortable' places that new thinking and

(From left to right:) At Victory Primary School transience has dropped from 65% to 10%. (Photo: Fairfax Nelson Mail). 60 Mataura families are fed from produce grown in the town's community garden. The lives and financial wellbeing of 80+ low income Porirua families have been transformed following the Good Cents course.

creative solutions are often generated. • Collaboration progress is assisted by naming what's working well and what isn't, so that strengths can be built on, celebrated and blocking factors proactively addressed.

COMMUNITY BUILDING: • Successful CLD relies on active involvement of local citizens in decisions and action related to 'their place'. All communities have strengths and assets on which foundations for successful CLD can be built — especially when existing resources are used differently. • Some communities have experience and capacity to lead together, others require some support to strengthen connections, gather local voices and catalyse action at local street and neighbourhood levels. • Strategies for building community resilience are useful

in times of crisis and in responding to everyday opportunities and challenges and for gearing communities for change yet to come. • Community building approaches focus on growing social capital by intentionally encouraging participation in projects and events that in turn builds community cohesion and senses of identity, connection, pride and place. • Fun activities such as informal doorstep conversations, events in parks, street clean ups, treasure hunts, and Facebook are effective ways to engage and connect neighbourhoods. • Who leads in neighbourhoods matters, with successful neighbourhood strengthening reliant on aspirations, motivation and energy coming from within. Being an effective neighbourhood broker requires focused listening, 'light touch' support and an approach that works 'with' rather than 'for' local residents.

• Local community hubs are providing new ways for people to gather, connect, initiate activities and access services. Success relies on integrating a resident-centred empowerment philosophy into everything that happens so locals understand the hub as 'their place.' • Schools can play a key role in strengthening communities. When learning and community development approaches are integrated 'in place', better outcomes for students, families and communities can be achieved. • A sense of both 'giving back' and being able to make a difference are often key drivers for local residents to 'step up' and take more active leadership roles in their communities. • Neighbours Day Aotearoa is becoming a key catalyst and umbrella for neighbourhood strengthening activities across Aotearoa.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY What we are learning about creating positive change in communities through community-led development

LEADING IN AND LEADERFUL COMMUNITIES: • There is a leader in everyone. Leaderful communities are those where power is distributed, shared and where leadership comes from many corners of the community. • Both leaders 'out front' and 'leaderful' leaders are needed to inspire participation, action and embed community-led change efforts. • Leaderful practitioners bring out the best in others by building trusted relationships. They are skilled at intentionally redistributing power in how they engage, encourage and lead. They are also skilled at knowing when to step up, step back, walk alongside and/or walk away which enables those that follow to 'join in' and lead themselves. • Leading in CLD spaces calls for a strong focus on co-creation. The 'how' and 'who' — the processes, structures, systems and frameworks that help CLD stakeholders work collabo-

ratively towards shared local visions and goals are as important as 'what' and 'why'. • Different styles and types of leadership are required at different stages of CLD journeys. It pays to anticipate and plan for the leadership skills required next, knowing that the best ways to grow and strengthen leadership capacity will be different for each community.

CREATING AND SUSTAINING MOMENTUM: • Like nature, expect constant change in CLD and be prepared to proactively adapt and change. • Use helpful frameworks like the 'eco cycle' of collaboration to understand the different phases of CLD. See where you are now and what resources, approaches, evaluation and leadership will likely be needed next. • There is no right place to start in CLD. Begin from where you, your organisation or community is and weave CLD principles and practice into everything that happens — be bold, humble

and ensure that local residents and/or those with 'lived experience' are actively part of what happens. Have fun! • Locally led action can be catalysed through use of visual images, stories, and timelines to re-kindle memories and focus/ renew a shared sense of direction and progress. • Creating and revisiting community asset maps helps identify, build on and catalyse community strengths to celebrate positive steps forward. • Regular communication is a vital part of keeping everyone connected and growing CLD supporter bases. • Encourage and create local or sub-regional peer learning and support networks for CLD practitioners to ensure people are supported, inspired and able to have fun through learning and sharing together.

NOTICING THE DIFFERENCE CLD MAKES: Nine CLD initiatives, almost 22,000 people and 800 alliances with thousands of hours leveraged through CLD! From 2010-12 Inspiring Communities worked with nine diverse CLD initiatives as part of a 'core learning cluster.' By reflecting on a regular basis, we can see that: • CLD makes the most immediate tangible difference at the smaller town, suburb or neighbourhood level. These are the scales at which ‘daily life’ happens and at which people can see their individual contribution to an achievement that could only have come about by working with others in that place. • Positive outcomes can also influence systems change in key stakeholders engaged in CLD efforts — for example funding practice and contracting. • Prototypes are emerging around particular themes and activities. For example, the Good Cents initiative in Porirua, community action research approaches in Glen Innes, and the Massey Matters community projects

fund all offer clear frameworks with results that can be adapted for use elsewhere. • There is considerable value in connecting beyond the 'very local'. Working collaboratively with outside partners can bring in additional ideas, resources and connections — recognising that some things, such as largescale economic development, can only be done by engaging with specific partners. • Many activities contribute to CLD changes. In evaluation there is a continual search for a direct cause and effect link, but in CLD where there are many interconnected networks and actions, we have found it more useful to focus more on contribution than attribution.2

– there is an overall collective vision to guide action; – there is agreement on both when and how collective movement towards shared goals (as well as the changes, deviations and achievements that happen too!) will be measured; – outputs and how they have directly and indirectly contributed to outcomes are named and widely shared; and – regular reflective practice is proactively resourced and built into CLD programmes. This helps to reveal links between practice, intent and outcomes. When learnings are documented they can be woven into an initiative's development in real time, for maximum impact and effect.

• Behaviour changes in those involved in CLD are an outcome of CLD, with new thinking influencing what comes next and how it's undertaken. In this way, one outcome leads to several more. • The ability to notice positive community-led change is assisted when:

Contribution is where the initiative helped to achieve the outcomes; the outcomes happened as a result of many factors working together. Attribution is where the initiative caused the observed outcomes; the outcomes are a direct result of this initiative, intended or not. 15

1 INTRODUCTION Nã tõ rourou, nã taku rourou ka ora ai te iwi With your food basket and my food basket the people will thrive

1.1 ABOUT THIS BOOK Learning by Doing is aimed at those interested or involved in CLD. It’s a very diverse audience! For example there are people working in policy, in environmental restoration, in funding, academia, management, residents organising within their street or community, politicians, iwi leaders, community groups, school principals, social service agencies, church leaders, community funders, local business owners and of course, communities themselves. Based on your feedback from our inaugural What we are Learning handbook we have continued with a mix of CLD frameworks, inspiring stories and practical tips, resources and tools to use in your everyday practice. Chapter 1 outlines Inspiring Communities’ understanding of community-led development

and the practical difference that CLD is making in many communities. It scans the current challenges and opportunities facing CLD in Aotearoa New Zealand and notes the important role that ‘learning by doing’ plays in CLD. Chapters 2-5 expand on the four CLD themes identified in What we are Learning 2010:3 • Working together in place — collaboration between those who live, work, care, play and invest in placebased communities is essential to achieve locally determined visions. This work is by nature messy and challenging, with much that can only be learned from ‘doing together’. • Community building — local residents are at the heart of CLD. This means local residents being encouraged and empowered to actively

participate in place-based visioning, decision making and action that enhances quality of life in ‘their’ place. • Leading in and ‘leaderful communities’ — how communities can be strengthened when leadership from all corners of the community is intentionally valued, acknowledged, promoted and joined up. Collaborative leaders with integrity are key to successful CLD. • Creating and sustaining momentum — the ‘right’ pathways to achieving CLD goals and visions are inherently unpredictable. This means that CLD journeys are by nature filled with ups and downs, and trial and error, to find what works and why. Consciously integrating reflective learning processes into CLD

In 2010 Inspiring Communities brought together observations and thinking about community-led development from across the country to create What we are learning about community-led development - see http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/learning-tools/what-we-arelearning-2010. This book has been used widely by CLD supporters, students, practitioners and communities both in New Zealand and beyond. Our first report identified four key themes from the emerging CLD experience and learning. Both What we are Learning and Learning by Doing should be seen as complementary and read together as a learning and practice package. 17

practice helps manage the bumpy road and ensure momentum continues. Chapter 6 focuses on noticing the positive difference that CLD makes to community change efforts. It is a summary of results and reflective learnings from the nine CLD initiatives, which joined with Inspiring Communities to form a shared community of practice from 2010-12. At the end of the document we’ve also included a list of useful links and learning resources to explore CLD further.

1.1.1 BUILDING NEW CLD UNDERSTANDINGS FROM MULTIPLE LEARNING PATHWAYS Learning by Doing includes key ideas and learnings gathered from a variety of places and experiences. Inspiring Communities acknowledges the contribution from four key sources: • Inspiring Communities Core Learning Cluster — supported by both Lotteries Community Research and

the Tindall Foundation, this three year ‘learnings and outcomes’ project involving 9 initiatives4 has worked with CLD frameworks, principles and practices to better understand why, for what, and how community-led change happens, as well as noticing the difference it makes. • Regional CLD Learning Networks both in Auckland and the Bay of Plenty5 – in these regions Inspiring Communities is funded to connect CLD supporters and communities and support CLD thinking and practice. Workshops and gatherings are always well attended. Reciprocal sharing and learning from ‘ground up’ experience is energetic and highly valued. • Civil Society Leadership Learning Co-Inquiry – in 2011 the Inspiring Communities Development Team (and some Board members) worked with Margy Jean Malcolm in a co-inquiry process6 as part of her PhD research on civil society leadership learning7. We reflected on our own leadership practice, and

collectively explored what we were noticing from CLD initiatives around Aotearoa, and from an Inspiring Communities organisational perspective. • Visiting Thought Leaders—in 2011 Inspiring Communities hosted Tamarack Associate, Mark Cabaj, who presented to a range of interagency workshops on complex issues and on using adaptive frameworks and evaluation approaches in collaborative community-led development. In 2012, we hosted Jim Diers from Seattle twice. Incorporating a strong ABCD8 lens in his work, Jim’s passion is neighbourhood-led development and community organising. We also worked with community builder Peter Kenyon from the Bank of Ideas in Australia to co-host regional ABCD workshops in the Bay of Plenty.

1.2 WHAT IS COMMUNITY-LED DEVELOPMENT CLD provides a framework for acting on what matters locally in ways that empower local

Including Great Start Taita, Good Cents Porirua, Rakiura/Stewart Island, Õpõtiki , Waitara Alive, Massey Matters and Back2Back Massey-Ranui, Ka Mau te Wero (Tãmaki) and Mataura. 5 For more see http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development-regional-networks/regional-networks. 6 Key learning from this process has influenced content developed in chapters 2,4, and 5 especially. 7 Anticipated publication date for this PhD thesis is the end of 2013. 8 Asset Based Community Development - see http://www.abcdinstitute.org/. 18

people to work collectively both with one another, and with other groups and organisations that have a stake or role in that place. A CLD approach encourages the mobilisation of local community action and effort. It can also be an effective lens

for agencies, governments and communities tackling complex community issues like family violence, high debt levels, and vulnerable children. CLD however is not a silver bullet for fixing things, neither is it an approach that stands alone. Rather, CLD is one of a number

of complementary strategies9 that can assist the process of community transformation and problem solving. The essence of CLD is working together in place to create and achieve locally-owned visions and goals. It’s a place-based

CLD PRINCIPLES

THIS MEANS...

Shared visions for 'place' driving action and change

Building visions and priorities with those who live, work, care, play, and invest in that place – the principle of ahi kaa.10 Tailor-making solutions from the 'ground up' and reflecting local aspirations, needs and conditions. Growing a shared sense of optimism and collective caring for people, place and the future ahead.

Local people actively involved in planning, decision making and doing

Acknowledging everyone has a contribution to make – with attention to involve groups often ignored. Valuing local people as 'experts' in their place. Proactively engaging local voices and ideas. Building action plans on existing community strengths, assets and resources. Encouraging and supporting local people with energy to do things, and connecting them up with others who can help.

Many sectors working together

Involving all those who have a stake in creating visions and aspirations, plans and activities and working/doing together. Fostering new connections between diverse people, organisations and sectors to unlock resources and enable new thinking. Creating strong local relationships and linkages – at street/neighbourhood level, between local groups, agencies, businesses and also with organisations based outside the local area.

Proactively building local leadership and ownership of change

Intentionally strengthening, growing and joining up local leadership. Recognising and celebrating local leadership and achievements. Making change visible and communicating progress within communities.

Learning from doing

Holding an intentional vision/goal with a flexible 'doing' framework. Not waiting for the 'perfect' plan or 'complete' analysis – they don't exist. Being prepared to take action, acknowledging uncertainty and adapting as things progress. Proactively sharing experiences, learnings, and results within and across communities. Understanding that ongoing small steps collectively contribute to larger transformational change. Making links and encouraging systems changes (policy, funding, practice etc) for lasting impact within communities.

For example integrated services, local economic development, social development, environmental restoration. 10 Ahi Kaa is a fundamental traditional Mãori cultural concept meaning ‘site of burning fires’. In contemporary times, Ahi Kaa is used to refer to people who uphold a particular purpose within the community. That is, they are the ‘keepers of the home fires’ be that at home, on the marae (traditional settlements) or within a particular organisation or movement. 19

developmental approach with a principles-based framework as outlined on the previous page. CLD is practical and aspirational. Both are important. Implementing all CLD principles at once is sometimes simply not possible - especially in establishment phases. What matters is starting from where you, your organisation and/or community are, and then applying a CLD framework to guide how things develop from there. While the starting point for CLD may be a local crisis or problem, it could equally be around creating opportunities: • a community visioning process; • local people working together on a joint project; • an agency seeking to redesign how their services are delivered; • a fund to catalyse and support local initiative and action; or • a process to join up local efforts and energy to achieve shared goals. The concept of CLD can mean different things to different people. It involves overlaps with other terms and aligned 11

IT’S THE PRINCIPLES THAT COUNT “CLD is common sense yet elusive. It’s hard to describe and capture because it never looks the same in two places. But it’s not what’s on the surface that counts – it’s what’s underneath that’s the most important.” Inspiring Communities Think Piece Contributor 2012:11 movements like community development11, social innovation, and community economic development. We've been reluctant to pin things down too tightly. Over time we expect that this overlap will change, but in the interests of inclusion and evolution we are embracing and accepting the 'messiness' around CLD language.

1.3 NOTICING THE DIFFERENCE THAT CLD MAKES Inspiring Communities can see how CLD contributes to the outcomes desired by communities, the ways in which people work together and the resulting planned and unexpected benefits. This is based on our research and

observations of CLD activity over the last four years. Many activities contribute to making positive changes in communities. CLD makes particular contributions that grow community capital12 and achieve visible and tangible differences – such as more viable local businesses in Mataura, graffiti reduction in Õpõtiki, upgraded community facilities on Rakiura/Stewart Island and improved road safety in Waitara. Changes are often initially at the smaller town, suburb or neighbourhood level, and then sometimes influence shifts at a wider scale – for example systems changes within local government. CLD changes are most often achieved where action is intentional and collectively agreed by a wide range of place-based stakeholders. This helps redirect existing skills and resources, alongside new resources. Together they grow the capacity to assist positive local change. By taking a projects focus, we have seen that visible change helps grow momentum and brings others and their ideas on board — seeing is believing! Very soon, one thing leads to another and new projects and people are involved. Brokers become

The key differences between CLD and community development is CLD's focus on communities of place, cross-sectoral collaboration and inclusion of system change focus. 12 Community capital is the natural, human, social, and built capital from which a community receives benefits and on which the community relies for continued existence. For more see: http://www.sustainablemeasures.com/node/32. 20

CLD - EXAMPLES OF THE ‘VALUE ADD’ FOR NZ COMMUNITIES FACE COMPLEX CHALLENGES:

CLD BRINGS TANGIBLE RESULTS Some examples:

Small towns in decline

Mataura - children’s readiness for school increased from 20% - 80% in 3 years, community events engaging 85% of local people, 60 families now fed from community garden.

Failing schools and disconnected communities

Victory Village, Nelson - school roll turn over dropped from 65% to 10%, student achievement increased from 50% - 90%, vibrant community hub hosts 2500 participants per month in community of 6000.

Breaking poverty cycles

Good Cents Porirua - 80+ low income individuals/families now experiencing a significant paradigm shift around their money and futures, and leading their own change and transformation.

Recovering from crises

Lyttelton - 435 member time bank has strongly assisted earthquake recovery efforts, community recently purchased their grocery store to ensure local food security.

Transforming a local economy and community

Õpõtiki - integrated planning led by iwi and local government to enable community transformation supported through aquaculture and tourism.

as important as leaders, and having a declared intention and shared goals helps to focus new activity, and/or to highlight that new goals are now needed. There are many positive signs of CLD-based progress and change in communities to acknowledge, celebrate and learn from. While not a quick fix or cut price option, incorporating a CLD approach into New Zealand’s ‘business as usual’ often provides a significant ‘value add’ for communities, regions and the country as a whole. In all of the examples below, change has been possible because people have committed to think and work differently together. They have built new relationships and alliances and make the most of everything their community has to offer. As people experience and understand the power of working together towards shared goals, CLD ways of working become ‘the norm’. This is leading to more understanding about how to build a sense of community that is based on locally derived shared purpose and intent, and how being of service to each other can sit alongside ‘developing and delivering services’. There is 13

growing understanding that the ‘standard recipe’ (services focused on fixing deficits/ people and on narrowly defined outputs) has not made significant inroads to solving complex issues. There are promising results when issues are reframed, e.g. from a narrow ‘people with problems’ mode to consciously seeing people as residents, citizens and communities and then actively engaging with them to co-design possible solutions. This dovetailing of service delivery and CLD approaches can bring positive gains.13 CLD leads individuals to value and nurture relationships. Stronger connections become an outcome in themselves, while at the same time creating new initiatives. Alongside these, communities come to expect to be involved in decisions that affect them as equals to those with official or delegated powers. New structures also begin to emerge, and local cultures of ‘how we do things around here’ shift towards more collaborative, strengths-based systems. By involving many people and combining expertise and experience, synergies allow the ‘end product’ to be much greater than the sum of the parts. In these ways, CLD helps

build community resilience and sustainability.

1.4 THE CURRENT CONTEXT FOR COMMUNITY-LED DEVELOPMENT IN AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND In July 2012, Inspiring Communities published a think piece14, which reflected on changes in the broader CLD environment and factors that were currently helping or hindering CLD. The Think Piece, which brought together contributions from 22 thought leaders in Aotearoa, identified many positive small steps forward for CLD including: • increased awareness, interest in and uptake of CLD by many stakeholders and communities across Aotearoa and globally; • growing national recognition that leadership and active participation by local communities matters; • iwi-led development and CLD being viewed by many as complementary and aligned approaches; • a growing understanding that community services and CLD are very different;

To learn about a community-led approach to reducing family violence in Highbury in Palmerston North see http://www.tearohanoa.org.nz/ user/file/24/Violence%20Free%20Community%20Project.pdf 14 Download Inspiring Communities' 2012 Think Piece from http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/think-piece-july-2012. 22

• business, government, iwi and Mãori, funders, community organisations and communities all looking for more effective ways of doing things with the resources available. Interestingly, significant devastating events like the Christchurch earthquakes, global financial crises, and the national debt burden were seen as having triggered positive shifts in CLD thinking and action in New Zealand. Some contributors were however more sceptical of the current ‘hype’ around CLD, reflecting that use of CLD language doesn’t always equate to an understanding or commitment to working differently in practice. Concerns were expressed about potential ‘government capture’ of CLD and the approach being used as a vehicle for government devolution of responsibility to communities without accompanying resources or the decision-making power necessary to facilitate meaningful change. Letting go of ‘old’ ways of working,15 having a critical mass of people with the ‘right’ CLD skillsets, and changing entrenched systems were highlighted as ongoing challenges for embedding

CLD both at national and local levels. Also key to enhancing CLD practice and outcomes were: • improved access to, and uptake of, collaboration training and support to strengthen local partnering cultures; • growing more ‘active’ citizens and more active citizenship, with local people enabled to lead/ contribute to the difference they would like to see; • having respected bodies who can advocate, connect communities and gather robust evidence about CLD driven change; • ensuring local government is actively involved in and supporting CLD; and • developing mutually supportive businesscommunity relationships that go beyond sponsorship/asking for money.

1.5 ABOUT INSPIRING COMMUNITIES Inspiring Communities’ mission is creating change through effective community-led development (CLD). We are a small, virtual organisation16 committed

to catalysing, promoting, and using the application of CLD principles to create flourishing Kiwi communities with healthy people, economies and environments. 1.5.1 INSPIRING COMMUNITIES’ ROLE IN LEARNING AND PRACTICE Despite many communities in Aotearoa actively demonstrating what’s possible when communities are empowered and supported to lead their own development, CLD demands patience, persistence, ongoing collective dialogue, and real-time developmental analysis of practice and results. CLD is a long term game, and one where rules, models and evidence only take us so far. CLD also involves both ‘heads and hearts’, and we are constantly reminded that not everything that counts can be easily measured. It’s therefore important that we embrace a ‘learning by doing’ approach in order to better understand what works, what doesn’t and why. This applied and adaptive learning remains at the heart of both CLD and New Zealand’s evolving CLD movement. A key purpose of creating Inspiring Communities was to grow an intentional collective

For example working in ways that may be top down, controlling, uncollaborative, and non participatory. 16 For more about Inspiring Communities, our team and activities see Appendix 1. 23

CLD ‘doing’ and ‘learning’ community. As an organisation we are committed to supporting practical community action for positive outcomes and gathering and sharing information, insights and knowledge gained from this work. In this we claim no ownership for ourselves. The stories and learnings we share belong to communities and CLD initiatives themselves. The role of Inspiring Communities is to capture, connect, and catalyse emerging ideas, wisdom and knowledge so that everyone benefits. We are fortunate to be connected with multiple learning partners both here in Aotearoa and beyond. While we have much to gain from overseas thinking and CLD learnings, there is also much to share from our experience here in Aotearoa New Zealand. Attached at Appendix 2 is a summary of key CLD learnings and advice offered in our 2010 publication. From this we developed our top ten for CLD practitioners — which are as relevant today as they were two years ago!

What we are learning about community-led development in Aotearoa New Zealand December 2010

Our Top Tips What we areTen learning

1. Start identifying the assets, strengths and what aboutwith community-led development works well in each community. in Aotearoa New Zealand 2. Be intentional, be clear on your vision but be flexible December 2010 get there. in how you might 3. Understand the nature of the problems/issues you're dealing with - simple solutions will not address complex problems. 4. Know that it's not what you do but how you do it that matters most - build CLD thinking and action into everything that happens. 5. Go where the energy is - invest in people and their passion. 6. Anticipate 'mess', uncertainty and things to be hard. 7. Grow people and collaboration infrastructure don't just focus on 'projects'. 8. Make progress visible to local people - seeing is believing. 9. Grow a local culture of learning and reflection. www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz 10. Be kind to yourself - this work is about us and not about us, celebrate each small step! www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz

Inspiring Communities is able to provide training workshops to further explore the learnings, tips and tools included in this publication. In 2013 we will be also expanding our range of learning products, consultancies and support. For more information please contact us on exchange@inspiringcommunites.org.nz.

LEARNING BY DOING MÃTAURANGA COMMUNITY “I see this rich wealth of learning emerging from community-led development practice around Aotearoa that’s captured in Learning by Doing as Mãtauranga17 Community.” Colleen Tuuta Inspiring Communities Trustee 2009-12 and friend of Inspiring Communities

Mãtauranga Mãori can be defined as ‘the knowledge, comprehension, or understanding of everything visible and invisible existing in the universe’, and is often used synonymously with wisdom. In the contemporary world, the definition is usually extended to include present–day, historic, local, and traditional knowledge; systems of knowledge transfer and storage; and the goals, aspirations and issues from an indigenous perspective. http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/about/sustainability/voices/matauranga-maori/what-is-matauranga-maori. 24

Top left, above: Mihi Angel's dream was to bring Kelston's older residents together. Mihi and the Kelston Hub crew now meet regularly to share cups of tea and memories about life in Kelston. Left, bottom left: At West Spreydon School in Christchurch, parent coffee mornings are held at the school each Friday, with around 20 families regularly attending. This is one of a number of initiatives actively strengthening school-family-community links.

2 WORKING TOGETHER IN PLACE If the centre shoot of the flax were plucked Where would the bellbird sing You ask me What is the most important this in the world? I would say Tis people, tis people, tis people.

Hutia te rito o te harakeke Kei whea te kõmako e kõ Kı˜ mai ki ahau E aha te mea nui o te ao? Mãku e kı˜ atu He tãngata! He tãngata! He tãngata e!

WHAT WE’RE LEARNING ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER IN PLACE: Achieving the vision of an Aotearoa where all communities flourish requires multiple stakeholders working together effectively at local, regional and national levels. Some significant shifts in thinking and in practice are needed, many of which will only really happen through the processes of working together and learning by doing over time. Success will require changes in participation, policy and practice in many sectors. This in turn will need to involve ongoing exploration and experimentation to find the most effective ways of doing things.

organising platform as those who live, work, play, care, invest or connect to a particular place often have a shared vested interest in making things even better. • Critical foundations for successful working together in place include respectful and trusting relationships, a documented common focus, a sense of cohesion, proactive engagement strategies

Funders Local & Central Government

Academics

PLACE

Key messages: • Place is at the heart of CLD. When relationships and networks are mobilised, ‘place’ is a very useful

NGOs

Residents

Business

Iwi & Maori

and effective processes for talking, working, and learning together. • An understanding of different kinds of ‘power’ and where it sits in both in the community and in collaborative processes is vital. Rebalancing power dynamics is a critical part of CLD change. • Well developed group work, dialogue and facilitation skills are essential for CLD practitioners, and for fostering multiple parties to work together in place. • CLD is filled with both tensions, paradoxes and uncertainty and hope, possibility and potential. It’s from these ‘uncomfortable’ places that new thinking and creative solutions are often generated.

• Collaboration progress is assisted by naming what’s working well and what isn’t, so that strengths can be built on, celebrated and blocking factors proactively addressed.

2.1 WHY FOCUS ON PLACE? There are many ways to define community, including by geography or place. Whãnau, hapú and iwi,18 along with everyone who lives, works, plays, cares and invests in a ‘place,’ share common elements and have unique understanding about that area’s unique past, present, and future. They have an understanding of how that place functions, which ‘outsiders’ simply cannot know. Generally speaking, they have a shared vested interest in improving their ‘place’ as somewhere to, for example, safely raise children, grow a business, go to work, or enjoy the local environment. ‘Place’ is one key context19 in which we exist and experience life. It’s also where the combined

impacts of social, cultural, environmental and cultural change are sometimes most visible. In recent years, there has been a strong swing internationally towards ‘place’ as locus of attention. There is growing understanding that it makes sense to connect with and unleash local aspirations, capability and leadership for change.20 In different contexts, place may mean neighbourhood, suburb, rohe,21 town or sub region. There are rich webs of relationships and networks, which, if understood, valued and nurtured, can be mobilised in the interests of local outcomes. Place is also a core foundation of our democratic systems and the structure of central and local government.22 As noted in Chapter 1, CLD is a collaborative approach, with ‘working together in place’ a cornerstone of the practice. From a CLD perspective working together in place means that local communities, and especially local residents, are actively involved in leading the

changes and developments that affect them. People in local communities have a ‘lived’ expertise that is fundamental to the success of such changes and it is, therefore, imperative that this expertise is enabled at both decision-making and action-taking levels. This does not mean that local communities are the sole leaders of local development – they too need to reach out to others who can help get things done.

2.2 UNDERSTANDING DIMENSIONS OF CHANGE Understanding different kinds of power, where they sit and how change might happen is essential when working together in place. The power held by some organisations, or certain individuals within neighbourhoods, or that of formal/informal structures and institutions,23 all come into play when negotiating within, and between, communities. Nurturing the ability to step into, and actively use power in the interests of common good, is core to

18 There is no easy or direct translation of place for Mãori. Most aligned concepts are 'whakapapa' - which implies a deep connection to land and the roots of one’s ancestry and túrangawaewae which is often translated as ‘a place to stand’, where people feel especially empowered or connected. 19 Other key contexts for example are online communities who meet in cyberspace or faith based communities who gather around particular leaders and places of worship. 20 For example see a recent report from the Carnegie Institute in the UK which highlights the importance of community-led approaches in tackling environmental problems in neighbourhoods http://www.carnegieuktrust.org.uk/publications/2012/ pride-in-place--tackling-environmental-incivilitie. 21 This describes the territory or boundaries of tribal groups. 22 It should be noted however that New Zealand's change to a Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) electoral system in 1994 did reduce the emphasis on place-based political representation. 23 For example community boards, business lobby groups and 'old boy' networks. 28

CLD work. In What we are Learning 2010, Inspiring Communities introduced the ‘Quadrants of Change’24 framework and discussed how transformational change within communities is dependent upon concurrent movement in four key areas: personal, relational, structural and cultural. Power also has a significant impact on what, and how, things happen in communities and we see this tightly woven into all four quadrants as noted on the diagram on the next page.

TRANSFORMATION WITHIN COMMUNITIES — DIMENSIONS OF CHANGE —

Personal

Relational

The attitudes, behaviours, actions and value-sets of individuals

Structural

POWER

The connections, ties and trust between people and organisations

Quadrants of Change POWER

The systems, structures and formal ‘rules’ that govern communities, families, organisations, government and society as a whole

Cultural

The culture of a community is the unwritten ‘rules’ of the game — the way we do things around here.

Source: Adapted from Lederach et al

As part of Inspiring Communities 2011 Civil Society Leadership Co-Inquiry25 work, we analysed key aspects of CLD practice in terms of the Quadrants Framework. Key enablers and blockers of positive changes we identified are noted in appendix 3. We noticed a paradox in that some factors can be both enabling and disabling to CLD. For example, funding to support CLD action is sometimes critical yet too much money up front often leads to ‘money grabs’, such as a focus on individual leader’s pet projects, or on structures. Putting a focus on resourcing without due attention at the outset to making sure necessary

relationship foundations and effective processes for working together are first in place is risky. Equally, sometimes not enough resourcing up front can prevent community-led action from getting started, stretch capacity too thinly and/or mean initiatives are unable to be sustained. ‘Unpacking’ the quadrants framework helped reinforce a few key things: • Everything is connected! For example, leadership building is about more than individual leaders and trust based relationships. It’s also about structures and a broader culture of collab-

oration and partnering in place. Leading with others is becoming core business at every level. • As with any eco-system, diversity and commonalities are essential parts of a CLD process. There will always be multiple partners with different perspectives, agendas, systems and practices to both navigate and align in order to deliver on shared local visions. There will be conflict and there may not always be agreement on everything. • Applying ‘and/and’ rather than ‘either/or’ thinking helps open up possibilities.

Adapted from Lederach et al (2007). Reflective peacebuilding: a planning, monitoring and learning tool kit. Available from http://kroc. nd.edu/research/books/strategic-peacebuilding/275. 25 See page 18. 29

For example, magic tends to happen when ‘bottom up’ meets ‘top down’ - often with someone or something in the middle to help things along. • Tensions, uncertainty, crises, contradictions and paradoxes can be drivers for movement, change and innovation. In these situations when the need for certainty, control or fixed answers are ‘let go’, creative, counter-intuitive possibilities can emerge. For example, the vulnerability that comes with complex, uncertain situations can

enable a more collaborative culture when those who are leading ask questions and actively seek others’ opinions. This can provide room for new co-created answers, and role modelling what a culture of ‘leading together’ can look like. Understanding and analysing key factors that can assist community change processes is therefore critical. It enables us to do more of what’s working well, and to consciously name and address aspects that need to be changed as working together progresses.

IDENTIFY AND BUILD FROM THE ASSETS WITHIN “Don’t let people sit on their assets. Everyone has gifts, and we need to learn new ways of acknowledging these and tap into all people have to offer. At a community level, the same applies; we should be building treasure maps (community strengths) rather than needs analyses — the latter leave us firmly in deficit silos, requiring agencies to fix problems.” Jim Diers workshop, New Zealand August 2012

2.3 WHAT HELPS PEOPLE TO WORK TOGETHER IN PLACE? Along with the enabling actions, traits and behaviours noted in appendix 3, there are also some key principles and skillsets that assist and support people and organisations to work better together. While some people will have natural abilities, skills can also be learned, nurtured and refined. As noted on page 16, CLD is assisted when there is a critical mass of people, sectors and organisations able to effectively work in CLD ways. 2.3.1 INCORPORATE CORE CLD PRACTICE PRINCIPLES INTO ALL THAT HAPPENS The following principles are drawn from Jim Diers’ work,26 and his reflections on decades of enabling neighbourhood development from a local government setting. The principle of ‘first do no harm’ is vital. It is not uncommon for agencies, as well as local and central government to distract communities from their own agendas and priorities by imposing their organisational requirements. Additionally, these organisations often don’t sufficiently

For more wisdom Jim shared on his 2012 NZ tour see http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development-projects-initiatives/ jim-diers-nationwide-tour or read his book, Neighbor Power. 30

value the time and contributions of local residents who do get involved, and this lack of value can impact on the likelihood of future participation by local people and communities. Practitioners ‘do harm’ if they create expectations that cannot be met, create dependencies, or ‘take’ information or knowledge from communities without ‘giving back’. Agencies and those with resources sometimes violate the ‘iron rule’ of community organizing: ‘Never do for people what they can do for themselves’. Examples of this include agency leaders speaking for communities, or agencies or government developing services that the community once successfully developed and ran themselves. Sometimes, funding community leaders to work on behalf of others can also undermine community capability and leadership. Jim notes that “institutions should focus on what they are uniquely capable of, and allow communities to do what they do best.” 2.3.2 SKILLED FACILITATION IS ESSENTIAL An understanding of how different conversation or

Neighbourhoods expert Jim Diers from Seattle in action.

USEFUL QUESTIONS TO WORK THROUGH WHEN PREPARING TO CONVENE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER IN PLACE • Who needs to be at the table to shape this kaupapa (purpose/ cause)? How do the people most impacted have a real voice? • What is the shared intent, vision, value, kaupapa of why we are bringing people together? Clarifying these, both among those preparing to convene gatherings and also among those brought together, accelerates opportunities for 28 leaderful outcomes. • What does that vision mean in terms of clear, compelling, manageable chunks of action to do together? • How will we work together? meeting styles27 can help enable stakeholder relationship building and dialogue is important. It is also important to recognise that CLD demands shifts in thinking, and in power relationships among people, organisations and sectors. Convening constructive conversations that enable such

changes is vital. Sometimes they will be among people who have not talked or worked together before, and they may come with apprehension or even unwillingness. Good facilitation skills allow others in the room to be put at ease. Knowing that there is a

For example conversation cafes, open space technology processes, storytelling, blog discussions. Paul Born's book, Community Conversations, also includes many practical techniques for bringing diverse stakeholders together. 28 In this instance, leaderful outcomes would be all participants feeling actively involved in what's being discussed and how, which in turn is likely to result in them taking ownership and/or play active roles in what happens next. For more on leaderful approaches see Chapter 4. 31

• using team building exercises to help ‘gel’ the group and speed things along;

safe place for conversation, for sharing ideas, to be heard and a space to openly talk about power and change can make all the difference. Essential facilitation competencies include being able to:

• using participatory processes that identify and clarify differences and agreement around priorities or issues;

• listen well;

• building shared awareness and transparently discussing group processes that recognise and work with different kinds and levels of power within the group;

• share ideas clearly; • convene and safely hold constructive and challenging conversations; • recognise ideas, patterns, and linkages that are emerging;

• induction processes (people, history, plans underway) to help new people ‘join in’ and actively participate;

• sense resistance and probe the reasons that lie behind; • encourage a sense of shared ownership of outcomes, or next steps; • summarise and reflect ideas or emerging issues; and • acknowledge and celebrate success. 2.3.3 GROUP WORK SKILLS CAN BUILD UNDERSTANDING As noted in What we are Learning 2010, complex work like CLD doesn’t come with a recipe – it is evolutionary, dynamic and involves lots of multi-stakeholder juggling. Successful teamwork by groups and communities can benefit from:

• having skills on hand to help the group proactively hold and work through inevitable tensions and conflicts as they arise; and • recognising different phases and stages of a group’s development, and the input that might help keep things moving, such as evaluation assistance, visiting other CLD initiatives, developing MAKE REVISIONS

MAKE THINGS HAPPEN

MAKE SENSE

MAKE CHOICES

Source: Donald N Sull Closing the Gap between Strategy and Execution

new governance models or having a launch. Looser structure in meetings and in organisational form can enable innovation in the early stages of CLD. An informal environment can provide a useful platform where exploratory ideas are collectively tested, progressed, reviewed and learned from. It is very important that groups and networks are actively focussed on both content (what the group or network is doing or concerned about) and process (how the group or network is working together, involving others, functioning). This means paying attention to the ‘Cultural Quadrant’ (see diagram on page 29), including: • having intentional conversations to discuss, document and review often otherwise unwritten ‘rules’ about ‘how and why we do things around here’; intentional naming of values, norms, myths, assumptions and culture can provide a touchstone to ground everything that happens; • sharing community stories that highlight positive and challenging attributes, impacts and examples of local leadership and drive; this process connects

people with their passion for why they want to be involved and their community’s own culture, knowledge, strengths and assets; • using real time feedback loops to bring greater understanding about what’s happening and help collaborating partners grow from practical experience; this includes cycling from words, to action, to reflection, and change, as noted on the Strategy Loop Diagram on the previous page; • talking through what it means to take risks together, and best ways to support each other through the difficult times that will inevitably arise; and • a culture of regular review. The nature of group decision-making is vital in community-led development. The inherent focus is inclusiveness, and therefore consensus building and decision-making processes are required. As Robin Allison, co-founder of Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood in West Auckland reflects, “We have managed to go a whole lot further than if this project was driven by the visions and decisions of one or two people.

ORGANISING A MEANINGFUL CONVERSATION FOR 200 PEOPLE “A team of us were tasked with developing up some ‘powerful questions’ for a Plenary Session held on Day Three at Victory Village Forum. The session involved over 200 people from around Aotearoa, and from many sectors. We used a World Café design, and created our questions at the end of Day Two, so that they were sensitive to themes and conversations from the forum so far. We wanted the questions to create conversation that encouraged shared reflection on what people had been hearing and learning. We also wanted to provoke thought about next steps in local communities, drawing on their Forum experience. Here’s what we came up with: • What sustains you and inspires you in your work in the whãnau / community space? • What is one thing (an idea, behaviour, pattern of thinking ….) that if you let go of it, would help you move forward in the whãnau / community space? • What group / stakeholder / people do you find challenging to have conversations with in your ‘place’ and how can you change to help this? • What are the things you will see / hear / experience in your place as your vision and purpose is beginning to be realised? • What are the links between your story of your place /organisation and the Victory story? “The hall was absolutely buzzing with conversation. Seating people around informally arranged tables totally changed the potential for conversation in a large school hall setting.” Inspiring Communities Team 2011 (for more on answers to the questions above, see Victory Village Forum report link)

Consensus means we can take advantage of the combined strength of experience, skills and resources of all those involved. The diverse perspectives help us to think things through and make better informed decisions.”29 2.3.4 INTENTIONALLY ASK POWERFUL QUESTIONS As noted in What we are Learning 2010, well convened conversations around powerful questions can rapidly accelerate working together and progress. Many CLD initiatives have experienced significant ‘shifts’ in thinking, relationships and action as a result of specific well convened events,30 which use questions as the centre for discussion. Peter Block (2008:154) writes that a great question has three qualities: 1. “It’s ambiguous and there is no attempt to precisely define what is meant by the question. This requires each person to bring their own personal meaning into the room. 2. “It’s personal, and passion, commitment and connection grow out of what is most personal. 3. “It evokes anxiety. All that matters makes us anxious. 29 30 34

It is our wish to escape from anxiety that steals our aliveness. If there is no edge to the question, there is no power.” He reminds us that “Questions create the space for something new to emerge. Answers, especially those that respond to our need for quick results, while satisfying, shut down the discussion, and the future shuts down with them.” Looking across many CLD initiatives, it appears that developing and testing powerful questions for conversation is a valuable group effort in itself! Finding the ‘right’ questions helps to clarify both what lies at the heart of matters and also what may be blocking things.

2.3.5 FOCUS ON MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT TO BUILD ACTIVE RELATIONSHIPS Addressing complex issues requires input from all corners of communities. It takes time to create a sense of cohesion and a common focus. Investment in engagement helps create a crucial foundation for the CLD activity that follows. Engagement itself can be:

• an input, e.g. to increase shared understanding of an issue or to help refine a policy; • a process, e.g. to ensure ways for different voices to become involved and feed into decision making; • an outcome, e.g. a marginalised group becoming included in a community because of a particular approach or initiative; and/or • an indicator, e.g. if every young person is actively engaged in education, training, or work, chances are their life course will be more successful. Local people are more likely to engage, or to stay engaged, if they can see and be part of practical change. It is important to always reflect on why engagement is happening and for whose benefit. All too often agencies consult or invite participation in events and conversations in local communities, but engagement primarily serves the interests of the agencies, rather than the community. In some cases, special gatherings are arranged that bring together networks or stakeholders with an interest in a place, who may or may not know each other and/

Taken from How Communities Heal, Vivian Hutchison and the NZ Social Entrepreneur Fellowship 2011:209. For tools and ideas on how to change the nature of public conversations see http://www.peterblock.com/_assets/downloads/Civic.pdf.

or work together. Providing time within these sessions for people to get to know each other is key. Frequently a content- or task-focused conversation is ‘run’ and the agency leaves again. Sometimes (but not always) they follow up with a written summary of the conversation. This is not engagement from a CLD perspective, it is extractive consultation. The process is demanding on communities, and perhaps (unintentionally) takes from, rather than builds local potential for CLD action and change. Engagement, in contrast to consultation, demands processes which invite and support participation and interaction on an ongoing basis. Some interesting examples are emerging around the restoration and protection of natural resources. Waterways, including lakes and rivers, are very complex systems and throughout Aotearoa their quality has been declining. Specific geographic communities have interests in them, along with tangata whenua, recreational and commercial users, and authorities with legislative responsibility. The emerging ‘co-management’ arrangements including, for example, around the Waikato

WHAT’S USEFUL TO DOCUMENT AT THE OUTSET, AND REVIEW

• formal roles and responsibilities (eg. a Chairperson, a note taker, a room organiser); • regularly agreed meeting times and expectations of participation; • how the group will come to agreement (eg. voting or by consensus); • the kind of meeting records required, and how quickly the group will receive them; • what and how information is shared with the wider neighbourhood or community; and • what needs to happen when people are feeling uncomfortable and/or how the group will deal with conflict.

WHAKAATURANGA PUMAHARA: A RECORD OF WHAT WE WISH TO REMEMBER IN THE FUTURE “Writing down what inclusive engagement looked like from the Tãmaki Community’s perspective was seen as critical for community leaders engaging with the government-led Tãmaki Transformation Programme. They wanted to be clear what the community expected when words like partnership, empowerment, co-design and community transformation were being actively promoted as part of the redevelopment plans. “Working with a scribe, the Tãmaki Inclusive Engagement Strategy (TIES) book was co-authored by 11 community members (the TIES Team), with additional contributions from more than 10 community storytellers. Beautifully presented, the book documents and passes on local stories, wisdom and knowledge for others to hear, know and understand. It highlighted what engagement processes had worked well so far and why, and what successful community-led development looked like from the ground up. TIES also outlined a principle-based framework and tools to guide effective community engagement in Tãmaki – both now and into the future.”

Taken from Inspiring Communities Newsletter http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/news/inspiring-communitiesnewsletter-19-november-2010

River and Ohiwa Harbour31, are fertile collective learning grounds where meaningful engagement, active relationships, and shared mutual responsibility for decisions and actions are being developed and tested. The future health of these waterways is inextricably linked to the future wellbeing of multiple communities. The behaviour of all stakeholders can help or hinder this potential. These collectives are arrangements with long term timeframes. Complex issues demand this commitment. In the examples noted above, it is their focus on engagement through undertaking practical work side-by-side which is exciting. For example in Ohiwa, iwi-led research and advocacy has resulted in the creation of a collaborative mangrove management plan. This means an open invitation to all stakeholders and the wider community to join in mangrove removal working bees, which in turn creates opportunities for building relationships, having further conversations, and growing a shared understanding about the wider ecosystem. As Paul Born says, it is not just what is said in conversation that matters or makes a difference, “it is also what happens between people.”(2008:20) 31

2.3.6 DOCUMENTATION IS VALUABLE It can feel messy and sometimes out of control being in an organic and emerging working space with multiple partners. Active communication, information sharing and writing things down can be really helpful. Even if people disagree with what is initially documented, or agreements need to be reworked as time and conditions change, having something concrete to refer back or respond to, helps focus collaboration efforts. We notice that documenting visions, values and plans provide an anchor around shared intent on CLD journeys, with the process of documentation useful for: • finding shared understandings of why, what and how; • bringing structure to group thinking; • offering stability in times of conflict; • offering guidance to ‘outsiders’ seeking to work in/with that particular community; • transitioning new people; and • clarifying agreements and next steps together.

2.4 MAXIMISING INVOLVEMENT IN CLD CLD often involves rearranging the way in which locally available resources and capacity are used. In this context resources can refer to organisations, people, positions, skills/strengths, knowledge, connections and funding. By re-thinking how communities work together, and the various

HOW DOES THE SEATTLE NEIGHBOURHOOD MATCHING FUND WORK? All projects have to be initiated, planned and implemented by community members in partnership with the City. Every award is matched by neighbourhoods’ or communities’ resources of volunteer labour, donated materials, donated professional services or cash. Three different levels of matched funds are available with a small sparks fund granting $1000, the small simple projects fund making grants of up to $25,000 and the large projects fund awarding $100,000 grants.

For more see: www.seattle.gov/ neighborhoods/nmf/ thefunds.htm

For Waikato River see http://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/Community/Your-community/Tangata-Whenua/Waikato-River-co-management/ and for Ohiwa Harbour see http://www.boprc.govt.nz/knowledge-centre/strategies/ohiwa-harbour-strategy. 32 For helpful guidance on partnering agreements and processes see http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/learning-tools/putting-pen-paper.

PORIRUA VILLAGE PLANNING PROCESS IN ACTION Waitangirua, like many other residential suburbs built in the 1970s, subsequently suffered the loss of services, as the city centre and malls flourished. The Porirua Village Planning process, developed and led by Porirua City Council, views areas like Waitangirua as communities with the potential to ‘regrow’ their hearts. The Programme puts communities in charge of developing their own vision, through engagement processes that local people design and implement. Locals in Waitangirua made it clear their park was a high priority for attention and they had really clear aspirations. They identified the park design should: • reflect Mãori cultural heritage; • celebrate the diversity of cultures among the residents of Waitangirua; • meet the needs of all ages, abilities and cultures; and • involve the local residents in the design, building and management of the park. From the outset a range of stakeholders were engaged in the redevelopment process: • the diverse Waitangirua community, • the Council, • the neighbouring mall owner, and • government agencies, the school and the marae each adjacent to the park, and sponsors. A Design Group involving stakeholders was supported by a community consultation advisor and landscape architect, and at every stage emerging design concepts were re-checked with the community. Respective contributions and ‘gifts’ were negotiated between stakeholders with some of the results of this approach including: • the Council agreeing to bring funding forward to complete construction of the park in one year; • the park design incorporating features that met the needs of the diverse community; • the co-operation of the mall owner in key design compromises (including installing bollards to stop rubbish-dumping at the back of the mall); and • the community volunteering to pick up rubbish and paint out graffiti on an ongoing basis. The construction stage was project managed by a Samoan man, who spoke the first language for many local residents, and could explain and engage people around emerging opportunities and issues. As one local resident put it: “[This] has brought our community together for the first time. People are talking to people they would never have spoken to before – they are in the park eating kai [food] and the children are playing together.” Taken from http://www.pcc.govt.nz/DownloadFile/Community/Village-Planning -and-Newsletters/Waitangirua-IAP2-entry-final

roles different stakeholders can each play within a wider CLD context, new potential can often be created. It’s not always about new money or new projects and services.

2.4.1 HOW CAN LOCAL & CENTRAL GOVERNMENT BOTH ENABLE AND SUPPORT CLD? Jim Diers served as the first director of Seattle’s ‘Department of Neighborhoods’ which has now has a 25 year history of successful community-building to learn from. One of his strong messages on his 2012 New Zealand tour was that if central and local governments treat people as nothing more than customers, they will think of themselves as taxpayers or ratepayers rather than as citizens. As discussed later in Chapter 4, CLD is all about supporting and encouraging civic engagement and participation, and unleashing local energy and capability. Two of the important roles Jim suggested local and central government can play are: 1. Removing obstacles (including accessibility barriers, complex language, and silo-ed approaches) and by making sure that 33

government red tape33 is not an excuse to say ‘no’ to community initiative; and 2. Building capacity in ways that grow local leadership, support networking and involve partnering to deliver local programmes and activities. This in turn encourages communities to identify and use existing local assets. A key way Seattle helped transform Council-Community partnerships was by introducing a matched funding process34 which has not only incentivised locally-led action but also transformed the way

their City Council now works with its diverse communities. As a result, the City of Seattle’s $60 million investment (over 25 years) has leveraged a further $85 million of external resourcing. This has in turn generated 5000 new projects led by City residents, which have involved around 86,000 volunteers who collectively have donated over 574,000 hours of their time. There is growing interest from some parts of both local and central government in finding ways to connect with the energy and ability of local neighbourhoods and communities.35 Significant

WORKING TOGETHER BETTER WITH COMMUNITIES – A REGIONAL COUNCIL EXAMPLE All along the Bay of Plenty coastline, as the cargo and oil from the grounding of the Rena40 reached precious local coastlines, local people, Iwi and organisations worked tirelessly to clean up and to minimise the damage. Information gathered demonstrates 150 clean-up events and 24,000 hours of volunteer effort made a huge contribution to the 1,050 tonnes of waste oil collected. Also 57 voluntary caterers kept tired people fed. The Bay of Plenty Regional Council has taken learnings from this experience on board, and recognised that it already works with and funds community organisations and volunteers in many and various fragmented ways. The Council is currently researching how it could work more effectively with the community sector, residents and volunteers across many aspects of its business. They are seeking to embed this approach in policy and practice. Taken From http://www.boprc.govt.nz/media/225912/strategy__policy_and_ planning_committee_meeting_agenda_-_tuesday__23_october_2012.pdf

This can include health and safety legislation, privacy laws, event compliance requirements, local bylaws and public liability insurance expectations. 34 For more see http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/nmf/.http://www.pps.org/blog/ stronger-citizens-stronger-cities-changing-governance-through-a-focus-on-place/. 35 For a discussion on 'Place Governance' see http://www.pps.org/blog/stronger-citizens-stronger-cities-changing-governance-through-afocus-on-place/

recent events have heightened understanding in Aotearoa of the importance, resolve and resilience of local residents and communities. A challenge for local communities is often the “lack of a substantial partnership and strategic alignment between central and local governments.”36 So while each level of government has legislative responsibilities to deliver on various social, economic, environmental and cultural outcomes, there is no clear vision about respective contributions, and how these should be grounded in local communities of place. Some Councils are re-thinking policy and practice from a ‘community-of-place’ perspective. Simple changes include for example: • intentionally using place as the focus for linking up management and staff, eg. place as a platform for internal integration and alignment of projects and budgeting; • actively establishing relationships with other agencies that have interests in particular geographic 36 37

communities, and keeping them connected; • seeking opportunities to deepen relationships with local residents; and • creating frameworks which encourage the development of local visions and plans and modelling how multiple organisations can contribute to, and follow these. As noted on page 37, the much celebrated Porirua Village Planning Process37 has developed a well respected framework for local ‘working together in place’ that many other communities are adapting for their own use.38 In another example, the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, which embraces many rural and coastal townships, has worked alongside communities over the past decade to help create comprehensive community development plans. Initially this approach was conceived as a tool for infrastructure planning in areas with rapid population growth, but over the years there has been a growing recognition of the value of nurturing community-led initiative and

effort across social, cultural, economic and environmental spheres.39 In central government, there are also indications of growing understanding about the importance of linking up government silos around place. Whãnau Ora (co-led by the Ministries of Health, Social Development and Te Puni Kõkiri) is now being implemented by iwi and Mãori-led agencies in many parts of Aotearoa. New neighbourhood policing initiatives are also making positive progress41 in strengthening community relationships and reducing crime in targeted areas. The Ministry of Health has initiated a new local area planning approach for disability support services and many District Health Boards are implementing locality planning approaches42 in communities they serve.

2.4.2 RESOURCING CLD EFFORTS There are many different types of CLD funders and CLD funding. CLD funders are a very diverse group ranging from businesses, to local and central

Local Government Strategic Planning in Theory and Practice, Claudia Scott, Mike Reid and Jeff McNeill,Institute of Policy Studies, 2011:261.

For more about the model and how it's being implemented alongside local communities in Porirua see http://www.pcc.govt.nz/Community/ Community-Projects/Village-Planning-Programme. 38 For example, the Flax Roots Village Planning initiative on Auckland's North Shore drew heavily from Porirua's experience http://www.flaxroots.org.nz/. 39 See http://www.westernbay.govt.nz/Community-development/Community-Planning/. 40 Rena is a Greek owned container ship that ran aground off the Bay of Plenty coastline in 2011 with devastating consequences both for marine 41 See http://www.police.govt.nz/featured/roll-out-neighbourhood-policing-teams-completed. 42 See https://provider.midlandshn.health.nz/projects/locality-planning and coastal environments and local communities themselves. For more see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rena_oil_spill.

government, to family foundations, statutory organisations43 and communities themselves. New Zealand is also peculiar in that around half of all money given for charitable purposes is done so via statutory organisations – which given their largely place-based focus, makes them ideally suited to support community-led development initiatives in their own defined locality. As noted on page 38 CLD benefits from funding policies which are outcome focussed and which give credit for community investment through assets, relationships, abilities or time. Approaches that reflect a partnering approach may be less likely to perpetuate a culture of dependency as local contributions are seen and valued from the outset. Ironically, when resources are stretched there is more reason to collaborate. Scarcity encourages help seeking, and a call on the spirit of generosity and voluntary effort that can cement shared leadership around a common vision. 43

Funding for CLD needs to be flexible enough to be applied to process (enabling people to come together to determine visions and plan), collaboration infrastructure (governance arrangements and coordination support) or to projects and services.44 Social media is now enabling new mechanisms to attract funding support. For example crowd sourcing45 is proving a popular new way to harness financial contributions from interested CLD supporters. In Epuni for example, 108 supporters pledged $10,135 to enable the new Common Unity Project mentioned on page 65 to get started.

strengthening.46 The conservation and environmental sector in particular has led the way here, with policies and funding streams at both regional and national levels explicitly aimed at unleashing and resourcing collaborative, locally-led initiatives to protect and enhance fragile environments.47

For many, funding CLD is challenging, risky and a bit messy. The developmental nature of CLD means it doesn’t neatly fit into traditional expectations of some funders who may wish to see predetermined outputs and outcomes and single focus projects before granting funds. However, we are noticing some recent shifts towards more ‘joined up’ funding and more interest in a staged, progressive approach to funding place-based, community

• funding for longer term periods, eg DIA Lotteries Community multi-year fund;

The philanthropic sector has been developing and trialling a range of new funding mechanisms which put more emphasis on: • working together as clusters of funders with specific communities. eg Christchurch;48

• seeing collaboration intent/ practice demonstrated in funding applications; • exploring and implementing social lending principles and practices;49 and • funding broader outcomes rather than targeted outputs, e.g. Todd Foundation’s 5 year partnership funding initiative which enables invited

These are organisations with an explicit statutory or legal imperative to distribute funds to their own often geographically defined community. They include Community Trusts (who originally attached to regional trust banks; for example ASB Community Trust), Energy Trusts (started as part of energy companies, some make grants; for example Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust), Licensing Trusts (in some areas alcohol sales are controlled by licensing trusts; for example Waitakere Licensing Trust), gaming machine societies (must distribute a percentage of profits from the 'pokies'; for example the Lion Foundation) and Lottery Grants Board (runs Lotto; its grant making is managed by the Department of Internal Affairs). Taken from http://www.asbcommunitytrust.org.nz/research-resources/four-myths-funding. 44 There are concerns that the Ministry of Social Development's (MSD) new service contract model, which is working towards funding a much smaller number of large national service providers on standardised outcomes, may end up working in opposition to CLD. In doing so, MSD's new approach may inadvertently 'cut out' the rich diversity of innovative local community-led services and responses. 45 Crowd sourcing or funding focuses on actively seeking small contributions from multiple people in multiple places, usually in an online way. There are many platforms, like PledgeMe, set up to assist those wanting to raise funds. For tips and tools on crowd sourcing see http://www. thebigidea.co.nz/grow/tips-tools/2012/sep/121174-crowdfunding-planning.

organisations to determine how Todd funding is best directed to support organisational visions and goals.

2.4.3 HOW CAN BUSINESS BE PART OF CLD? Businesses are inextricably linked to the communities they are located in. It is fair to say that at times this relationship is not perceived positively, for example when a multinational decides to relocate without thought to impacts on a community, or in the case of liquor outlets, when so many communities experience harm because of readily accessible alcohol, and poor social behaviour around consumption. On the other hand, there are numerous examples of how business helps communities grow and thrive, by providing an essential economic base. Businesses that pay attention to community-building are of particular interest. For example the Mainstreet50

movement has enlivened many town centres, by encouraging collaborative business and community visioning and action to improve the look and feel of places, and encourage more commercial and community activity. Physical restoration and improvements on main streets make a place look cared for and encourage people to stop and spend time. Events and activities attract locals and visitors and create new market opportunities for business. The Farmers Market movement51 is another example with mixed business and community agendas. The markets themselves create social meeting places, and create opportunities for community activity as well as new businesses to emerge. Vendors, whether fully employed or running tiny businesses to supplement incomes, get to sell direct to their customers and receive immediate feedback which helps focus

business improvements and hopefully sales. These initiatives also encourage ‘buying local’, which is good for the environment. Strong, connected communities are good for business and vice versa. The strategic opportunities to leverage these connections are becoming a point of focus both around Aotearoa and internationally. The 2012 Report, Engagement between Business and Community Organisations, which Inspiring Communities wrote for the Charities Commission52 explored the relationship between businesses and community organisations. While the research was not specifically place-based, it demonstrated a relatively limited range of common inter-relationships between businesses and community organisations, most frequently around cash donations. Some key findings from the report included:

Some funders, like the Community Trust of Southland have included a place based focus in their granting strategy and are prepared to walk alongside communities at locals’ pace, investing in aspects like community conversations, leadership development and community visioning. For some other great examples of innovative grant making practice and lessons learnt see http://www.philanthropy.org.nz/sites/all/files/ Emerging%20Practices%20whole%20book%20Lo-res.pdf. 47 Examples include the Ministry for the Environment’s Community Environment Fund and Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Environmental Enhancement Fund. 48 Philanthropy NZ convened regular meetings of all funders in Christchurch after the earthquakes. To learn more see http://www.giving.org. nz/sites/all/files/Philanthropy%20in%20Christchurch.pdf. 49 For more see Laura Benedict' Social Lending: A Tool for Grantmakers, an Opportunity for Communities http://www.fulbright.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/axford2010_benedict.pdf. 50 Mainstreet programmes and business improvement districts are based on a partnership between local government, the local business community and the community at large and focus on keeping 'main streets' vibrant and prosperous. 51 For example Farmers Market New Zealand is a membership organisation of around 40 independently owned and operated Farmers' Markets that involve over 1000 small food businesses, with an estimated 50,000 customers shopping on a weekly basis. See http://www.farmersmarkets.org.nz/ for market locations. 52 For a copy of the report see http://www.charities.govt.nz/strengthening-your-charity/income engagement-between-business-and-community-organisations/.

CRAVE CAFÉ – REIGNITING A SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND DOING GOOD BUSINESS “Crave is run by a collective of fourteen local Kingslanders who decided to reignite the sense of community in their neighbourhood using good coffee, good conversation and a friendly collective space in which to enjoy both. It’s run as a sustainable, charitable organization – all profits are fed back into the café and the community. “Members of the collective had been ‘hanging out in Kingsland’ for about six years before they started Crave. They noticed it was a highly transient community, with plenty of good people in it, but not a lot that connected them together. When they all put their heads together and brainstormed ways to improve things, the idea for a café was born. “The Crave Collective started their community-building project with staff. Café Manager Nigel Cottle said “We like to employ people who are a bit difficult to employ, you know, people with a big gap in their CV from being inside and stuff like that – but they still have to be of a good calibre, it’s just that a lot of times they don’t get given a second shot.” If their applicants are local, that’s even better. The collective like it when their staff members come and hang out at Crave on their day off, and the Collective provides a supportive, redemptive environment that encourages that. “It’s based on a philosophy that Nigel articulates perfectly — If you can make your space better, it emanates outward.” Abridged from article in IC March 2012 Newsletter by Courtney Peters, from Gather and Hunt http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/news/crave-cafe

• ‘giving’ to community organisations was judged by business as the ‘right thing to do’ with less than one third of businesses surveyed supporting community organisations for strategic reasons; • younger businesses were more likely to be increasing their support for community organisations than older businesses; • the top three reasons for choosing a particular organisation to support were: the compelling cause of the charity, personal intuition and trust in the person running the charity; • only 18% of businesses measured the value gained from business-community relationships, with over 60% of survey respondents saying there was “no need to measure the value – we do it because we want to.” And • while 47% of businesses surveyed felt nothing would help increase their involvement with community organisations, others suggested offering things that would help their business (50%), growing two-way business-community relationships (27%), and

RELATIONSHIPS FIRST “We are always interested to meet and learn about what charitable organisations do, so share notes and learnings. This is the best foundation of partnership relationships. However, being approached as a potential funder (a pot of money), rather than a potential relationship, downplays the expertise that may exist in companies’ corporate social responsibility functions (CSR) functions and isn’t a great way to build networks. The best commercial partnerships grow out of relationships built on common goals and understanding, which can then develop a commercial element.” Business Survey Respondent Engagement between Business and Community 2012 (page 18) asking for something the business could do that would make a difference other than give money (25%). One of the overall key conclusions arising from the report was the need to build mutually beneficial relationships between community organisations and business. The Charities Commission has produced some useful resources for communities and community organisations wanting to strengthen their relationship with local businesses.53 These resources encourage partnering, and provoke thought about how specific charities and

businesses might re-think mutual benefits from working together. The business-community space in Aotearoa is continuing to evolve in many different ways. There has been a burgeoning growth in numbers of social enterprises54 and community-run businesses in recent years. These initiatives often have social, environmental and economic goals. Sometimes they are driven by a need (e.g. providing local employment or training opportunities) or a philosophical commitment to supplement or subsidise available income. There is also increasingly a business

For example 'Business Working with Charities' provides some useful 'how to' guidance' see http://www.charities.govt.nz/strengthening-your-charity/income engagement-between-business-and-community-organisations/. 54 The New Zealand Community Economic Development Trust is undertaking major research on social enterprise activity happening in Aotearoa. To be kept up to date on CED news, learning and research see http://www.ced.org.nz/?page_id=6. 43

development theme within whãnau, hapú, iwi and Mãori strategy, at multiple levels. This is happening both from the ‘bottom up’, through whãnau and hapú initiatives, and from the ‘top down’. For example, the theme of self-responsibility and sufficiency is core to the Mãori Economic Development Strategy and Action Plan launched by government in November 2012.55 It points to the fact that creating new forms of business at local levels requires changes to how we work together. 56

Whale Watch Kaikoura is a commonly quoted example of tribally-led restoration of a viable economy to enable a small community to thrive again.57 There is growing awareness nationally of the size, scale and potential of the Mãori economy.58 Significantly for Aotearoa New Zealand, these businesses have the potential to influence and transform many business practices to which we have become accustomed, because taking a holistic world view will inform decision-making. The Taupõ Moana Group explains this on the next page.

55 56 57 58 44

“He kai kei aku ringa” — to be self sufficient and responsible for the resources and capability you need to grow and develop.

“Grasping the opportunity will require new and innovative collaborative models involving individual Mãori, iwi, government, business and the community.” Greg Whittred, Deputy Chair Mãori Economic Development Panel 2012

These business practices have strong commonalities with CLD principles around paying attention to people, and to social, cultural and environmental imperatives, as well as to the financial ‘bottom line’ of both balance sheets, and/or investment opportunity. The past decade has seen a burgeoning of iwi and Mãoriled business development, partially as Treaty of Waitangi settlements65 releasing new resources into communities. Some of the early experiences, such as Tainui’s investment in casinos have been instructive, and provided learnings for those who follow around many aspects of business decision-making, including the place of values and local priorities. Adapting conventional commercial investment practice to integrate sustainable, holistic philosophy and practice into business continues is aspirational and challenging for all—including whãnau, hapú, iwi and Mãori. 2.4.4 WHÃNAU, HAPÚ, IWI, MÃORI AND CLD CLD in Aotearoa must pay attention to Te Tiriti o Waitangi67 as the founding document for our nationhood

For more information on the Strategy and Action Plan see http://www.tpk.govt.nz/en/consultation/medp/strategy/. For more information see http://www.tourism.net.nz/holiday/details/travel/13124 Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NznyTqOI7rM.

For further information see http://berl.co.nz/economic-insights/economic-development/maori-economy/ berl-reports-to-the-maori-economic-taskforce/.

HOW IS MÃORI BUSINESS DIFFERENT? “Mãori business is identifiably different to mainstream Pãkehã business. Culturally, Mãori have different inherent values and responsibilities, which influence the way we live and ultimately conduct business. “Firstly we must understand what we mean by a Mãori business. We interpret a Mãori business to be a Mãori-owned entity with multiple or collective ownership. A key point of difference is that the beneficial owners in a Mãori business are there by inheritance or whakapapa59 and their equity interest or shares also denote their ‘tangata whenua’60 status and túrangawaewae61 of the beneficiary. “Essentially the fundamental principles within Mãori culture that are imbued in Mãori business are: • A collective focus as opposed to an individual focus; • People motivation over profit motivation; and • Holistic or inclusive philosophy as opposed one that is segregated or exclusive. “Thus, in business the responsibilities of Mãori are to: • Protect the ‘taonga tuku iho’62 for future generations; • Incorporate (or at least not compromise) tribal and hapú tikanga63 and other cultural values; and • Assume some responsibility for socio-economic and cultural well being of the beneficiaries. “Underlying these is the obligation to achieve optimal and sustainable asset growth and financial returns for the beneficial owners.”64

Taupõ Moana Group See http://www.taupomoana.com/about/maori_business.htm

and tangata whenua68— tangata Tiriti69 relationships. Growing understanding of the many ways in which colonisation eroded the intention of Te Tiriti has led to political and systems changes during recent decades. By acknowledging history, and grievance, and by seeking to provide at least

some level of compensation, government as Te Tiriti partner is leading a process of redress. The many consequences of harm done (as evidenced for example by much higher proportions of Mãori than non-Mãori in negative social statistics such as health, education, employment) will

take time and effort to restore, particularly through the implementation of iwi and Mãori-led frameworks and strategies. This is an important part of the context of CLD. This understanding is central to the saying “What is good for Mãori will be good for the

Whakapapa – genealogy, ancestry, familial relationships; unlike the Western concept of genealogy, whakapapa crosses ancestral boundaries between people and other inhabitants in the natural world. 60 Tangata whenua – Mãori first people of the land. 61 Túrangawaewae – a place to stand, a place where one has the right to stand and be heard. 62 Taonga tuku iho – traditions, knowledge, treasures handed down by ancestors. 63 Tikanga – customs and practices. 64 For further information see http://www.taupomoana.com/index.htm; http://seniorsecondary.tki.org.nz/Social-sciences/Business-studies/ Maori-business. 65 For more information see http://www.ots.govt.nz/. 66 Pãkehã and the Treaty, Patrick Snedden, 2005:20. 67 Te Tiriti o Waitangi, known also as the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 by representatives of the British Crown and Maori chiefs and leaders. It is considered to be the founding document of New Zealand as a nation. See further information at http://www.waitangi-tribunal.govt. nz/treaty/. 68 Tangata whenua – Mãori, first people of the land (modern). 69 Tangata Tiriti – non-Mãori people who belong to the land by right of the Treaty of Waitangi.

“…all of us who live in Aotearoa New Zealand (must) celebrate who we are with unabashed confidence. No matter what our origins, we can be clear in the unambiguous knowledge that Te Tiriti o Waitangi/The Treaty of Waitangi continues to provide us all with the foundation for our joint home.” Patrick Snedden, Waitangi Day, 200566 community.” It draws attention to the rebalancing required in communities, within a framework, which pays attention to a holistic world view, and these concepts are central to both CLD, and Mãori philosophy, culture and practice. 70 71 72 73

As already touched upon, geographical ‘place’ is at the heart of Mãori cultural practice, and CLD. The principle of ‘ahi kaa’, which asserts the role, and importance of the ‘keepers of the home fires’, is embedded in core CLD principles. Those who live, work and invest in a community of place need to be pre-eminent in visioning and making choices for that place, and therefore engaging with the tangata whenua of any community is very important. An important question to ask is “How is CLD strengthening whãnau, hapú and iwi?”

their hapú was delegated to be responsible for.

Where iwi, hapú and whãnau are connected through whakapapa,70 to marae and kura (schools) for example, there are cultural obligations and interdependencies upon them, to support and participate in projects led by iwi structures. For example, Te Matatini, the biennial national festival of kapa haka,71 was recently hosted by Te Arawa in Rotorua. This depended on Te Arawa iwi, hapú, whãnau and 1500 volunteers who ensured the festival ran smoothly. Many Te Arawa people who are living away from Rotorua and their hau kãinga (homeland) came and helped with the tasks that

Another commonality is the imperative to hold multiple wellbeings or dimensions in balance.73 In CLD the focus is on sustainable change, which pays attention to social, cultural, environmental and economic dimensions. Similar priorities pervade many whãnau, hapú and iwi-led initiatives. The choices being made for example by Whakatõhea Mãori Trust Board74 around the type of marine farming to undertake, are influenced by commitments to valuing the environment, and creating many jobs which will provide stepping stones to higher

Wherever we are in Aotearoa, there will also be Mãori who are living away from the places which they themselves whakapapa to. They have a particular relationship and status to tangata whenua of that place,72 but do not have the same obligations or status. It is important that CLD initiatives engage with both tangata whenua and Mãori, and explore whether and how they wish to engage in leadership and activity.

Whakapapa – geneology which connects people to particular places. For further information see http://www.tematatini.co.nz/index.htm. Referred to by different iwi by terms such as ‘hapori Mãori’, ‘taurahere’, ‘maata waka.’

Such as paying attention to how particular opportunities for economic development will impact on social, environmental or/and cultural wellbeing. 74 For further information see www.Whakatõhea.co.nz. 46

WISDOM FROM TE ARAWA ELDERS – START WITH THE PEOPLE, EVERYBODY MATTERS “I recall when I first came to live in Rotorua from Wellington nearly thirty years ago. I was working in a social development role with a focus on employment. My previous experience and training had taught me to begin by learning about the statistics, finding out who the ‘important leaders’ were locally and talking with them, meeting with agencies that had an interest in the area, and then together with local people. My wonderful Te Arawa mentors quickly taught me otherwise. “Start first by just wandering around and talking with the people,” they said. “Everybody matters. Yes the kuia and kaumãtua, but also the children and tamariki, young people and rangatahi, and all their whãnau. That’s where you need to start. Only then can you know what to talk about with the government agencies and others, and what to pay attention to. Only then can you really begin to understand what the issues are.” Barbara MacLennan, Inspiring Communities Development Team March 2013

incomes and levels of education and training. Similarly, Ngãti Rangitihi75 are protecting and restoring their ancestral land on their Maunga Ruawãhia, commonly known as Mount Tarawera. Through doing this work over recent years, they are engaging and involving whãnau as well as many other stakeholders. Positive outcomes already include increasing cultural and environmental knowledge among the young Ngãti Rangitihi men who are undertaking the work, and

75 76 77 78 79

practical employment skills, which they can use in forestry and in other restoration of the whenua (land).76 “The relationships we forge with other organisations and businesses through this work are pivotal,” says Ken Raureti, Ruawãhia 2B Trust Chairperson. “By involving them, they get to know the skills and knowledge our people are gaining. This creates credibility and results in opportunities for further work for our people with other land and forest owners. And through all of these relationships we can further share

our values and aspirations, and grow their understanding about what our whenua means to us.” The Matekuare whãnau77 are leading an initiative on their land which is adjacent to Te Whaiti School in Te Urewera. Their vision is to create a sustainable living ecosystem which provides homes, and learning, life and work experience opportunities for whãnau members. Valuing all people, and acknowledging and honouring different gifts, perspectives, abilities and status is a further commonality between Mãori world view and CLD. This philosophy is embedded in CLD work such as the ‘door knocking’ approach to every household, at the outset of what was to become the Great Start Taita initiative,78 and in the ‘kanohi ki te kanohi’ (face to face) interviews with Whakatõhea households as the basis for whãnau, hapú and iwi strategic planning.79 These approaches embrace the philosophy of ‘titiro, whakarongo, kõrero’ – look, listen, and then speak.

For further information see www.ngãtirangitihi.iwi.nz. Also see http://www.doc.govt.nz/about-doc/news/media-releases/2012/mt-tarawera-benefits-from-biodiversity-grant/. For further information see p. 11 of http://www.jrmckenzie.org.nz/sites/default/files/attachments/JRMT%20Annual%20Report%2012.pdf. Taita door knocking story http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/great-start-taita-great-place-children-grow. Whakatõhea Wellbeing Survey http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/he-oranga-o-te-rohe-o-te-whakatohea-wellbeing-survey-2010. 47

Our cultural differences are important to acknowledge and understand. So much of CLD is about unleashing and unlocking gifts, knowledge, talents, dreams and aspirations, and nurturing energy around shared agendas. Ngahau Davis, talking at an Auckland CLD Network Hui about his work in Moerewa, shared some important thinking80 which is highly relevant to enabling the expression of cultural difference: “The words ‘I don’t know’ are okay and actually create a space for conversations about options and opportunities. In fact, working in the ‘I don’t know everything’ space actively allows others and their ideas to enter.” He reminded us also that if someone else thinks differently to you – be wary – it’s easy to become a ‘gate keeper’ and without meaning to sometimes, block both them and their knowledge. “You just can’t assume that your knowledge is always the right knowledge.” Successful community-led development in Aotearoa will rely on engagement with Mãori, particularly at whãnau and hapú levels, and ongoing exploration of where/whether 80

there are commonalities, and opportunities to work together around mutual aspirations in local communities. Sometimes we notice apprehension or a reluctance by non-Mãori to initiating or developing relationships with whãnau, hapú and iwi. We notice that these are sometimes based on historic or third party perceptions rather than on direct experiences, or the reluctance has built up because of one ‘negative’ incident. The act of seeking opportunities to work together in place is an important step. In doing this, it is vital that engagement begins with learnings about histories, respective interests, priorities and if/where there is common ground, and energy to work together. Some strategies that assist working together in place with whãnau, hapú, iwi and Mãori include: • creating regular opportunities to share/hear strategies, dreams and plans;

to whãnau, hapú, iwi and Mãori initiatives and plans; • formalising agreements to work together, and reviewing how both progress and mutual understanding is progressing; • co-organising funding applications, research, events and activities that contribute to mutual aspirations; and • using formalised models of practice for dialogue and decision-making such as the ‘Two House Model’, which honours the cultural practices, or tikanga of each Te Tiriti partner.83 We note that during the past year, Inspiring Communities has received expressions of interest in exploring CLD and whãnau, hapú and iwi development further. We look forward to deeper conversations, analysis and learning together over the coming year.

• within plans, exploring opportunities to work together, and looking for ways that local communities can support and contribute

Auckland CLD Network Forum Report June 2010 http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/ community-led-development-regional-networks-auckland-cld-network/regional-forum-reports. 81 Marae are central to Mãori cultural practice. They are at the heart of mana, spirituality, traditional practices and tangata whenua past, present and future. 82 Mangakino CLD Stage One Plan 83 For further information about this concept and how it has been applied to local, regional and national dialogue within the community sector, see http://moodle.unitec.ac.nz/pluginfile.php/251124/mod_resource/content/1/A%20New%20Way%20of%20Working.pdf

STARTING BY ACKNOWLEDGING ONE ANOTHER AND SEEKING COMMON GROUND THROUGH CONVERSATION Mangakino is one of five communities funded by Department of Internal Affairs to undertake multi-year ‘community-led development’ initiatives. The community designed a process to select ‘community leaders’ through sectors, including Pouakani Marae. Through regular meetings of the newly formed Leadership Group, members shared that they had varying knowledge and understanding about some of the ‘big players’ in the community, and whether and how they worked together. Through discussion, the Leadership Group recognised it would be helpful to meet together with some of these other leadership groupings, to increase understanding of each other, and to share respective dreams, strategies and plans. They invited Pouakani Marae Leaders, representatives of Council, and Enterprise Mangakino to a session together. The agenda included an opportunity for each group to present their wider visions and strategies, and answer questions. The discussion that followed quickly identified many commonalities and projects that could be advanced collaboratively. “Taking time to talk together broke down some barriers and preconceptions, and led to increased understanding and appreciation of each others’ aspirations. As one outcome, the Leadership Group’s confidence that assisting the completion of the Marae rebuild as quickly as possible was a high priority project. Through community engagement this had been identified as a community aspiration. This direct engagement between the various leadership groupings increased the understanding and appreciation of how the reopening of the Marae would enable the resumption of cultural practice,81 and in turn would enable the whãnau and hapú to get focussed on their longer term strategies.”82 Tina Jakes, Chairperson, Mangakino CLD Leadership Group Above: Manuhiri and Tangata Whenua in front of Te Whare Tipuna - Tamatea Pokai Whenua at the Te Whare Kawanga (opening ceremony) of Pouakani Marae, Mangakino November 2012. 49

2.5 LEADING TOGETHER IN PLACE – NEW COLLABORATIVE MODELS EMERGING In their 2009 report on Leadership and Networks,84 Leadership Learning Community advocated going beyond leadership models that focus on building the skills of individuals, and instead to cultivate leadership as the process by which multiple actors align their efforts to take action. There are emerging frameworks and thinking that bring together a number of core principles: • common purpose or vision; • collective or shared leadership for change; • encouragement for action at multiple levels, building from the strengths, assets and passions of each individual/organisation/ community; • learning by doing; and • relational rather than hierarchical ways of working. Three of our favourite frameworks for ‘leading together in place’ are noted below: 84 85

2.5.1 CONSTELLATION 85 GOVERNANCE This framework proactively brings together groups from multiple sectors working towards joint outcomes. Small self-organising teams (or constellations) focus on doing/action while being lightly connected by an overall partnership arrangement that is jointly led by participating organisations. The aim isn’t to create a new organization, but to get things done in a nimble, high impact manner by letting people get on and do what they do best. The Constellation diagram on the opposite page shows the main components of the constellation model, with keys to success being lightweight governance, action focused teams and third-party coordination.86 2.5.2 STARFISH AND SPIDER This framework uses the metaphor of two creatures that look physically similar but act and survive in very different ways. In short, when you cut the leg off a spider it has seven legs and if you cut off its head it dies. In contrast, when a starfish loses a leg, it grows another one, and the leg torn off can actually grow a whole

new head and body because it effectively has no head, it is a network of cells. The difference here is decentralisation. Spider organisations are those which are hierarchical, rigid, and have very top down leadership. Starfish organisations on the other hand are much looser, with flatter/networked structures and a more relational/ collaborative style of operating. Trends both in business and communities are towards more starfish-like organisations with • empowered people/teams working on common interests, goals and ideologies; • shared leadership, power and high trust relationships; • distributed knowledge and values-based ways of working; • flexible structures/ processes that can quickly respond to change; and • catalytic leaders, who spur others to action by their inspiring optimism, collaborative creativity and people focus – enabling those they work with to ‘get on with it’.

Leadership Learning Community - Leadership and Networks: a preliminary framework.

This work has been led by Tonya and Mark Surman from the Canadian Centre of Social Innovation. For more information see http://socialinnovation.ca/constellationmodel. 86 Coordination roles are usually undertaken by backbone or anchor organisations - see pages 7-8 of Inspiring Communities 2012 Think Piece http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/think-piece-july-2012. 50

CONSTELLATION GOVERNANCE MODEL Magnetic attractors

(need or opportunity)

Broader ecosystem

(context for partnership)

Lead Partner

Constellation

Lead Partner

Constellation

Lead Partner

Secretariat

chaos order

(3rd party coordination)

Shared Vision Partner

Partner

Stewardship Partner Group

Lightweight agreements

Partner

chaos order

Enabling factors 1. Lightweight governance 2. Action focused teams (constellations) 3. Third party coordination (partners don’t run secretariat)

Partner

Source: http://socialinnovation.ca/constellationmodel

KEY ROLE OF CATALYSERS “A catalyst usually forms a starfish group and gives it form, ideas, value, focus and meaning. Catalysts are bound to rock the boat. They are much better at being agents of change than guardians of tradition. Catalysts do well in situations that call for radical change and creative thinking. They bring innovation; they’re also likely to create a certain amount of chaos and ambiguity. Put them into a structured environment and they might suffocate. But let them dream and they’ll thrive.” Mike Steele - from his summary of The Starfish and the Spider http://www.house2harvest.org/docs/THE%20STARFISH%20AND%20THE%20SPIDER%20web%20summary.pdf

IS YOUR ORGANISATION A SPIDER OR A STARFISH? There are headquarters

There are no headquarters

There’s someone in charge

There’s no one in charge

If you thump it on the head, it dies

If you thump it on the head, it survives

Groups communicate through intermediaries

Groups communicate directly with each other

If you take out a unit, the organisation is harmed

If you take out a unit, the organisation is unharmed

Knowledge and power are concentrated

Knowledge and power are distributed

There’s a clear division of roles

There’s an amorphous division of roles

Units are funded by the organisation

Units are self-funding

You can count the participants

You cannot count the participants

The organisation is rigid

The organisation is flexible

CENTRALISED

DECENTRALISED

Source: http://www.bookrapper.com/2010/03/is-your-organizationspider-or-starfish.html

2.5.3 COLLECTIVE IMPACT Collective Impact is based upon the principle that no single organisation working alone can create large scale transformative change. Instead, social change requires a cross-sectoral collaborative approach with multiple stakeholders coordinating their change efforts and working together around a clearly defined set of goals. 87 88 52

Successful Collective Impact initiatives87 typically have five conditions that combine to build greater alignment and more successful results:

of shared indicators to measure progress and change; 3. Mutually reinforcing activities enabling all stakeholders to work to their strengths in a joined up way; 4. Continuous communication through meeting regularly and developing shared understandings, common language, and trust; and 5. Backbone support from a dedicated coordinating organisation.88 Collective Impact can be a challenging process to ‘get right’,89 with inherent difficulties around developing effective shared measurement tools, getting buy-in and participation from diverse funders who may or may not always be at collaboration tables, and meaningfully involving communities themselves in direction-setting processes. Many, however, are continuing to build Collective Impact principles into new governance arrangements.

1. A common agenda that’s based on a shared vision, agreement on issues and accountabilities; 2. Shared measurement systems with an agreed set

For more on Collective Impact see http://www.fsg.org/tabid/191/ArticleId/211/Default.aspx?srpush=true.

For more on backbone organisations and the key role they plan see http://www.ssireview.org/blog/entry/ understanding_the_value_of_backbone_organizations_in_collective_impact_1

Auckland City Mayor Len Brown signs the Learning Auckland Accord.

TRIALLING A COLLECTIVE IMPACT APPROACH Learning Auckland is a Collective Impact movement established to bring about a long-term shift in educational achievement across Auckland. It is a ground-up movement for individuals, organisations and groups to work together to create positive changes that support learning and skills. The initiative grew out of the Auckland Education Summit held in 2011, where nearly 200 leaders agreed to work together to make learning effective for 100% of Aucklanders – instead of the current 80%. One of the first steps was forming a cross-sector Kaitiaki (stewardship) group who created the Learning Auckland Accord (Whakakotahitanga Te Ara Mãtauranga), which now has over 60 signatories. In the role of ‘back-bone’ support organisation is COMET Auckland.90 COMET CEO Susan Warren reflects on learnings so far about what it takes to work in a collective impact way: • “It’s important to recognise the time it takes to get everyone onto the same page in a very diverse sector like education, so everyone understands each others’ roles, approaches, visions, and even the different language we were using. • “Voluntary action around an Accord works well for some, but to get real change we needed to create cross-sectoral projects focused on Accord goals. • “The backbone role that COMET Auckland takes in both convening and leadership roles is crucial to keep things moving forward.” Learning Auckland has also reached out internationally and become part of the Strive Cradle to Career Network which links them to best practice advice and resources. For more see Learning Auckland website: http://www.cometauckland.org.nz/wawcs0160405/Learning-Auckland.html

These issues are explored more fully in reviews in the Huffington Post see http://www.huffingtonpost.com/emmett-d-carson/rethinking-collective-imp_b_1847839.html and http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-schmitz/collective-impact_b_1920466.html. 90 COMET Auckland is the common name of Community Education Trust Auckland. The purpose of COMET Auckland is to undertake actions, programmes and initiatives that support education and improve educational outcomes for Auckland, and especially for communities of high educational need in Auckland.

3 COMMUNITY BUILDING E koekoe te túi, e ketekete te kãkã, e kúkú te kererú. The túi chatters, the parrot gabbles, the wood pigeon coos.

WHAT WE’RE LEARNING ABOUT COMMUNITY BUILDING: A core component of community-led development is having residents’ voices prominent in vision setting, collaborative decision-making and action to enhance their place. Successful community-led development therefore also relies on building momentum from very local levels such as streets and neighbourhoods.

resilience and neighbourhood strengthening. While they are each distinct concepts, we are seeing them intentionally melded in New Zealand due to a number of factors including:

While some neighbourhoods continue to thrive in Aotearoa, people in others also look back with a sense of loss about how things ‘used to be’. Over the last few decades car-dominated living, television, the internet, internal garages, high fences for ‘privacy’, people working longer hours, and more transient communities have all contributed to a reduced sense of ‘neighbourhood’ and resident-led connections. But the value of strong neighbourhoods has been making a come-back. This chapter incorporates a dual focus on community

• a strengthening local focus on environmental sustainability issues such as water quality, energy and climate change. This has resulted in the creation of more than 60 local transition town groups to build local resilience;

• the devastating impact of the Christchurch earthquakes which has heightened a national focus on disaster preparedness;

• local food security concerns and tougher financial conditions leading to a burgeoning of back yard and community gardens, and local farmers markets – all of which equally increase opportunities for community connection; and • the growing awareness of the impact of social

isolation on mental wellbeing outcomes91 which has contributed to organisations such as the Mental Health Foundation becoming an active partner in Neighbours Day Aotearoa. Feeling safe, supported and connected to the people and environment around us is intrinsic to quality of life at individual, family, whãnau, community and nation state levels. Both across Aotearoa and globally, we’re seeing a growing desire for people to reconnect at a very human level in the places where they live. As a result, building community resilience (ahead of crises and natural disasters) has become more prominent in strategy and practice agendas. This also reflects the growing acknowledgement that districts, towns and cities will only ever be as strong, prosperous and sustainable as their neighbourhoods within.

For more on the relationship between neighbourliness and mental health see http://www.neighboursday.org.nz/node/137. 55

Key messages: • Successful CLD relies on active involvement of local citizens in decisions and action related to ‘their place’. All communities have strengths and assets on which foundations for successful CLD can be built – especially when existing resources are used differently. • Some communities have experience and capacity to lead together; others require some support to strengthen connections, gather local voices and catalyse action at local street and neighbourhood levels. • Strategies for building community resilience are useful in times of crisis and in responding to everyday opportunities and challenges and for gearing communities for change yet to come. • Community building approaches focus on growing social capital by intentionally encouraging participation in projects and events that in turn builds community cohesion and senses of identity, connection, pride and place. • Fun activities such as informal doorstep conversations,

“The earthquakes have shaken our core assumptions about how we do things. They’ve brought a new emphasis on resilience and the importance of neighbourhoods that wasn’t there before. They’ve given a new imperative for collaboration too.”

Inspiring Communities CLD Think Piece Contributor (2012:5)

events in parks, street clean ups, treasure hunts, and Facebook are effective ways to engage and connect neighbourhoods. • Who leads in neighbourhoods matters, with successful neighbourhood strengthening reliant on aspirations, motivation and energy coming from within. Being an effective neighbourhood broker requires focused listening, ‘light touch’ support and an approach that works ‘with’ rather than ‘for’ local residents. • Local community hubs are providing new ways for people to gather, connect, initiate activities and access services. Success relies on integrating a resident centred empowerment philosophy into everything

that happens so locals understand the hub as ‘their place’. • Schools can play a key role in strengthening communities. When learning and community development approaches are integrated ‘in place’, better outcomes for students, families and communities can be achieved. • A sense of both ‘giving back’ and being able to make a difference are often key drivers for local residents to ‘step up’ and take more active leadership roles in their communities. • Neighbours Day Aotearoa is becoming a key catalyst and umbrella for neighbourhood strengthening activities across Aotearoa.

3.1 WHAT IS COMMUNITY RESILIENCE AND WHY BUILD IT? With many major crises (Christchurch earthquakes, the grounding of the Rena, Australian bushfires, global financial crisis) continuing to challenge communities both at home and abroad, attention has focused on the need to intentionally grow and support community resilience. Resilient communities are able to integrate their resources and capability92 to respond positively to crises and adapt to pressures and change.93 Characteristics of resilient communities include high levels of social capital (networks, relationships, information flows, shared values, trust), active citizen participation and strong community connections. The devastating impact of the Christchurch earthquakes reminded us that crises can bring out the best in human spirit and be a key catalyst for locally-led action. We saw this demonstrated in the many heroic life-saving actions

Gap Filler's Pallet Pavilion provides much needed space for community gatherings and events in Christchurch. (Photo: Jackson Perry)

straight after the earthquakes and also in the diverse and inspiring helping responses that followed. For example, farmers rallied together under the Farmy Army brand (now trademarked!) to focus on areas where their skillsets could help most. Not wanting to interfere with the work that the army, Red Cross and government were doing, they focused on liquefaction. Their volunteer army of 4500 farmers contributed 35,000 man hours and 3000 machine hours to clear more than 100,000 cubic metres of silt and liquefaction. It didn’t stop there. The Farmy Army kitchen pumped out 3500 meals and 2000 lunches for workers, and 2500 hot meals for local

Canterbury residents.94 The Sam Johnson initiated Student Volunteer Army (SVA)95 achieved similar amazing feats. Utilising Facebook to ‘rally the troops’, Sam quickly brought together 10,000 student labourers to support the city’s clean-up efforts, linking with authorities to direct volunteers to the areas of highest need. The SVA continues to thrive. With a support base of around 26,000 people, the SVA leads on a range of creative community building activities – from tree and garden planting, to pop-up soccer fields and hosting a major concert where tickets could be purchased with a commitment to four hours of volunteer labour.96 Both ‘army-led’ initiatives

Resources include economic resources, social capital, information, and communication systems. Capability includes skills, motivation, leadership and competence. 93 Building inclusive and resilient communities - Australian Social Inclusion Board June 2009; page 2. 94 See /http://www.christchurchstar.co.nz/news/farmy-army-shows-initiative/1055395/. 95 For more on the Student Volunteer Army see http://www.sva.org.nz/. 96 See http://www.theconcert.co.nz/. 57

illustrate just how self-starting, innovative and resourceful communities can be. More than two years on from the initial quake, Christchurch has many, many inspirational stories of creative citizen-led change and resilience building. For example, Gap Filler97 initiatives continue to quietly transform vacant spaces into vibrant temporary community focal points. New networking spaces have appeared, supported by organisations like the Ministry of Awesome, who intentionally encourage and link people and their good ideas with additional support98 in order to catalyse a locally led culture of ‘just do it’. However, authorities perceived as wanting to control, and in some cases limit, community initiative rather than support and empower it are frustrating resident-led action and resilience-building for the longer term in Christchurch. In an effort to reframe this challenging dynamic, Ryan Reynolds from Gap Filler reminds people that the opposite of a permit is an invitation, encouraging all stakeholders to focus on what rules allow, rather than what they don’t.99 This raises a new emerging tension for CLD 97

practice more broadly around ‘tight vs. loose’ planning. To be supported, does community-led action first have to be part of a prioritised list of initiatives within a formal mandated community plan that includes detailed project plans for long term sustainability? Or is it okay to just ‘let things go’ and get in behind people (both individuals and organisations) to implement their good ideas in whatever way possible, and allow these to contribute to the emergence of a ‘bottom-up’ community plan in whatever way that happens? Our sense is that both approaches are valid – it’s not a matter of ‘either/or.’ The real answer is ‘it depends’, as long as community-led aspirations and community leadership, in conjunction with authorities, are part of the overall package. 3.1.1 TIPS FOR BUILDING COMMUNITY RESILIENCE What follows below is advice from Victorian Bushfire Community Recovery Committees for communities recovering from disasters. Many of their essential elements are also key in building resilience outside of crisis times and include:

• Communication: establish and maintain connections between residents and helping agencies. Listen to people – don’t just talk at them, communicate via a wide range of media, methods and technologies (e.g. phone, text, email trees, notice boards, newsletters and radio). • Community leadership: identify leaders with a broad range of skillsets, look for emerging leaders to grow the local leadership pool, and support their development. Ensure there is a legitimate community mandate for formal local leadership groups, that there are structured meeting processes, clear agendas, and good two-way information flows to and from the community. • Community planning and priority setting: take time to develop a community driven recovery plan that engages others, and which others are part of. Be clear about priority-setting processes and proactively engage other helping agencies rather than wait for them to come to you.

Initiatives have included transforming an old fridge into a neighbourhood book exchange and creating bike powered outdoor movies. For more see http://www.gapfiller.org.nz/about/. 98 This is done through hosting creative forums, events, an online ideas site, and competitions. See http://www.ministryofawesome.com/ 99 Hear Ryan speak on taking initiative, rather than waiting for permission, at Christchurch TEDxEQChCh 2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGYF7nG0UsQ. 58

• Community health and wellbeing: local people are usually in the best position to assess health and wellbeing needs. Look after those around you, AND YOURSELF. Know your community will recover in stages, with different people having different recovery needs at different times. Bring in professionals to help understand impacts of trauma and disaster. Encourage people to take a break and physically get away for time out. Prepare for severe physical and mental health ‘breakouts’ at 6, 12 and 18 month marks, and during winter. • Working with government: lead your own community recovery — be bold! Take time to engage government in your local recovery planning, build relationships with senior decision makers, offer solutions, and be prepared for bureaucracy. • Build effective relationships and networks: there is a two year ‘window of interest’ from the wider community after a disaster. However, recovery is contingent upon involvement of multiple stakeholders, and building trust and healthy working

SUPPORTING COMMUNITY-LED RESILIENCE Wellington City Council introduced a new Community Preparedness grant in 2011 with the aim of strengthening neighbourhood connections and disaster preparedness. As part of a broader strategic approach to building community resilience, this fund has enabled local communities to create diverse and innovative projects and events. For example, in October 2012 the Tennyson Street Fair was organised by the Elim International Church, in Wellington's CBD, specifically targeting apartment dwellers in the area. On the day around 160 local residents were surveyed about their aspirations for their inner-city community and about how prepared they were for a disaster. Civil defence information packs were given out and a 'Get Ready' mural was also painted by a local street artist: there’s a video at https://www.facebook.com/TennysonStreetCommunity. The success of the Community Preparedness Fund has led to this becoming one of the priority areas for Council’s General Grants. And the Festival has started something too: A Neighbours Day 'Backyard Barbecue' is now planned for the church’s car park, aiming this time to connect up the residents of those apartment buildings with each other. Other Community Preparedness projects have included planting a street orchard, a reserve clean-up and community garden project, a talk on preparedness with a seniors group, and another great marae-hosted community event. These events formed real connections and a sense of community, even including new babysitting arrangements! For further information about WCC General Grants search “funding” at http://wellington.govt.nz/; for the 'Guides and Tips' developed to support funded projects, see http://wellington.govt.nz/services/community-and-culture/

community-resources/resources-for-neighbourhoods.

relationships over a much longer period of time. As noted above, while essential in disaster survival and recovery, resilience thinking can also help local people and places creatively think forward in preparation for opportunities and challenges100 yet to come – such as reducing local reliance on oil and building more diverse local economies. From Canadian resilience expert Nicole Foss’ perspective,101 the key aspects that contribute to building local community resilience are: • begin or join a timebank;102 • write a regular community newsletter to communicate the good news and how people can participate in community activities; • consider a local currency, a savings pool, a co-operative,103 as well as supporting local businesses and events; • do all you can to re-localise your food security. Start with your own backyard, have a look around for some 100

space for a community garden. Dig up some of the grass and plant some vegetables; and • nurture a culture of gifting, sharing and possibility in your place – for example by sharing assets like lawnmowers, looking after neighbour’s children, hosting treasure hunts and encouraging residents to actively think together about the future of their place. There are many New Zealand communities and organisations actively building their resilience in many different ways. See http://realsolutions. org.nz for inspiring examples from around the country and/ or to add details of great things happening in your community too.

3.2 STRENGTHENING NEIGHBOURHOOD CONNECTIONS Building connections and growing neighbourliness is best led by people living in

their local street. With neighbourhood development, who leads really matters. Ideally, the drive, effort and leadership should come from local residents themselves and there are many, many examples of this happening every day right across Aotearoa – from Arch Hill in Auckland104 to Putaruru105 and Nelson.106 However in some streets and neighbourhoods, a little helping hand is sometimes required to catalyse interest and support neighbourhood strengthening initiatives. This may come in the form of a neighbourhood broker, a school project, or a social service agency wanting to deliver services in more community-building way. There are multiple potential doorways into neighbourhood strengthening and all can help build neighbourhood wellbeing outcomes. Attached at Appendix 4 is a short case study of the Back2Back Sustainable Neighbourhood Project, which ran 2009-12. This highly successful initiative provides

In San Francisco for example, local government and civil defence agencies sponsored the creation of the Neighbourhood Empowerment Network, now a major alliance of organisations supporting empowerment at the neighbourhood level; see http://empowersf.org/about-us/. 101 Nicole toured New Zealand in 2012. To hear her interview with Kim Hill go to http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/ audio/2513651/nicole-foss-global-finance-and-peak-oil. 102 For more information on time banking see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_banking and learn more about the 26 time banks in New Zealand see http://www.timebank.org.nz/. 103 See Local Economies (http://le.org.nz) for information and links to local examples of savings pools, time banks, local money and food. 104 See http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development-projects-initiatives/building-neighbourhood-connections-arch-hill. 105 See more about great neighbour Peter Darby http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/6596065/Just-a-friendly-old-fella-next-door. 106 Local residents in Tahunanui worked together to clean up their street http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/communities/6660845/ Street-clean-up-for-neighbours-day. 60

GROWING COMMUNITY In 2011 Kapiti District Council initiated a new Green Streets competition to encourage people to take practical action for the environment in the places they lived. Alexander Street North at Raumati Beach was named Kapiti's Green Streets Winner for 2012. During the year the Street's 15 households reduced their collective environmental footprint by 18% and found greener ways of doing almost everything in their daily lives, from growing their own food, to reducing waste, and buying fewer consumer goods. Neighbours also helped put on a 'green' wedding for fellow residents Gwen and Jason Capp! For more see http://www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/Our-District/ greenest-street/

Showing heart - Stone Soup neighbourhood gathering in Whanganui, supported by Te Ora Hou.

some great learnings on what can be achieved when 'neighbourhood strengthening' is the focus of community-led efforts.107 Many valuable tools and resources were created as part of this initiative, which can usefully assist neighbourhood development efforts in not just West Auckland, but other parts of Aotearoa.

3.2.1 MANY WAYS TO ENGAGE RESIDENTS While engaging residents and building street level connections generally relies on a kanohi ki te kanohi or face to face approach, websites, text and social media options like Facebook can also play key connecting roles.108 Whether you are a local resident or working with residents in a local neighbourhood, engaging at street level requires being visible, proactive and being prepared for lots of door knocking and conversations to find out what matters to people at this particular point in time. It's not until you begin talking to people on their door steps and hearing multiple perspectives that a real sense of the street or neighbourhood starts to build. Asking simple questions like:

107

Three short impact profiles are included on pages 60-75 of the Know your Neighbours Evaluation Report see http://lifewise.org.nz/ about-lifewise/our-services/community-projects/know-your-neighbours. 108 For example, thanks to the initiative of a local resident, the locals in Pt Chevalier, Auckland can sign up to receive weekly emails about events, news and activities in their place see http://www.pointchev.com/. Many suburbs and communities now also have their own face book page to keep locals connected and updated. 61

• What do they like/don't like about their street? • How many other people do they know in their street? • What kind of neighbourly things happen here? • Do people trust each other round here? • How do people use their local environment and facilities? What activities happen here? • What are their perceptions, fears and dreams for their place? • What could happen next to make this a better place to live?

• What could they/their neighbourhood do to help change things, and what help might they need to do this?109 When getting started, it's important to think about the kind of approach that will work best for your street, or the street you're working with. Noting what else may be going on already is important, as is knowing the general age of residents, ethnic mix, life experience, and pre-existing relationships. These aspects all impact on the kinds of engagement processes that will likely work best. If you're a new face, taking someone with

Neighbourhood policing initiatives are currently connecting residents through street barbeques in many New Zealand communities.

109

you that's known and trusted in the street can also help start conversations. While you can work through a formal survey110 to capture and quantify perceptions, issues and opportunities, it's equally okay to begin with more informal conversations about the neighbourhood. There is no one 'right' way to get started. Dropping flyers in letter boxes, putting up posters in key local places and having others promote111 local conversations that are/will be taking place, can help warm other residents up to shared dialogue. Neighbourhood engagement opportunities can also happen at any local 'bumping' place112 – a school or early childhood centre, a sports club, the local shops or playground. Small street- or neighbourhood-based events continue to be great ways to bring locals together,113 gather information, grow connections and provide practical opportunities for different combinations of agencies and groups to work together 'in place'. For example, community treasure hunts114 can be a fantastic way to bring

In some neighbourhoods, asking these questions may not initially work. Trusted relationships sometimes need to first be in place before 'what can you do/how could you help change things' questions can usefully be asked and answered. 110 For a sample survey see page 79 of the Know your Neighbours Evaluation Report. 111 For example through notices in school newsletters, posters at the local shops, doctors’ offices and sports clubs. Interestingly, a recent article around successful social entrepreneurs ranked having your tribe evangelise for you as one of their top tips, see http://www.fastcoexist. com/1680930/6-things-silicon-valley-can-teach-social-entrepreneurs. 112 A phrase coined by Jim Diers in reference to places within communities that provide informal opportunities for interaction and connection. 113 Pre-event door knocking is usually critical to event attendance and success. 62

residents together on foot, scooter or cycle to discover the many taonga (treasures) that are in local neighbourhoods, but sometimes overlooked. Tips for engaging residents: • Chat to local residents who may be interested in helping things get started. Local residents can really mobilise other residents! • Chat to someone who already works in the neighbourhood like the Plunket nurse, school principal, dairy owner or community constable to find out more about the broader area. • Go to where people are (don't expect them to come to meetings), have some kai (food), and keep things light. • Bring together neighbours whose properties adjoin local reserves or facilities like churches or community houses. This can be a great way to build new relationships and generate new ideas for how local assets could be better utilised. • The local environment offers many ways to foster shared connections. Results from stream/ street clean

ups or arts projects can visibly demonstrate change quite quickly, and are likely to encourage further collective action. • Proactively share stories of old local people, places, and events to build shared memories and a greater sense of mutual connection. • Help convert interest into action, by following up initial conversations reasonably quickly with an invitation to do or be part of something in/for the neighbourhood. • Ask people to provide or contribute food as this helps bring people into conversations, as well as offering opportunities to learn and connect across ethnically diverse communities; and • Get young people engaged115 by doing something with them/about them in their place. For example hosting sports, music or dance activities in local parks, tree planting, and competitions to create local art works or a logo for a neighbourhood t-shirt, etc.

3.3 ROLE OF COMMUNITY HUBS IN NEIGHBOURHOOD DEVELOPMENT Community hubs are a physical place that encourage and enable local people to gather and connect. Hubs can be environmental centres, a café, a marae or community house, a community garden, youth centre, church or sports club. A successful community or neighbourhood hub is about so much more than a building. While they can be 'go to' or 'go through’116 (or both) places, a great community hub is a safe, vibrant, alive space that local people feel is theirs and where: • a diverse range of events and activities take place; • information and services can be accessed; • support and advice is available; • connections between local people and agencies are encouraged; and • local groups, agencies and/ or collaborations can have a physical base to meet and/ or work from.

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See http://site.ouramazingplace.org.nz/ to learn more about tips and tools for organising community treasure hunts. To read more about how these tools were used to create the Our Amazing Place Race in Massey West see http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/ community-led-development-projects-initiatives/our-amazing-place-local-hunt-treasures. 115 "My place, your place, our place" are a set of neighbourhood-based curriculum resources for years 1-8. Download student and teacher workbooks from schools resources section on the Neighbours Day Aotearoa site http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/tools-resources. 116 'Go to' hubs have services provided on-site, 'go through' refers to people being sent on to other agencies/places to receive the help or services they need. 63

Again, it's not just about the physical building or type of agency at the front desk, but the people-centred philosophy or way of working that impacts on everything that happens. Emerging principles for successful community hubs include: • being open and welcoming — a place for everyone, with facilities available for broad community purposes; • supporting diversity; • encouraging generosity and reciprocal sharing; • focusing on local people – their needs and dreams; • empowering and enabling resident-led leadership and activity; and • including residents as active participants in direction setting and decision making. 3.3.1 ROLE OF SCHOOLS IN NEIGHBOURHOOD DEVELOPMENT Engagement and buy-in from schools is a key ingredient of successful neighbourhood development. Given schools are physically located in residential communities, they are natural community focal 117

Victory Community Centre is based at Victory Primary School and includes a combined school hall/community hall, a health clinic, shared office space and meeting rooms.

points. Primary schools especially are important gathering places for local families and provide a key mechanism through which to engage and support local children and their families and neighbours – even those without school aged children.117 By taking a dual approach of enrolling not just a child but a whole family, and actively choosing to be part of local community strengthening initiatives, schools like Victory Primary School in Nelson118 have been incredibly successful in helping improve not just student achievement levels but broader family/community wellbeing outcomes. Being actively engaged with their

community can also bring real benefits for schools, for example: • extra resources; • dedicated school-community liaison workers in schools who can take the load off classroom teachers and provide new capacity to support families and grow parent/community engagement; • better shared use (and cost sharing) of existing school/ community facilities and assets such as halls, stages, sports equipment, libraries, playgrounds, specialist skillsets, workshop and teaching spaces;

It does need to be acknowledged that schools aren't always seen as open, fun places for everyone. For those who may have had a bad experience of school, being in a classroom with their own children or engaging with a teacher or principal can be a very difficult and scary thing to do. 118 For example over the last ten years, school roll turn-over has dropped from 65% to 10%, student achievement increased from 50% - 90%, and a vibrant co-located community hub on the school site now hosts 2500 participants per month in community of 6000. For more about Victory Primary School and their approach see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0ydg08aqtM or http://www.familiescommission.org.nz/ publications/research-reports/paths-of-victory 64

â&#x20AC;˘ fun family activities provide new opportunities for schools to engage with parents; and â&#x20AC;˘ a life-long family-community learning approach through providing additional training and support for local families (e.g. Computers in Homes programme,119 ESOL classes) means parents are better able support their children's learning, as well as their own. When a sustainable neighbourhood development focus can be linked to both school curriculum and broader school culture through initiatives such as Enviroschools and Junior Neighbourhood

Support,120 young people become powerful catalysts and brokers for change within their own families, streets and broader community. New leadership development opportunities for residents can also be enabled though a school. For example taking kapa haka, reading to children, sports coaching and tending school/ community gardens can be stepping stones into other things like being on the school board of trustees, organising community events, or being a street champ.121 Epuni School, just outside of Wellington, has taken things one step even further. Building on existing sustainability initiatives at the school, local

parent and avid gardener Julia Milne is leading a project aimed at developing an urban farm on the school grounds. With huge support from both the school's principal Bunnie Willing and the wider community, around 1 acre has been dug up and will be planted to feed the whole school community. The principal dismisses any suggestion this kind of thing is not the role of schools, noting "It fits the technology and learning and inquiry units, and is a fantastic learning experience for the children as they study what plants need to germinate and grow, the cycles of nature and weather."122 It's also part of a deliberate strategy to engage parents in both the school and their children's education.

3.4 THE ROLE OF NEIGHBOURHOOD BROKERS

Epuni Primary students are now avid gardeners thanks to the Common Unity Project based at their school.

While many streets and neighbourhoods have the skills, resources and motivation to self-organise, others benefit from outsiders helping to get things started. In streets where there are lower levels of capacity or an ingrained history of not talking and

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See http://www.computersinhomes.org.nz/. 120 For more on Enviroschools see http://www.enviroschools.org.nz/ and for Junior Neighbourhood Support see http://www.ns.org.nz/index. html/Junior/Junior. 121 Street champs (rather than street leaders) is a concept promoted by MPHS Community Initiative in West Auckland. MPHS has developed a manual for resident leaders in 2012 and also offers a 1 hour training workshop for residents wanting to do things in their street. For more see http://mphs.org.nz/category/community/ 122 For more on the Epuni Common Unity Project see http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/local-papers/hutt-news/7426656/ Call-to-parents-lets-grow-Epuni. 65

working together, some 'on the ground' brokering help is often essential to get things moving. In some cases it only takes a very short time for residents to engage and take things over, which makes stepping back as a broker relatively easy. In other cases a longer period of broker support may be needed.

Neighbourhood development resources like street barbecue guides, tool kits, and support packs123 are all really useful for growing connections and activity within local streets. These often provide a fantastic starting point but will usually need adaption to work well in different local community settings.

For example the Waitara Alive project utilised street barbecue ideas from Massey to build their own programme of street action.124 Supporting neighbourhoods and growing street leadership is not a straight line process. Brokers have to be prepared

BEING A NEIGHBOURHOOD BROKER While Lifewise and Takapuna Methodist Church's involvement with the Know your Neighbours initiative on Auckland's North Shore may have finished in 2012, residents continue to build on what was started in their streets and neighbourhoods. For former Project Coordinator Rebecca Harrington, the learning from her four years of neighbourhood building in diverse communities goes with her everywhere. The evaluation of Know your Neighbours125 has pointed to positive changes in many of the communities, much of it due to Rebecca's approach and skills. Some of her top tips for those working in streets are: • “Be as clear as possible with residents about your role – what you can and can't contribute, and that you're here to walk alongside and support. • “Stay intentionally open to possibilities and what else might emerge – don't presume to know what's needed. • “Only take next steps when you've met people with passion and energy to make things happen themselves – you have to take your cue from their spark! • “Find ways to involve local people at all levels of projects from the start – like door knocking, designing flyers, contacting others, organising games, bringing food – everyone can contribute. • “Notice small changes that are happening and try to be disciplined in recording them. • “Help residents to name and notice the impact they're having and to celebrate small successes. • “Link regularly with a wise, supportive mentor to make the work 'less lonely' – someone who can help you with your reflection, thinking frameworks and practice paradigms; and • “Listen, listen, listen...."there is absolutely no substitute for paying attention" (Sue Kaplan).” Rebecca Harrington Community Development Leader, Lifewise 123

Some helpful neighbourhood tools developed by Kiwi communities are shared on the Inspiring Communities website http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/learning-tools. 124 For Waitara's story go to http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development-projects-initiatives/ neighbourhood-barbeques-street-redesign-role-co. 125 Available on http://lifewise.org.nz/about-lifewise/our-services/community-projects/know-your-neighbours.

street level outcomes, outputs or timeframes cannot easily be specified or imposed by 'outside' organisations or funders. The drive, leadership and forward plan has to first come from within.

FAITH AND PATIENCE "Having local residents or a community group to hand things over to is not always possible straight up. In the case of Manutewhau stream, reserve and walk way restoration, there were three years of ongoing small activities that intentionally brought local people together before some residents put their hands up to form an 'ongoing group' to drive things forward. What helped get to this point was: • ongoing regularity of clean up events which built momentum, and regular opportunities for resident participation; • linking in existing community groups based close to the Manutewhau who in turn incorporated the restoration of the Manutewhau into their vision and which enabled additional resources and connections to be made; • bringing in others with technical expertise to help, e.g. Weed Free Trust, Gecko Trust, Auckland Council staff; and • hope, faith, persistence that this was the right work to be doing, and that when locals were ready, that ownership, stepping up, and taking over naturally would occur." Learning reflections from Massey Ranui Back2Back Project 2012 to go where there's energy, yet continually listen to and assess where local people are at and what's sparking them before determining what kind of support, if any, may be best for now. When working in high

needs communities, brokers need to acknowledge the many complexities in people's lives and know that plans and timelines for neighbourhood action may frequently need to change. This means that

Being a successful neighbourhood development broker requires having a range of different engagement and support strategies in your tool box and holding your role 'lightly’. Key overarching approaches include: 1. Personal relationship building – walking alongside local people and listening to identify local issues and dreams, and then working with them to actively help make things happen. Note: this can be very time and resource intensive. 2. Facilitating links and being a sounding board – not directly participating in street-led action, but instead supporting by making connections and fostering synergies by actively linking local people/ideas with others who may be able to help. This may also involve offering advice and perhaps helping out with a particular one-off task such as reflection, story-telling or facilitation.

3. Information provision and/ or signing people up to a database – giving interested residents some basic neighbourhood development information, tools and ideas, and collecting contact details to keep them linked in with other news, activities and events. Note: the risk here is that nothing may happen as a result of initial connections. As a broker, taking into account other relative priorities, and time and resources available, the challenge is to decide which approach (or combination of approaches!) will work best for now. Critical success factors for engaging or working at street and neighbourhood level include: • proactively making and/ or strengthening connections with other local organisations and potential neighbourhood helping agencies. Doing this ahead of time means opportunities can be discussed and learning from previous activities incorporated; • going beyond 'consultation-delivery' mindset to think what will best catalyse and empower resident-led action;

• being patient and building extra time into project planning to allow for unplanned elements such as bad weather and changes of circumstances for resident leaders; • taking a gentle approach with those not used to participating/leading in community activities, not going in with too much written information initially, but talking, listening, and eating together instead. Visiting others/other places so they can see practical examples of what's possible, with more detailed written information following afterwards; • being wary of the fine line between neighbourhood development and social worker – especially in higher needs neighbourhoods. It is, however, important to be linked to a social worker who can assist when needed; • having good information about pútea (resources) that can be accessed; and • always looking to see who can carry things on so you can step back. Letting go and trusting others to take things forward is a key part of this work, as is being

comfortable with the fact that some things won’t happen as you may have hoped.

3.5 BUILDING RESIDENT-LED PARTICIPATION AND LEADERSHIP At the street or neighbourhood level, conversations about leadership are often more subtle and layered. Stepping up often comes with a sense of giving back. Before doing this, however residents first need to feel that they 'belong', and have gained or benefited from living in their place. In this way, growing both personal and civic elements of leadership are important. Having others recognise your contribution helps individual residents also value themselves and see that the contributions they are making matter. While some residents have the skills and confidence to take action un-initiated, for others even participating is a big step. They may need repeated opportunities and encouragement from someone trusted, to participate in organised activities like a local stream clean up or street events, before joining or forming ongoing resident-led action groups.

Like the nature of neighbourhoods themselves, there are many different potential pathways to support resident-led leadership – most of which do not involve a formally branded leadership training course. Key activities that can help grow resident-led leadership and confidence include: • one to one coaching and mentoring to give residents skills, support and connections to help implement their own ideas for local action and change; • creating opportunities and roles for people to work alongside existing leaders, to learn from them and also inject their own expertise;

• holding practical skills workshops that address locally identified skill gaps and needs, e.g. group facilitation, event planning, social media and making funding applications; • organising small seed funding that enables leaders to 'kick start' their own ideas and action; • group leadership training and activities that also intentionally build trust and relationships between local people, e.g. between groups of young people from within a neighbourhood, existing street leaders/coordinators, leadership which may be emerging via parent

committees at the local school or pre-school, local business owners, coaches of sports teams, or community garden volunteers; • tapping into workshops or events that other organisations are hosting and taking local residents along with you, e.g. a regional community development workshop, civil defence or crime prevention training, or a community art exhibition; • partnering with local cultural hubs like marae and churches, so leadership development can be enabled through local kaupapa/tikanga126 based approaches; and

A CATALYST FOR COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS “As part of the celebration of Neighbours Day Aotearoa 2011, Mataura School’s senior class (Year 6) wrote an invitation to households neighbouring the school, inviting them to celebrate Neighbours Day at a morning tea at the school. The children hand delivered the invitations and prepared scones and other baking to host their neighbours in the community room at the school. “About 30 visitors attended and it was a resounding success, School Principal Susan Dennison saying that she could not believe how many people turned up. One neighbour, Nora Lennon, began attending Mataura School in 1940 as a nine year old and enjoyed being invited back. Several other people who lived close by were interested in the wellbeing of the school, but with no children in their households, had previously not had the opportunity to be involved in the school. The morning tea also provided a great chance for neighbours to meet each other and to share stories about what the school used to be like in times gone past – which the students loved! This connection also led to a conversation of how the Historical Society and the School could work together to bring the history of the Mataura community to life.” Abridged from Mataura Learning and Outcomes Story 2012 see http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development-projects-initiatives/ catalysing-community-connections-how-neighbours-day

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Kaupapa and tikanga refer to foundations of Mãori knowledge and cultural practice that inform how things get done for that iwi or in that place. 69

• linking in with others also doing great neighbourhood work, with the view to establishing peer learning opportunities and cross-fertilising ideas, tools and knowledge. Attached at Appendix 5 is reflective learnings from a resident-led leadership workshop process hosted in West Auckland in 2011. As with many community-led initiatives, not everything went as planned but so did positive unexpected outcomes happen. Resources developed for this workshop process have since been adapted and used in a number of other community leadership processes and can be downloaded from http:// inspiringcommunities.org.nz/ tools-resources.

3.6 WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF A NATIONAL CELEBRATION OF NEIGHBOURLINESS? Neighbours Day began in 2009 as an Auckland based celebration that was initiated by Lifewise, and supported by a range of local organisations.

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Growing interest from around the country saw Neighbours Day quickly expand into an annual national celebration127 that is held on the last weekend in March each year. The key aim of Neighbours Day Aotearoa (NDA) is to encourage all New Zealanders to make time to go one step further in getting to know their neighbours. At a practical level, Neighbours Day Aotearoa has developed into a community-driven social marketing campaign. It raises awareness about the importance and benefits of neighbourliness, and encourages people to take personal action themselves. It's not about big events organised by others, but about the small things that everyone can do to 'build neighbourhood' in the streets or districts where they live. By creating a national campaign, project partners (Lifewise, Inspiring Communities, Mental Health Foundation and Neighbourhood Support)128 hoped that increased neighbourly relationships, networks and support would in turn foster better

connected neighbourhoods and help increase individual, family/whãnau and community wellbeing. Evidence to date suggests that NDA has given a huge impetus to the importance of neighbourhoods at multiple levels.129 NDA's universal message of social connectedness is focusing new collaboration efforts in communities130 and providing a critical mandate and catalyst for neighbourhood action. It means that on a particular weekend, doing something 'nice' for or with others in the street where you live isn't awkward or foreign – it's part of a legitimate and well supported nationwide campaign. As a result, and with limited budget, Neighbours Day Aotearoa (NDA) has continued to grow in terms of reach and impact over the last couple of years. While numbers participating are incredibly difficult to count, there was a 320% increase in residents who formally registered their support for NDA between 2011-2012. Sixty percent of respondents to the 2012 Neighbours Day Evaluation Survey also reported enhanced perceptions of neighbourhood safety, with

Inspiring Communities partnered with Lifewise to help grow Neighbours Day into a national celebration in 2011. In 2012 Neighbourhood Support NZ and the Mental Health Foundation joined the NDA partners team which has helped grow and strengthen new connections and extend the campaign's reach. 128 NDA is an example of inter-agency collaboration in and of itself – see a learning and outcomes story Rebecca Harrington wrote on http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development-projects-initiatives/shaping-collaborative-campaign-neighbours-day. 129 For example, at a policy level nationally and also at very local levels with individuals taking direct action themselves. 130 In Marlborough for example, Barnardos, Safer Communities Marlborough and the Police worked together to promote NDA, see http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/neighbours-day/6656816/Neighbours-Day-success. 70

feelings of trust in neighbours increasing from 48% (pre NDA) to 71% (post NDA). And over half of respondents said they shared contact details with their neighbours as a direct result of NDA 2012, with 57% saying they planned to have more regular contact with their neighbours in the future.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? "At this stage we still weren’t sure how many would turn up and whether they would all fit in so there was a rush to tidy the garage, make more room and procure a second gazebo. At last all was ready and there was nothing left to do but wait and hope for the arrival of guests. We needn’t have worried. By the time the party had reached its climax there were about 30 people squeezed in and the conversations were reaching a crescendo. “Apart from the sausages everyone brought along a dish to share. It was quite spectacular because we have so many different cultures in our street. Despite being involved with Neighbourhood Support we didn’t want the BBQ simply to be a recruiting process. Nevertheless people did enquire about it and by the end of the evening nine other families had signed up bringing the street membership up to nearly 70%. “Even with the initial fluster about having the event in the garage it worked out really well because people weren’t as scattered as they would have been on the reserve. Everyone had a great time and the last person didn’t leave until about 10pm. Everyone was unanimous about holding an event again next year. I told them it’s their turn next time!"

Cartoon: Amy Mac

4 LEADING IN AND LEADERFUL COMMUNITIES Ehara taku toa he toa takitahi, engari taku toa he toa takitini. Success comes from the strength of the collective, and not of the lone individual.

WHAT WE ARE LEARNING ABOUT LEADING IN AND LEADERFUL COMMUNITIES Community-led development challenges old assumptions about leadership as a few individual heroes or heroines. It intentionally works to see the leader in everyone. In this way leadership is understood as collective work, enabling different skills, roles and talents to be harnessed for greater community gain. Leadership is a dynamic process with a different mix of styles and skills required for different parts of the CLD journey. CLD reclaims the idea of active citizenship as a whole continuum of community activity that includes those people leading out front, through to the smallest steps we might take in our own household, neighbourhood or wider whãnau to make our

lives and the world a better place. Amidst the messiness of complex community situations, CLD leaders and advocates in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally hold a deep sense of hope that a fundamental positive paradigm shift is possible — and that active citizenship is a key force to make that shift possible. Key messages: • There is a leader in everyone. Leaderful communities are those where power is distributed, shared and where leadership comes from many corners of the community. • Both leaders 'out front' and 'leaderful' leaders are needed to inspire participation, action and

embed community-led change efforts. • Leaderful practitioners bring out the best in others by building trusted relationships. They are skilled at intentionally redistributing power in how they engage, encourage and lead. They are also skilled at knowing when to step up, step back, walk alongside and/or walk away, which enables those that follow to 'join in' and lead themselves. • Leading in CLD spaces calls for a strong focus on co-creation. The 'how' and 'who' – the processes, structures, systems and frameworks that help CLD stakeholders work collaboratively towards shared local visions and goals are as important as 'what' and 'why'.

• Different styles and types of leadership are required at different stages of CLD journeys. It pays to anticipate and plan for the leadership skills required next, knowing that the best ways to grow and strengthen leadership capacity will be different for each community.

4.1 THE CONCEPT OF LEADERFUL COMMUNITIES IS IMPORTANT A common Kiwi response to the ‘leadership’ word is “Who me? I don’t think of myself as a leader!” What does this tell us about the assumptions we are making about leadership when we write ourselves out of the leadership story? For one thing, clearly, language can be a major block! Yet when we understand leading in terms of being 'leaderful', we can see

Graduates from the Pomare Computers in Homes programme celebrate their success with MPs.

that many of us are indeed leaders in many different ways. There are new understandings and expressions of community-based leadership that we need to be exploring, and communicating, if we want community-led activity to thrive. Leaderful communities are those where power is distributed and shared, where leadership comes from many corners of the community. It's about being collaborative and caring, encouraging multiple contributions and assisting people and places to harness

“We somehow think leadership just happens when everything else happens. Smart communities are beginning to see you build it. It shapes the future, it embraces diversity.”

Peter Kenyon Bank of Ideas ( April 2012)

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local skills and assets to achieve local visions and dreams. In What we are Learning 2010 we introduced the concept of leaderful communities.131 While some people automatically warmed to this term — others hated it! But though there may be clear division over 'leaderful communities' language, there seems to be widespread agreement on the concept itself. For this reason, it's essential to continue exploring and unpacking the core elements of a 'leaderful' approach – and in doing so, hopefully new, 'better' language will emerge.

4.2 LEADERSHIP IS MULTILAYERED AND CONTEXTUAL There are many different ways of defining and describing leadership, and all can help us build a richer picture of

The concept of leaderful communities builds on Joseph Raelin's work on leaderful organisations. Raelin frames leaderful practice as leadership that's concurrent, collective, collaborative and compassionate. See http://www.leaderful.org/leaderful.html for more. 74

what is involved. For example, we can identify individual traits, attitudes and beliefs that give leaders their identity expressed in qualities such as charisma, humility, curiosity, caring, optimism. We can also

identify many different leadership behaviours, skills and styles in our organisations and communities. In addition, we can think of leadership as a whole system of collective interactions, processes and

actions that are more than the sum of individual leaders' or followers' contributions. The tables on the below are two different leadership spectrums that help us think

FROM INDIVIDUAL LEADER TO LEADERSHIP AS COLLECTIVE WORK Autocratic leadership

Catalytic or authoritative leadership

Democratic, participatory, servant leadership

Laissez–faire leadership

Decentralised, adaptive or emergent leadership

TELLING

PERSUADING

FACILITATING

HANDS OFF

SELF-ORGANISING

Power based on positional authority to control goals and decisions and to demand action regardless of other’s views

Power based on leader’s use of communication skills/ personality to inspire other’s engagement and action around the leader or community’s vision

Power based on responsiveness to team values and team voice in decision making, with shared control and responsibility

Power within individual team members’ selfdirected control with few agreed plans, goals, norms or explicit ways of deciding

Power within strong, shared intent, values and processes for working together within which team members interact, take initiative, keep adapting and learning

FROM RULES, ROLES AND TASKS TO RELATIONSHIPS, PROCESS AND ADAPTABILITY Bureaucratic leadership

Transactional leadership

Task-oriented leadership

Relationshiporiented leadership

Transformational leadership

RULES & ROLES

CONTRACTS

RESULTS

PEOPLE

CHANGE

Power based around following the rules and keeping within prescribed roles for business as usual

Power based around mutual contractual compliance to meet agreed goals in return for agreed rewards

Power based on results achieved with focus on planning, organising, monitoring tasks, roles, systems and structures

Power based around ability to engage, organise, support and develop the people that will achieve the vision

Power based around ability to facilitate shared vision of the future and inspire shared responsibility for making change happen

Source: Margy Jean Malcolm

“We are always improving — looking to ensure all understand how to engage with all. Our strength is our collective leadership and willingness to adapt following feedback from the community.” From Mataura Reflective Workshop, November 2012

“Leaders really need to understand CLD, be courageous and stay loyal to local dreams and goals. They often have to be tunnel visioned to help embed new ways of working. Leaders have to both catalyse and empower others. CLD needs more than just ‘leaderful’, it needs leaders who can lead.” Inspiring Communities CLD Think Piece Contributors 2012:7

Inspiring Communities understands leadership as intentional action by any individual or group that seeks to sustain and/or change the way things are. Leadership is not always about change. It is also knowing what is important to keep, maintain or uphold around particular practices or values. about leadership in the community-led development space. Leadership is clearly contextual. Different situations will influence what leadership mix is appropriate or possible within each particular cultural, political, community or organisational context, and at particular points in time. While we all have assumptions about what 'good leadership' is, again, there is no 'one size fits all' recipe. On our community-led development journeys, we are learning to keep our individual and collective leadership capac-

ity growing by intentionally reflecting on the kind of leadership that is needed both for now and at other stages in the journey. 4.2.1 LEADING OUT FRONT STILL MATTERS TOO! Leading in CLD spaces calls for a strong focus on 'the how’ — the processes, structures, systems and frameworks that help CLD stakeholders work collaboratively towards a shared local vision. It takes courage to lead out front as a catalyst in a community before there is a broader community mandate, and often that's how things get started. We also know that capable individuals can only take things so far in communities. Inspiring Communities has noticed across community-led initiatives in Aotearoa, that real traction and transformational change is much more likely when there's a combination of individuals leading out front and a culture of collectively leading together. While sometimes one comes before the other, it's the diversity of skills, leadership styles and momentum generated by motivated people working together that ultimately helps create the critical mass for CLD to thrive, be effective and be

HUNTING FOR LEADERSHIP TREASURE ‘Our Amazing Place’ community treasure hunts are a fantastic way to build community and grow leaders. A community treasure hunt is a free event where people spend several hours following a series of trails exploring the ‘treasures’ of their local community. Along the trails there are numerous activity stations which showcase local assets and opportunities, and the hunt can only happen when these work together in a way that is fun for everyone. This fosters new ways of leading as each station is individual but linked to the other stations on the map, and the treasure hunt only works if this is cohesive. The creation of the event is therefore collective, and involves a range of leadership approaches and skills. Some of the leadership is about the detail of each station, some of it is about coordination between and amongst contributors and some of it is about promotion. All of it is about focusing on a fun day, with individual aims guided by that. For more see http://site.ouramazingplace.org.nz/

Participants on the McLaren Park Henderson South Amazing Place community treasure hunt create a 'handprint tree' as part of their journey.

relevant. Often it's the catalytic leaders that provide the initial charge to turn an issue or opportunity into a 'call to action' and inspire others to 'follow them'. However when this is coupled with an intentional focus on empowerment, power sharing and support through actively engaging other residents and stakeholders by seeking opinions, ideas, and contributions, then new potential co-leaders may also emerge.

4.3 EVERYONE IS A LEADER - THE RISE OF ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP There is strength in our humble kiwi discomfort around the ‘leadership’ word. This discomfort provides an opportunity to reclaim its meaning. For example, some of the people who acted with great courage and were acknowledged as heroic leaders in the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake rejected the ‘hero’ label for themselves, saying “I just did what any citizen would do for someone in need.” This tells us that broader New Zealand culture does have an embedded sense of civic leadership and duty but that sometimes we fail to see, acknowledge

or harness it. Our challenge with the word ‘leadership’ then is to reframe its individual ‘hero’ meaning. All of us can be leaders, and leadership can be the collective work of everyone being 'active citizens' together. The kind of citizenship underpinning CLD is about more than democracy, having rights and turning out for elections every three years. It's about anyone and everyone having a potential role in building strong, resilient, and caring communities — and not just in times of crisis. It's about people taking action in order to support and improve their community in proactive, positive and ongoing ways. New understandings about active citizenship are emerging both here and internationally. Key characteristics docu-

mented in the literature include:132 • participating in the community (eg. voluntary activities, consultation, voting); • feeling empowered to try and influence decisions which affect community wellbeing; • knowledge and understanding about political, social, cultural and economic contexts in order to make informed decisions; and • either as an individual or as part of a collective, being able to challenge existing structures, policies or actions on the basis of principles like equality, inclusiveness, diversity and social justice.

“To lead people, walk beside them... As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people honour and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next the people hate...When the best leader’s work is done, the people say ‘We did it ourselves’.”

Chinese philosopher Lao-Tse

132 133 78

“Our sense of citizenship needs to awaken from a much deeper place. It needs to awaken at the place where we each get to answer the question: “What is my contribution to the common good?” It is only when we get to answer that question that we can step up to becoming the changemakers our communities are looking for.” Excerpt from Vivian Hutchinson “It’s going to take Community” (2011:12)

For more see http://www.faceitproject.org/active_citizenship.htm. See http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development-projects-initiatives/anyone-can-make-difference-librarian%E2%80%99s-story.

REPAYING KINDNESS In Glen Innes, the local librarian regularly buys hot chips for the children who spend their weekend days there playing computer games, which are not available during the week. When the librarians open the door at 10 am there is often a group of primary school aged children waiting, sometimes with pre-school siblings. Most stay until the library closes at 4pm. While some have money to buy food, often several do not. So the librarian buys them fish and chips with her own cash and then they all have something to eat. The librarian was brought up in nearby Point England and she can remember strangers who did kind things during her childhood. It is these memories and her sense of empowerment within her paid role and her community that inspire her to make a small difference too. From Learning Story by Stephanie Burgess, June 2012133 Active citizenship plays out in many different ways in our communities. It might be attending a local event, learning new parenting skills, connecting with other locals at a gardening workshop, or welcoming a new neighbour in your street. Action and leadership for change can be exercised from wherever we are. It is about ‘I can/we can’ achieve something by building relationships and working together. In this sense, leadership is not just about the big vision, major community projects or being at formal decision making tables. It is also about the little everyday ways we live our lives, support the environment and people around us and in doing so, contribute to a civil society. 134

4.4 BRINGING OUT THE BEST IN OTHERS – WHAT DOES LEADERFUL PRACTICE TAKE? As leaders or brokers supporting communities, it takes all of our senses to constantly read situations and decide when to step forward, when to step back, and when to walk alongside others with appropriate awhi (support), reciprocity and follow up. A key focus of 'leaderful practitioners' is helping set up the conditions for others to thrive, and then allowing them to do things in their own ways. This means continually asking “Who else could do this task and how could I help them do it?”

Creating conditions for change and supporting others to lead is a multi-layered endeavour. It's not just about supporting individuals but also ensuring there is (or people are in the process of developing) effective collaborative governance, and systems and processes that facilitate CLD ways of working. Equally important is strong community passion, with local know-how and culture actively influencing what happens locally and how. In fact, the impact that culture has on the achievement of outcomes is often hugely under-estimated. This is reinforced by a much-loved Peter Drucker quote from Mark Cabaj's 2011 New Zealand workshop tour - "Culture eats strategy for breakfast." This reflects that organisational or community energy and ways

“What do we live for if not to make the world a bit better for each other?” George Elliott

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Through a community-led development lens we understand civil society as the space where people participate from their many different spheres/roles (in family/neighbourhood/community, whãnau/hapú/iwi, local/regional/national, government/business/community organisation/household) and in a leaderful way, to define and build a 'good society.' 79

of working (the how) are often much more powerful than what is written in strategies and plans.

FIVE QUALITIES OF A COLLABORATIVE LEADER: • willingness to take risks, • eager listener, • passion for the cause, • optimistic about the future, and • able to share knowledge, power and credit.

4.4.1 RELATIONSHIPS ARE AT THE HEART OF CLD Building respectful relationships is essential for community-led dialogue, innovation and action. In fact, relationships can be seen as the bedrock of effective community-led development and CLD leadership. Sometimes, in our passion to get things done, we can easily forget that nurturing people,

“The conversation IS the relationship.”

Madeleine Carter Centre for Effective Public Policy

Susan Scott, Fierce Conversations (2002:5)

participation and relationships is central to CLD purpose, not something slowing us down from our destination. Building respectful relationships is essential for effective community-led dialogue, innovation and action. Where relationships between key people and organisations already exist, they provide some very useful trust ‘currency’ to assist initial CLD collaboration at individual, organisational, and cross community levels. As discussed in Chapter 2, spreading and expanding the cross-sector collaboration net requires dedicated time and resources for whakawhanaungatanga (getting to know each

SEEDING NEW IDEAS "In Waitara, even though crime is reducing, shop theft remains a significant issue for most retailers. Leading from the front, Melissa Willis from Waitara Alive, in partnership with Waitara Business and Promotions Association and local Police, contracted Educators NZ Ltd. to run a Shop Theft Prevention Seminar to help retailers work together and strengthen their businesses against crime. 60 retailers participated and the organisers were quickly able to step to the side as retailers formed their own network to share information and thereby assist in the prevention and spread of theft by known offenders. This idea was based on information introduced by Melissa about a shop theft network run successfully in a nearby town. The local Waitara retailers are now developing other initiatives and this new activity is already independent from organisation by Waitara Alive, the police and the Business Association". From Learning Story by Melissa Willis, March 2012135

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For full learning story http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development-projects-initiatives/ community-capital-beats-community-crime-developing. 80

other). Relationship building processes that demonstrate manaakitanga (caring, kindness, hospitality) show people that their presence is genuinely valued and important. Feedback from CLD initiatives right across New Zealand shows the importance of 'face to face' time together to develop and agree on processes for engagement, to explore what it means to lead and work together and to get to know, use and encourage each other’s strengths.

MAKING ROOM FOR CHILDRENS' VOICES "In 2007, a local research project with 40 children from three local Taita primary schools encouraged the children to be active participants in their community, rather than the passive recipients of adult hopes and dreams. Amongst other things, the children were interested in making the playgrounds and parks more fun and safe. So, from August 2008 and with Great Start’s support, three primary schools and 33 students in Taita decided to make this happen. “Great Start brokered meetings with Council, and together with the children and schools convinced officers that a park was essential for Taita. This had to be formally approved by local politicians so Great Start and the local schools supported the children to address Councillors in Council chambers where the need for a park was agreed. By working together to create a middle space that respected both people and process, children were supported to take action to make a positive difference and Council officers and politicians were able to work in new ways to achieve mutually desired goals. Not only that but the children were involved in the park design, construction and continued development and all of the adults involved have realised that previously unheard perspectives can make a significant difference to what results. These realisations have since led to the involvement of the local prison in carving entrance pou for the park, and continue to unearth more possibilities for meeting both bottom-up and top-down goals." From Great Start Learning Story, Great Start and Inspiring 136 Communities 2011

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Relationships then are key to identifying and growing local leaders and skills. Without relationships it's difficult for potential talent to be noticed, or those who are ready to 'step up' to be supported and encouraged in ways that are most appropriate for them. Importantly too, when authentic relationships are created so is an important new form of relational accountability. In this way, the effort put in is governed by a sense of obligation to those we're working with, which in turn shapes and influences when, why and how things are done. 4.4.2 THE MAGIC ENABLED BY 'MIDDLE-SPACE' LEADERS In community-led development much of the magic

http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/partnering-children-my-story 81

SEEING PEOPLE AND SUPPORTING POTENTIAL "We are offered opportunities to become apprentices and learn from others. Sometimes we are not ready to say ‘yes’. We are afraid we don’t have time, afraid of not knowing what to do, of stepping up alone, of failing, of loss of face, of being left holding the baby, of stepping out of our comfort zone, of being culturally out of our depth, of stepping into someone else’s shoes that feel huge. Maybe the time is not yet right. “Yet often there is someone who can see beyond our fears, see our potential better than we can. They believe in us before we do, keep believing in us when we fall over, ask our opinion before we realised we even had one, show us that everyone has something to contribute. They help us see where our contribution is needed within a culture of ‘giving back’ as active citizens. They look for opportunities for everyone to shine, to step into their own power. They can do this because they have first taken the time to get to know us as people." Inspiring Communities Cooperative Inquiry 2011 - Workshop Notes happens in the spaces where 'top down' and the 'bottom up' approaches meet. This 'middle space' or 'space in between' is increasingly being seen as a place where people and their shared visions and outcomes are 'held', where collaboration is encouraged and nurtured, and plans advanced. It's also a place where leader and follower labels blur, and where hope and possibility are creatively explored. While it takes the efforts of many for collaboration to succeed, the reality is that positive progress is often due to the skilled guidance, inspiring shepherding and strategic 'gluing' or 'oiling' roles of key

individuals within CLD initiatives. Usually without official titles or job descriptions, these people frequently act concurrently as alliance builders, brokers, facilitators and role modellers of leaderful practice. Leaderful practitioners help convene conversations in ways that build relationships around a shared vision, one conversation at a time, working with where the energy and enthusiasm is. Facilitation requires a lot of listening to find existing strengths and where there is potential to add to what is already there. In getting to ‘yes’ or even ‘maybe’, leaderful practitioners are listening for ideas, outcomes, patterns,

linkages that represent the common ground, the power of shared possibility that the group might engage around. Leaderful practitioners also help surface critical, creative and clarifying questions that enable deeper conversations about what matters to the group and how the group might work together. As noted in Chapter 2 it is often these conversations that hold and guide community change through complex times. Leaderful facilitators also help convene honest conversation and real dialogue – often around uncomfortable or difficult issues. They have the moral courage to chal-

lenge unacceptable behaviour and acknowledge their own fallibility too. They help the co-creation of a non-defensive climate in which to give and receive feedback. Leaderful facilitators support different parties to talk more directly to each other, to commit to dialogue and action, to share information and ideas, to enter agreement, and with time, to find ways to say ‘yes’ together. They are often the

people who ask 'naive' questions. They notice the wider conditions and contributing factors around situations that require a response, a change of course, or boundaries to be pushed! Today’s way doesn’t have to be tomorrow’s. Leaderful practitioners are not scared to do things differently; they enable multiple pathways towards a shared vision. At the same time they are guided by those around them who also contribute to

TEN KEY LESSONS FOR A SUCCESSFUL COLLABORATIVE LEADER: • Find the personal motive for collaborating. • Find ways of simplifying complex situations for people. • Prepare for how you are going to handle conflict well in advance. • Recognise that there are some people or organisations you just can’t partner with. • Have the courage to act for the long term. • Actively manage the tension between focusing on delivery and on building relationships. • Invest in strong personal relationships at all levels. • Inject energy, passion and drive into your leadership style. • Have the confidence to share the credit generously. • Continually develop your interpersonal skills, in particular: empathy, patience, tenacity, holding difficult conversations, and coalition building. Adapted From David Archer and Alex Cameron Collaborative Leadership 2008

'meaning-making’137 and action-taking processes. While sometimes this middle space offers a 'beautiful' meeting of minds and aspirations, at other times a diversity of understandings and opinions is a community's reality. Leaderful facilitators work with challenging situations as best they can, partly by standing in the shoes of the various parties involved but also by: • using inclusive and flexible processes that respect and welcome diversity and keep people talking together; • taking time to understand different world views, communication styles and interests; • adapting processes to accommodate different communication styles and needs; • reminding people of shared visions (where they exist); • enabling different stakeholders to see commonalities and interdependencies; and • ensuring collective acknowledgement of the multiple contributions that various people and organisations are currently or could potentially make towards achieving shared goals.

137

Interpreting the trends and patterns being observed from events and activities to distill learning and understanding about what's happened or happening, and why and what this suggests for next steps. 83

SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENTS SUPPORT SELF AWARENESS “At Great Start Taita, I was privileged to work in an environment that was held lightly by Barnardos. There I was able to grow too: we didn’t feel like a business space, a client service. While we had pressures to get stuff done, we had a garden, the chapel and a kitchen table where different conversations could take place. This kind of environment creates a different pace, and a slower pace is essential to growing leaderful spaces, to growing a different perspective, to learning what we don’t yet know, I think.” The Great Start environment helped me learn to let go of set plans, to recognise when I was 'out of step' as a newcomer to Aotearoa and, while still “keeping hold of who I was, give up what I knew to everyone else, and then move forward together.” Being selfaware was complemented by having an amazing critical friend/mentor. I was able to work with this person as well as her co-workers to create our ‘new way’ together. “The process – how things happen – is really important: slowing down, including people more and having most people in the room contribute means the ways forward are co-created. This makes a difference individually and means as a group we can more genuinely include the different points of view in and from a place. It also means that different people lead at different times, and sometimes at the same time in different ways. It is both broader and deeper."

Karen Clifford, May 2012138

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4.5 PAYING ATTENTION TO THE 'I' AND THE 'WE' WITHIN THE COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP JOURNEY As noted in What we are Learning 2010, there is a tightly woven connection between personal and professional practice in the CLD space. There is an ongoing movement between our own 'inner world' as individual leaders and leaderful practitioners, and the 'outer world' we are working in – for example as a community leader, CLD funder, local government official or kaumatua (elder). This requires being aware of what is going on for ourselves, not only the people we are working with, or the broader community environment. It's often the case that collaborative leaders are more conscious of others and their needs than they are of their own – the 'I' frequently gets lost within the collaborative 'we'. Leadership involves being prepared to know yourself, warts and all and to have a strong sense of your values, identity and world view. Knowing when to hold fast to

Excerpt from Inspiring Communities Newsletter http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/newsletters/community-led-development/ leadership/640-reflections-on-leadership-by-karen-clifford 84

these is as important as learning new ways of being, seeing and acting in the world. There is also a personal, inner journey of self-awareness that's involved and this can be quite uncomfortable at times. Effective leaders notice their own patterns of thoughts, assumptions, feelings and behaviours so that they can support more conscious choices about how to respond. Working to understand who we are as individuals, where we have come from, what drives us, and how others experience us, helps us to more wisely discern how we can best contribute. Yet it is not as though we work this out first and then go out with confidence to pursue our calling in life! We learn about ourselves on the road, through our own unique leadership journey and all the highs and lows contained – it will always be a work in progress, and can be exhausting. Leaderful practitioners share some character traits that can at times be personally dangerous. For example they generally bring a strong spirit of generosity, and give time to support others. This outward energy is often supported by perseverance, patience and

CORE COMPETENCIES FOR 'MIDDLE SPACE': 1. Open and willing to share ideas, information and contacts; 2. Belief in the leadership potential of everyone; 3. Able to inspire 'doacracy' – people feeling empowered to take action on their ideas; 4. Able to let go and not control outcomes; 5. Intentionally connect and weave people and ideas to strengthen bonds and build bridges; and 6. Committed to continuous learning, with capacity to quickly learn what works and doesn't and why – and share this. Adapted from Leadership & Networks: New ways of Developing Leadership in a Highly Connected World October 2012

sometimes, a weighty responsibility for holding the 'bigger picture.' Yet while generous to others, leaderful practitioners are not always as generous to themselves. Being intentional about self-development and change, reflecting on our daily practices, choices and leadership of ourselves, is essential if we are to "be the change we want to see in the world." (Mahatma Ghandi) What follows on the next page are some useful self-reflective 'check-in' exercises that encourage us all to be more mindful. As a team, Inspiring Communities has come to understand reflective practice – individually and collectively – as a ‘luxurious necessity’. That is, it feels like a luxury, but it’s actually

a real necessity. Our intentional, ongoing curiosity about what we can keep learning is at the core of effective CLD leadership. Curiosity helps us see the creative possibilities amidst the messy, uncomfortable, tough times. A culture of ‘learning together’ builds the relationships, shared understanding and trust that feeds a shared power culture of ‘doing together’. Effective leaders don’t have to individually have the vision or the answers. Rather, they facilitate inquiry around rich questions that co-create vision and pathways, one conversation at a time.

REFLECTIVE PRACTICE: HOW WILL I BE THE CHANGE I WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD TODAY? Pushing the pause button to clarify my intent for today: • How am I today? • How do I want to be today? • What is the intention I want to hold for my day? • Any particular behaviours, thoughts, questions, feelings I want to bring into focus? Reflective ending to the day: • What am I appreciating that the day has given? • What am I noticing about my intent for today and how the day has been? • How am I choosing to respond for tomorrow?

INTENTIONAL REFLECTION AROUND LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTION TO EACH SITUATION Some questions to consciously ask yourself: • What are the learnings for me in this situation? • Am I hearing what others are saying and what they are meaning? • What do I need to be doing differently in this space to enable others to lead? • Am I being overly controlling, or standing up for some really important principle? • Do I really accept many different ways are needed to achieve our vision – or do I still act as though my way is the only right way? • Is this about me/my ego or the higher shared purpose/vision? • Am I being overly responsible or not committed enough? • What do I need to receive or give, accept or offer? • What needs to shift to break my/our unhelpful patterns? • Am I being too hard/too easy on myself? • What do I need to sustain me for the long haul?

Clockwise from left: In 2013, projects included working with Pt Chevalier Primary School to create new mosaic friendship seats and with Avondale Primary School to create wall murals.

Growing leaderful communities often starts with people connecting at very local levels - for example celebrating Neighbours Day on a street berm in Waitara or being part of 'community korero' (conversations) at regular Stone Soup gatherings held in Whanganui's Lorenzdale Park.

5 WHAT WE ARE LEARNING Kua tawhiti ke to haerenga mai kia kore e haere tou He tino nui rawa ou maki kia kore e mahi nui tonu

We have come too far to not go further We have done too much to not to do more (Ta Hemi Henare - Sir James Henare.)

WHAT WE’RE LEARNING ABOUT CREATING AND SUSTAINING MOMENTUM: Because CLD is about changing whole systems, the work is long term. We face global and local challenges including climate change, growing inequity, and peak oil. As Michael Lewis and Pat Conaty assert in the introduction to their 2012 book The Resilience Imperative, “We should not expect to survive with any dignity if we continue what we are doing. Rather we must radically shift the way we see, think, and act in relation to each other and to the planet.” 139 While each community and CLD initiative will have its own distinct pathways, there are useful frameworks and insights that can help us on our diverse journeys. The eco-cycle reminds us there are natural cycles of life, death and renewal that are mirrored 139

in both our organisations and CLD endeavours. Each particular stage of the journey requires different skillsets, resources and approaches. While the work is often challenging and messy, there will be cause too for many celebrations along the way. There is no right place to start in CLD, neither is there a right place to finish. We can expect visions, actions, structures and processes to evolve and change in line with the ever changing community contexts, needs and aspirations. Key Messages: • Like nature, expect constant change in CLD and be prepared to proactively adapt and change. • Use helpful frameworks like the 'eco cycle' of collaboration to understand the

different phases of CLD. See where you are now and what resources, approaches, evaluation and leadership will likely be needed next. • There is no right place to start in CLD. Begin from where you, your organisation or community is and weave CLD principles and practice into everything that happens – be bold and humble, and ensure that local residents and/or those with 'lived experience' are actively part of what happens. Have fun! • Locally led action can be catalysed through use of visual images, stories, and timelines to re-kindle memories and focus/renew a shared sense of direction and progress.

The Resilience Imperative – cooperative transitions to a steady-state economy, 2012:1. 89

• Creating and revisiting community asset maps helps identify, build on and catalyse community strengths to celebrate positive steps forward. • Regular communication is a vital part of keeping everyone connected and growing CLD supporter bases. • Encourage and create local or sub-regional peer learning and support networks for CLD practitioners, to ensure people are supported, inspired and able to have fun learning and sharing together.

5.1 FRAMEWORKS FOR UNDERSTANDING THE CONTINUING JOURNEY AHEAD At the core of CLD philosophy and approaches is a recognition that communities and neighbourhoods are unique living systems that are always changing. Knowing where your CLD initiative or collaboration may be in its life cycle, and anticipating what will be needed for the next phase can assist leaders, communities and organisations to recognise and 'make sense' of particular elements. It can also inform choices about what might 140 90

work for now. For example it can help with considering the type of leadership needed (as noted in Chapter 4), or the type of evaluation that may be most appropriate at different points in time. One of the most useful frameworks for CLD thinking is the 'panarchy' or 'eco-cycle' of collaboration. As noted in pages 46-7 of What we are Learning 2010, this tool is based around the life cycle in nature and notes four key stages of development: birth/exploration, development/growth, maturity, and decline/release, which in turn enable new life and growth, in an ever-evolving way. The eco-cycle reminds us that sometimes things need to die or wind up, in order to release energy and capacity for new things to emerge — that we need to 'let go' in order to 'let come.' This internationally recognised framework is also mirrored here by similar local indigenous thinking. The Tipu Ake ki te Ora Lifecycle, a set of resources and knowledge developed in association with the people of Te Whãiti Nui-a-Toi. This tiny, proactive, largely unemployed rural community worked together to save their local school from

closure in the 1990’s, and in doing so shifted student and school outcomes from failure to success at the very leading edge. In making this change, they drew on their traditional wisdom and their own internal and collective strength. Tipu Ake is entirely holistic, driving visioning using the Mãori concept of ‘Ora’ which is much more than wellbeing. It aspires to a state of wellness which embraces cultural, social, environmental and economic dimensions and is global, not just local. Drawing on the analogy of a living tree in an interconnected forest, the Tipu Ake leadership model140 identifies seven inter-dependent levels, all of which must simultaneously be present and healthy. The model pays attention to the need for collective approaches. It identifies and illustrates the typical detractors (pests) at each level, that require attention to be kept under control. More importantly, it focuses on proactively planting the seeds for innovation and growth in all dimensions. There are many ongoing community initiatives in Whirinaki which continue to be firmly rooted Tipu Ake thinking – see http://www. kaitiakitanga.net/whirinaki.

For an overview of how the model can be applied see http://www.tipuake.org.nz/files/pdf/Growing%20Living%20Organisations.pdf.

Source: Mark Cabaj, Here to there, 2013 Creative • Messy • Uncertainty • First-hand

Efficiency • Certainty • Stability • Focus on Conservation

Insights & Outside ideas • Multiple Perspectives • Flat structure

Hierarchical structure & process • Rules, Policies & Procedures

& process • Probes & little Experiments • Options

Standardisation • Specialists • Fast Returns • Low Risk Tolerance

Maturity

a Explor tion

expand place possibilities bets & buy-in

CHOICE

birth

h t w ro

new thinking

develop & adapt

velo

conserve declining outcomes manage

CRISIS

looking forward letting go neutral zone

refine

R e l e as e

pment

Entrepreneurial • Generalists • Roles

Unraveling • Confusion • Chaotic • Loss, Anger, Blame, Conflict

Adaptive structure and process • Prototypes & Pilot Projects

Little structure or process • Reflection • Relationships

Variation • Lag times • Flexible funding • Flexible rules

Emphasis on Essence, Values & Principles

Tolerance for risk • Dead ends • Emerging practice

New Energy & Urgency

TIPU AKE KI TE ORA - LIFECYCLE A project Leadership Model for Innovative Organisations

Sunshine - external energy

Ora (Wellbeing)

Focus on outcomes

Birds - proactive approach

Manu (birds)

Fly down and return higher

values

Apply Innovation Tane (trees)

Ngahua (Fruits) Puawaitana (flowers)

reflect

+ Opportunity/Risk

listening

Tinana (trunk)

rejuvinate

Kakano (seed)

Papatuanuku (Earth Mother)

Kore (soil)

Whiro (poisons)

trust, support

Vision

Putake (roots)

diversify

4. Sensing (Collective)

wrong measures

rigidity

3. Processes (Org)

(branches)

recycle

values clash

5. Wisdom (Collective)

effective

Ngarara (pests) Pua

smug

N. ORA >> Wellbeing (Global)

sharing

2. Teamwork (Project) 1. Leadership (shared)

Courage Facing Issues

power

Ideas germinate 0. Undercurrents (Chaos) Poisons - greed, exploitation, violence, fear

ego/credit false assumptions

Pests - reactive approach failure, forced to recycle

Tipu Ake Model see http://www.tipuake.org.nz/tipu_life_cycle.php 91

HELPFUL REFLECTION TOOL "I think the Panarchy model (eco-cycle), especially when discussed with the potential traps, is one that most people find helps them take another look at their situation without seeing the end of something as failure. It's quick to revisit and is great for newcomers, as well as those who have been to earlier learning forums to reassess where they currently are right now." Taranaki Learning Forum Participant, 2011 Our experience suggests that CLD initiatives value learning about these models, and practically applying/adapting them in different planning and reflective stages of their work together. While some theories or models are not presented in an easily accessible form, they can be simplified and used to enrich local understandings about why things happen, or what to expect. Communities we have worked with appreciate participating in learning/ training and then applying this to their planning and reflection together. We also notice the value of collective learning when things 'get hard', and communities that have shared learnings about CLD can remind each other of tips and traps which are typical stages on long journeys. The eco-cycle model and others (see appendix 8) provide disciplines which are helpful for planning, review and

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reflection, particularly during the difficult and 'messy' phases which are inevitable when communities try to transform themselves. These models offer a level of analysis which can support intuitive knowledge about where to put effort, or what to change.

5.2 KEEP CHECKING TO MAKE SURE CLD IS AT THE FORE Community-led development is not a service delivery model or fixed step-by-step programme that can be followed. As noted in Chapter 1, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a strengths-based planning and development approach thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s underpinned by some key principles. With the increased profile of CLD, a wide range of organisations and communities are now using CLD language, and implementing new ways of

working. One of the concerns is whether intent is being matched in practice. For example it is relatively easy to call something a CLD approach, and genuinely commit to that at the outset. However, if there are not processes to guide and keep checking back to see how CLD principles are being lived in practice, there is a risk that CLD aspirations may fall away, particularly where there has been no capacity building for CLD. The checklist on the next page was prepared for JR McKenzie Trust141 to help guide their funding decisions where applicants indicated a CLD approach was intended. It also poses useful questions for practitioners to constantly refer back to as CLD initiatives progress and momentum gathers.

5.3 FUNDER APPROACHES THAT CREATE AND SUSTAIN MOMENTUM Sustainable community-led development is a long term game. It is therefore important that any funding source or opportunity is recognised as a building block within a much larger community-wide picture. Even a three- or four-

To view full assessors guide see http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/learning-tools/community-building.

PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE ASSOCIATED WITH EFFECTIVE COMMUNITY-LED DEVELOPMENT â&#x20AC;&#x201C; SOME USEFUL QUESTIONS TO ASK:

Local people actively engaged: How are local people involved in all aspects of the project, e.g. in vision/outcome/priority setting, leading/participating in activities, learning and reflection, and in ongoing decision making?

Clear vision and outcomes: How will outcomes for individuals, families, and/or the local community be strengthened as a result of this project? What will success look like?

An understanding of how change might happen and what will be required: Have long/short term goals and change strategies been identified? Are timeframes and resource requirements realistic? Is there an understanding of how change might happen in this community?

A strengths-based approach: What local strengths, assets and resources have been identified that could assist with the implementation of this project?

Building relationships and working together with others: What new relationships have been or will be formed? How have other agencies/partners been involved in developing/supporting the project so far? What kind of collaboration(s) will be required to support the project next?

Community capacity building: What will be required for local people to effectively participate in the project? How will community capacity and skill-sets be developed along the way?

Skilled teams142 to work with communities: What skill-sets and relationships do staff/volunteers have that enable them to work as a team, in and with the community?

A focus on growing local leadership: How will local leadership be identified, supported and strengthened as a result of this project?

Reflection and review: How is this built into the project so that things can be adapted along the way based on what is working/not working, what is needed next and why?

Documenting progress and celebrating success: How will progress and changes be documented and communicated to everyone? How can successes be celebrated to ensure energy levels remain high and achievements recognised and rewarded?

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Key competencies include: being patient and hopeful, proactive and yet responsive, creative, inspiring and able to bring out the best in others, connecting, bridge building and collaborating, and knowing when to step forward, and when to step back to let others lead. 93

year funding commitment should be seen as part of much wider and longer processes, rather than as a 'silver bullet' solution to the myriad of challenges and opportunities a community may be facing. Sustainable community-led development starts and grows incrementally, at the pace of the collective group or community. Sometimes new funding sources can interrupt community momentum by cutting across or disregarding what already is happening in communities, to suit funder priorities. Yet CLD outcomes can be enhanced when new funding is introduced, managed and used in ways that add to and build on existing community effort and goodwill. Good questions for funders to ask are: • What’s already happening in this place that’s relevant to this kaupapa or funding source? • Are there already community supported visions or strategies that this pútea can add value to? • How can this funding be managed in a way that partners with, or leverages, other effort or resource?

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• Which other funders could be jointly investing in this initiative, and how could we invite them in? • What kind of accountability and reporting processes would add value to this initiative? • What do we want to learn from being involved in/ investing in this initiative and what might be the best ways to support this?

5.4 WEAVING COMMUNITY-LED DEVELOPMENT INTO LOCAL APPROACHES AND BUILDING ON LOCAL STRENGTHS Part of growing the CLD movement in Aotearoa is about regenerating confidence within communities that they can 'do things' both for themselves and with the help of others. There are a range of factors which have negatively impacted on a long Kiwi history of competence in community mobilisation, organisation, and self-help.143 Regenerating the 'can do' community spirit is part of the ongoing building work to be done. In doing this, it is extremely important that

we remember we are never starting from 'zero' or 'scratch'.

5.4.1 COMMUNITIES HAVE LOCAL HISTORY AND EXPERIENCE TO DRAW FROM People in communities will always have experience and knowledge of community capability, leadership and power. It may be through receiving or observing acts of kindness, celebrating local heroes, remembering past community-led action like building a swimming pool, or being part of special local events. Shared memories are a key part of local social capital and can be powerful galvanisers for future change. Therefore the simple act of reflection, of telling and retelling local stories, can assist and strengthen a shared local sense of identity and be a catalyst for action. As an example, the Mangakino community recently used a History Wall as a way of prompting memories about their community. Local people were asked to think and talk about their memories of Mangakino, and to write or draw something that represented that on the wall, in rough date order. This wall sat alongside a Dream Wall, where people wrote their dreams and wishes for the area. Commonly

For example urbanisation, rural economic and lifestyle changes, and progressive public sector restructuring in the 1980s and 1990s devastated many rural communities and impacted negatively on local 'can do' attitudes and attributes. 94

5.4.2 INCORPORATE CLD APPROACHES INTO ORGANISATIONAL PRACTICE AS OPPORTUNITIES ARISE Aotearoa New Zealand has one of the highest proportions of community organisations to people in the world! Many community or voluntary sector organisations have a focus on The local history wall created as part of the Mangakino community visioning improving the community or process 'Wow! E tu Mangakino! Lets Dream! (Photo: Rotorua Daily Post) local wellbeing in some way. Examples include schools, In Õpõtiki too, historical people saw the connection sports and community experience has served as a between what they were wantcatalyst for rallying new energy organisations, social service ing, and how, historically, some organisations, health service and focus. Middle-aged local of those things had existed. organisations, iwi, hapú and people recall how, when they For example, across the age Pasifika organisations. were younger, they chuckled groups there were wishes for By incorporating a CLD when their kaumãtua visioned more community spirit and philosophy and approach into Whakatõhea rebuilding a activities, especially involving marine economic base through practice and actions, local young people and rangatahi. groups and organisations aquaculture. Twenty plus On the History Wall there were can help to build and sustain years ago, few could imagine community events like the broader community-led how 'farming the sea' would annual Trolley Derby listed. momentum too. or could unfold. But over time, Through conversation, why people fully connected with Trolley Derbies were special For example, resident-led their kaumãtua’s call from the and how they were organbreakfast clubs and community 1970s and 80s.144 ised was 'unpacked.' People recalled that they loved the events that involved a mix of ages in organising and participating. They realised that it was voluntary local effort that enabled these events to happen, and they made the link that the power to organise local community-building and celebratory events was largely Malfroy Primary students enjoying breakfast at school - many of their family members also come along. in their own hands. 144

For more on Opotiki's CLD journey see Appendix 6 95

gardens based at schools can weave together school facilities with gifts and donations from business, and parent and neighbour volunteer effort. By supporting and enabling such initiatives, schools not only have more attentive students (learners with full tummies!) but a wider web of relationships and skills that can be leveraged. Similar things can happen with businesses. Where organisational leaders such as school principals or social service managers understand CLD, they will recognise, pay attention to, and encourage locally-led initiatives as they emerge. They understand that stepping back and asking “How can we support and share resources?” is an appropriate way to nurture and empower emergent local leadership and energy. It also helps create and sustain momentum as time goes on. In What We Are Learning 2010 we shared stories about how Barnardos, as a national child-focused organisation, had supported and 'held' the development of a CLD approach in Taita.145 Rather than adopt a traditional service planning and delivery approach, Barnardos supported community engagement and research 145 146 96

into what local residents really wanted for their place and how the organisation might help. This led to the establishment of the Barnardos-owned 'Great Start House' as a community hub that intentionally fosters community connections, leadership and action. Having an established organisation like Barnardos as an umbrella and investor to both nurture and encourage CLD learning and action has been instrumental in Great Start Taita's CLD establishment journey. Four years on, Barnardos, the Great Start Taita team and the local community are in the

process of negotiating how Barnardos can extract itself and support a new, locally-led entity to hold Great Start through the next phase of its development.

5.4.3 WEAVING CLD APPROACHES INTO STRATEGIC INITIATIVES Looking for common ground around a particular focus or target population is another way to build CLD momentum.146 Commonly, an organisation may take on a contract or kaupapa around a particular focus, such as suicide prevention or youth

AROHA'S STORY - FROM RELUCTANT PARTICIPANT TO COURSE LEADER "Aroha was a very reluctant participant in the Good Cents programme. She didn't want to be there and was only there so that 'others could fix' her problems for her by helping her access more money. However, the Good Cents team repeatedly refused to 'give her' the answers, believing that if change was going to happen, leadership first needed to come from Aroha. After 4 weeks of being in the programme things really turned around and 'twigged' for Aroha. She put in place her plan for how things were 'going to change' not only with her financial issues, but with other aspects of her life that needed attention too. Twelve months later, not only has Aroha's personal wellbeing changed but so has her employment situation. She's now on staff at Wesley Community Action as a facilitator of the Good Cents programme." Good Cents Porirua, 2013

For more on Taita's story see Appendix 6 or download their case study from http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/location/taita. See http://www.kaweraudc.govt.nz/Community%2FNeighbourhoodsofhealthyhomes.asp.

unemployment. These are complex issues, and impossible to solve without input and effort from multiple stakeholders, including those with 'lived experience', their families and the wider community. In Kawerau, specific collaborative funding is enabling a neighbourhood-based approach to creating healthy homes. The primary focus of the project is on improving housing conditions through a street by street approach. The secondary focus is that of community-building within these neighbourhoods, based on an understanding that if people are more connected with each other and develop more of a collective sense of belonging, the potential for 'neighbourhoods of healthy homes' will be accelerated. A further example from Porirua focuses on crippling levels of debt that seemed insurmountable to many families in what were seemingly prosperous times. This led Wesley Community Action to consider what they could do to help. In 2008, the Good Cents initiative was launched with deliberate decisions made to engage local mothers who were often managing family debt in a group learning and

sharing situation. This soon revealed some of the common situations that led to debt compounding, with local women themselves empowered and inspired to support each other to implement their own debt reduction strategies.

also part of solution planning, decision-making and action phases.

Over time, participants in the Good Cents programme joined with other organisations and agencies with an influence or potential influence on debt in Porirua to help create solutions which families alone were unable to solve. Importantly, reframing the issue of debt reduction in a strengths-based CLD way has resulted in Good Cents reframing its vision and journey to one of local wealth creation and enhancing financial wellbeing. Good Cents programme participants are now also working with Work and Income NZ staff to share strategies around how they can more effectively support clients facing serious debt issues. This process is not just empowering local women but also enabling broader systems change.

When communities or projects are focussed around the renewal and birth phases of the eco-cycle of collaboration (see section 5.1), huge attention is needed to invite and engage key stakeholders. CLD depends on collective thought and understanding. What follows are some tips to help grow participation and collective ownership of next steps:

The CLD bottom line is always to ensure that local people with' lived experience' of the issue or problem being addressed are not just part of the problem definitions but

5.5 CREATING COLLECTIVE THINKING AND OWNERSHIP

• If not already involved, invite tangata whenua participation and engagement in planning community conversations. • Be clear about the question or questions you are inviting people to discuss – and be open to others changing them as you go along. • When the intent is to develop collective understanding and shared aspirations and visions, a facilitative leadership style is helpful. Without this, there is a risk that strongly opinionated

likely to signal both real possibilities and challenges for future attention.

WORKING THROUGH TOUGH STUFF TOGETHER AND HAVING FUN "Being firm about community people as leaders of what happens in Mataura has meant some steep learning at times, and has also challenged expected ways of working and revealed embedded assumptions, creating situations that have had to be worked through. As experience and knowledge about community-led development has deepened, however, attitudes and expectations have also changed and it is now expected that community members will take strong leadership roles alongside agencies and organisations. The notion that 'we are in it together', working with a 'sense of laughter, fun and good times while doing tough stuff' resonates with those involved and has attracted other resilient and fun people.” From Mataura Reflective Workshop, November 2012

or knowledgeable leadership may overwhelm other voices, and turn away potential energy, thought and effort. • Sometimes it’s useful to ask an outsider to convene or facilitate early conversations. This enables all local 147 98

people to be engaged in thought and dialogue, and minimises the risk of local personality tensions getting in the way of participation. • Make and share a record that reflects what people say — their ideas and thoughts at these early stages are

• Use reflective practice from the outset! The What? So, what? Now what? approach!147 (So, what have we learned and come up with here? So, what does that mean? What matters? What do we think are the essential elements or issues? Now, what shall we do next?) • Encourage potential 'points of light', ideas and actions that people want to follow up on as a result of conversations. This energy has been unlocked, so don’t stifle it or leave it to flounder! Encourage thinking about how it potentially fits with what has been said, and how any learnings or progress will be shared with others.

5.6 COLLECTIVE ASSET MAPPING – A USEFUL APPROACH TO BUILDING MOMENTUM Whatever the issue or focus communities choose, our experience points to the value of collective asset mapping

Known as Driscoll's model of Reflection. See Practising Clinical Supervision: A reflective approach for health care professionals 2007:44

as a good way of encouraging a strengths-based approach and building momentum. The examples in 5.4.1 are a form of asset mapping based on history. Physical and natural resources, the built environment, facilities, community stories, local organisations and networks, family and whãnau experiences, the skills and abilities of individuals, are all assets that can be mapped, mobilised and joined up. Once mapped, communities can look at the connections between the assets, and/ or where there are areas of strength or weakness, and think about what might happen next. When Inspiring Communities met with Õpõtiki leaders in 2009 and did some mapping around their economic development aspirations, we noticed there was no ongoing mechanism for connecting up the various stakeholders with interests in the aquaculture and harbour development potentials. Over time, we supported the development of a cross-sectoral Advisory Group which continues to meet monthly, and keep parties connected. Another great example from Õpõtiki was their approach to building community through

capacity-building around systems, to support and promote local event management. Local people wanted more activities and when collectively they asset mapped what was already happening, they recognised huge skill and talent was already present locally, and that there were multiple activities and events that only parts of the community ever heard about. So locals put their energy into: • connecting up people with event management skills and experience with others who wanted to learn; • supporting locally-led event initiatives through communication, and creating community systems to share assets required for running events; • improving local communications systems to promote locally run events and activities; • creating awareness in the community of the economic impacts and benefits of events; • acknowledging locals who were huge community contributors to making events happen; • encouraging more sub-regional thoughts

about events as part of an economic development strategy; and • building community capacity and momentum through leveraging their local assets.

5.7 KEEPING EVERYONE CONNECTED AND BRINGING OTHERS ON THE JOURNEY As community-led focus becomes clear, so the need may arise for additional expertise, resources, or support. There are a number of strategies for getting others excited and encouraging involvement. Firstly, keep communication channels open and flowing among all parties that have joined in so far. This may be through informal networking, meetings or phone calls, Facebook, Twitter, newsletters, written updates — what works best for each community and its stakeholders will be different. Sometimes a range of communication formats and styles will be best. The key elements are: • having communication plans and processes in place that keep all stakeholders informed;

UNDERSTANDING THE POTENTIAL JOURNEY AHEAD “When Mark Cabaj shared fitness landscape thinking with us at a joint Õpõtiki-Tamarack-IPANZ event in Wellington in 2008, this was a time of great hope for Õpõtiki. At last, after multiple unsuccessful attempts to attract interest from Wellington, a meeting with officials from a number of government agencies had been scheduled for later that day. Mark had already learned about the long history of the Õpõtiki marine transformation initiative, and accurately anticipated a very long road ahead.

“He introduced the 'fitness landscape' as a useful concept for us to keep in mind. The metaphor he used was of a landscape rolling towards us, full of peaks and troughs of different shapes and sizes, and many optional routes that only become apparent progressively. He noted that complex issues like economic development are inherently adaptive – and require constantly adapted responses. Mark pointed out how only part of the 'landscape' required to be negotiated will be visible at any time. He emphasised the importance of openness, and determination to recognise and plan for new and changing horizons. He warned of the tendency and temptation to look for quick, but not necessarily durable solutions, particularly when people are only prepared to look within what is already known. Mark stressed the potential for solution-finding around complex issues when collaborative approaches are taken.”

This is a different approach to a few leaders just getting on and leading. It’s about intentionally connecting and growing ownership of the project, initiative or strategy through regular co-creation of common messages and open communication. Collectively sharing progress and learnings with new parties or stakeholders you want to involve is also a way of encouraging participation, and distributing power and responsibility. This can be done by holding an event and bringing a range of potentially interested stakeholders together. Get discussion going by making a presentation about progress, the current thinking, and who’s already involved. Invite stakeholders

ISSUE No.72

“SUPPORTING NEIGHBOURHOOD LED ACTION IN MASSEY AND RANUI” jenny.tanner@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz 021 243 9683

Safe streets

Barbara MacLennan Inspiring Communities Strategic Broker Õpõtiki

Friday 30th November 2012

A fortnightly news brief to local stakeholders.

Ranui Graduates: Eight young people are about to finish the Ranui Community

Garden’s pilot project ‘from garden to kitchen’. As part of the pilot course they have recently undertaken the daunting task of providing different menus on four consecutive Thursdays, inviting the community to come and taste the results of Healthy their learnings. The three course meal featured below was a work of art and all homes the participants thoroughly enjoyed the efforts of these young, potential cooks and gardeners. Congratulations to our rangatahi for being part of this project Good in and for Buffie, the garden coordinator, who created the framework for this the ‘hood initiative and inspired the young people to learn new skills. together

Family fun

Life long learning

• ensuring that people hear and understand the same information; • having some key, jointly-crafted and shared strengths-based messages

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that everyone involved can use; and • creating a way for everyone involved to raise concerns or ideas, with the 'go to' person clearly identified.

Local pride

Mapping our assets for future collaborative action was the intention of a recent hui in Ranui. The results of the workshop will be integrated into the Ranui Accord’s action plan and be a focal point for future meetings of the Ranui Community Network.

It’s up and looking good, thanks to a series of Saturdays of voluntary labour. Our four dads combined their skills and patiently created their first Local assignment for the West Harbour Men’s Shed. It promises great things yet to economy come for the Men’s Shed Movement as well as the Manutewhau Project. Thanks guys. More information will follow on how to access the resource materials. Local leaders Our voices: our vision

Some say it looks like a roller-coaster but it is just another stage in the construction of the new pedestrian and cycle over-bridge linking Massey East and West. Due to be completed in March 2013, and with a lot more intended community input!

Back2Back project kept stakeholders up to date by producing a fortnightly newsletter with local activities, stories and events. He Mahi Tatou

present to talk about their interests and aspirations. Following this, a facilitated conversation about opportunities for working together can help build connections. It can also help to deepen understanding about each other’s culture and motivations.

5.8 THE FITNESS LANDSCAPE Every CLD journey will involve a mix of both individual and collective joy and sorrow, frustration and excitement, exhaustion, anxiety, and persistent hope and determination. One of the frameworks which provides assurance on the bumpiness of the journey is the 'fitness landscape’.148 Borrowed from biology, fitness or adaptive landscapes use mathematical correlations to predict the outcomes of possible scenarios. The concept is useful for communities working around complex issues. There is no simple, correct solution; no single person can see or predict the whole situation. Only part of the landscape is visible at any one time, and there are many peaks and troughs to negotiate. Fitness landscape thinking offers some comfort in difficult

THE FITNESS LANDSCAPE times. Navigating over the 'hard tall mountains' are part of any transformation process. It also reminds us that it is long term multiple inter-related projects, rather than one silver bullet, which brings sustainable community change. Rather than a sense of failure when particular outcomes do not result from carefully planned strategies, we need to look instead to how the learnings from those steps can help inform thinking and strategy for the next action or mountain to come.

5.9 SUPPORTING AND GROWING CLD PRACTICE AND THINKING IN YOUR COMMUNITY The level and range of interest in CLD is growing rapidly in Aotearoa. It is a practical way of working that is accessible

to all communities, sectors and organisations. We are noticing that as people become part of community-led change processes, they seek guidance and support to implement new forms of practice, policy and approaches. Many also seek 'space' to enable reflection and discussion about CLD experiences and to have fun sharing together. CLD practice or learning networks have sprung up where there is a shared desire to keep connecting, talking and thinking together. While in some cases the emphasis is on learning, others have an action or advocacy focus. For example, following the Victory Village Forum in 2011, an invitation went out to Nelson networks involved in the Forum, to see who was interested in continuing the dialogue about the ideas shared and learned.

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The term Fitness Landscape was coined by complexity scientist Stuart Kauffman. Getting to Maybe pages 202-5 includes a useful discussion on Fitness Landscape thinking. Fitness Landscape diagram originally from Novozhilov et al. Biology Direct 2007. 101

NEGOTIATING THE FITNESS LANDSCAPE – NOT ALWAYS AN EASY RIDE! During 2008 the Department of Conservation (DOC) proposed a restructuring, with significant local job losses. Õpõtiki would feel a heavy impact both socially, through the loss of active community members, students and families, and economically, through the loss of salaries and the turnover of goods and services which an Area Office brings to a tiny community. Õpõtiki District Council and the community were appalled, and fought hard during 2008-2009 to maintain DOC staffing and operational areas within their community. From the local point of view, Õpõtiki has a huge coastline, and over half of the land in the District is non-rateable DoC estate or is Nga Whenua Rãhui land. (Nga Whenua Rãhui is a contestable fund aimed at facilitating voluntary protection of indigenous biodiversity on Mãori land.)149 It seemed illogical move DoC staff out of the area – only for them to travel back to work at much higher cost. While relationships were somewhat fraught at a management level, dialogue continued, and eventually a compromise decision was made, resulting in a much reduced number of local job losses. Around this time, the announcement of Nga Haerenga, the NZ Cycle Trail Network, created an opportunity for DoC, Council, local iwi and the community to work together closely, with a joint goal of attracting national resources and creating a new recreational and economic development project. Success through collaboration helped heal relationships, and when the Council started planning for a new i-Site, they initiated joint discussions that resulted in a co-location including both DoC and Nga Whenua Rãhui management. Looking back, it would have been impossible to predict the opportunities that would enable constructive, commonly focussed aspirations. By maintaining communication, and together negotiating hurdles, relationships have been consolidated and new opportunities for working together embraced. Barbara MacLennan Inspiring Communities

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For more see http://www.biodiversity.govt.nz/land/nzbs/pvtland/nwr.html

Around twenty people came to an initial discussion, and the group decided to meet monthly over lunch and to keep things largely informal, i.e. a volunteer facilitator and note taker appointed at each session for the next. While numbers attending have ebbed and flowed, this network continues to meet and discuss topics, sometimes drawing from learning resources such as What we are Learning 2010, and at other times, particular local experiences are explored and discussed. In the Eastern Bay of Plenty, a meeting has recently been

called to discuss starting a learning network. Initial thoughts are that this may involve three elements: • networking and sharing information about what’s happening;

These acknowledge the strengths and experience that sit within communities and the importance of taking an ako (we are all teachers and learners) approach.

• some formalised CLD training; and • peer support and mentoring, supported by some common disciplines around peer mentoring. Key elements of CLD practice networks emerging across the country are an emphasis on peer learning, and sharing of stories and experiences.

“There is important work to be done to effectively support and nurture the pioneering new leaders that are appearing everywhere. It is possible to strengthen and develop these leaders in great number if we work from a new unit of scale, that of communities of practice rather than individuals. It is in these communities that learning accelerates and healthy and robust practices develop quickly.” Margaret Wheatley Supporting Pioneering Leaders 2002

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6 NOTICING THE DIFFERENCE CLD MAKES Ahakoa he iti te pounamu Although it may be small, it is precious.

AT A GLANCE Nine initiatives, over 21,000 people and 800 alliances with thousands of hours leveraged through local community-led development! This chapter focuses on the difference that community-led development is making. It discusses key learnings from the changes brought about by nine initiatives, which Inspiring Communities has been working alongside for three years. The focus of these three years has been to discover more about: • why community-led approaches were used;

21,350+

569+

• what was the community change intended; • how were CLD approaches used; and • the differences that working in a CLD way has made. The core focus of Inspiring Communities' learning programme has not been tracking individual community progress in achieving locally determined goals. Instead it has been about noticing and learning more about the difference that working in CLD ways has been making on local

480+

797+

community journeys to achieve their goals. Because working in CLD ways necessarily involves working with what is already there in each community and building on local strengths, assets and resources, extracting CLD’s contribution to achievement of local outcomes is difficult. In our work with the Core Learning Cluster (CLC),151 we found that CLD makes an active and substantial contribution towards the ways in which people work as well

Ranges from hundreds to thousands

Between $20-$30 /hour

Number of Number of Number of Number of Number of hours leveraged Minimum dollar local people other initiatives initiatives CLC alliances through CLC value of these involved in CLC CLC initiatives initiatives have formed through CLD from hours initiatives have seeded contributed to CLC initiatives 2010-12

150

* This table represents the aggregated totals of self reported numbers from each CLC 150

The initiatives seeded are the ideas CLC initiatives are aware of that have been generated in association with their initiative, and which their initiative may or may not have contributed to. Initiatives contributed to are those CLC initiatives have been actively involved in, while alliances are groups that came together that most likely would not have if the CLC initiatives were not there. The number of hours leveraged are those hours that have been directed towards CLD due to some direct engagement with the CLC initiative. Numbers for each CLC initiative are in Appendix 6. 151 Described on 106-7.

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as the outputs and outcomes they achieve together. There are some impressive changes and we are learning a great deal about what a CLD approach takes. Key messages: • CLD makes the most immediate tangible difference at the smaller town, suburb or neighbourhood level. These are the scales at which ‘daily life’ happens and at which people can see their individual contribution to an achievement that could only have come about by working with others in that place. • Positive outcomes can also influence systems change in key stakeholders engaged in CLD efforts — for example funding practice and contracting. • Prototypes are emerging around particular themes and activities. For example, the Good Cents initiative in Porirua, community action research approaches in Glen Innes, and the Massey Matters community projects fund all offer clear frameworks with results that can be adapted for use elsewhere. • There is considerable value in connecting beyond 152 106

the 'very local'. Working collaboratively with outside partners can bring in additional ideas, resources and connections – recognising that some things, such as large-scale economic development, can only be done by engaging with specific partners. • Many activities contribute to CLD changes. In evaluation there is a continual search for a direct cause and effect link, but in CLD where there are many interconnected networks and actions, we have found it more useful to focus more on contribution than attribution.152 • Behaviour changes in those involved in CLD are an outcome of CLD, with new thinking influencing what comes next and how it's undertaken. In this way, one outcome leads to several more. • The ability to notice positive community-led change is assisted when: – there is an overall collective vision to guide action; – there is agreement on both when and how collective movement towards shared goals (as well as the changes, deviations and

achievements that happen too!) will be measured; – outputs and how they have directly and indirectly contributed to outcomes are named and widely shared; and – regular reflective practice is proactively resourced and built into CLD programmes; this helps to reveal links between practice, intent and outcomes. When learnings are documented they can be woven into an initiative's development in real time, for maximum impact and effect.

6.1 ABOUT THE CLC AND LEARNING TOGETHER The focus of CLD is enabling communities to thrive and be resilient in ways that communities themselves deem best. To better understand how CLD contributes to thriving and resilient communities, Inspiring Communities has been working with nine diverse CLD initiatives from across the country over a three year period. These initiatives are: • Rakiura • Mataura

• Taita (Great Start) • Porirua (Good Cents) • Waitara (Waitara Alive) • Õpõtiki • Glen Innes (Ka Mau te Wero), replacing Tãmaki Inclusive Engagement Strategy (TIES) • Massey/Ranui (Massey Matters and Back2Back) Each CLD initiative shares a commitment to creating some sort of social change in their place, and to working in CLD ways to achieve this. The initiatives have different aims and aspirations and they operate within different contexts and conditions – some are urban, some are small town, some are rural; some are completely voluntary while others have some paid workers; and there are a wide range of fiscal, structural and governance arrangements. Their areas of focus range from economic development, to debt reduction, revitalisation, joining up disparate local efforts, being more child friendly and enhancing the liveability of a local place.153 From 2010 to 2012, each of these initiatives committed to working in community-led ways and being part of a small shared ‘community of CLD practice’ 153 154 155

2010 Inspiring Communities Learning Forum participants visited Ulva Island to better understand how the Stewart Island community had jointly progressed environmental restoration and local economic development outcomes.

with Inspiring Communities. As an emergent CLD initiative itself, Inspiring Communities was also a member of what became known as the Inspiring

Communities Core Learning Cluster (CLC). Over this period, CLC initiatives participated in and contributed to learning in a variety of ways including: • learning forums;

“Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do, and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.” Etienne Wenger

• check in calls; • periodic workshops; and • preparing learning and outcome stories to document and reflect on CLD as a way of achieving their goals.154 The Inspiring Communities Development Team also undertook its own reflective process155 to inform a growing overall understanding of CLD and what this means for both CLD as a movement, and Inspiring Communities as an organisation. Both the CLC initiatives and the Development Team have

See more detail of each of these initiatives at Appendix 6 See appendix 7 for more detail on different reflective learning methodologies. See page 18.

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utilised a range of tools156 at different times, and applied emerging learnings as they go, to better achieve effective, relevant and resilient local change. What helps develop a learning culture includes: • commitment to the development and continuity of trusted relationships; • agreement of a guiding framework, tools, and ways of measuring to help notice change in ways that are useful and can be woven into what comes next; and • the capacity to focus some energies on learning.

6.1.1 THE CHALLENGES OF EMBEDDING A CLD LEARNING CULTURE Learning is a part of the ‘doing’ continuum. It is derived from noticing changes and making sense of these in ways that can usefully inform next steps for initiatives, those who contribute to them, those who benefit from them and the systems in which they are embedded. Learning to see the difference CLD makes requires concerted effort to notice and record practice, achievements and challenges and how these impact on the realisation of intended goals.

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This can be especially difficult in CLD initiatives, which can be very fluid with regard to who is involved, how they are resourced and supported, and what the current focus is. As well, communities and initiatives working in CLD ways to achieve local aspirations often 'oil the wheels of change' by fostering useful connections and undertaking specific roles to support and enable others. This often means the contribution of CLD (and CLD initiatives) is part of the process or practice of what is achieved, which can render it somewhat invisible. This invisibility can be compounded because the outcomes that result from CLD are multi-layered, interconnected and will take time to manifest, yet it is exactly these qualities that make what comes from working in this way useful — multiple effects are achieved by working in CLD ways. Finding out more about how CLD works and what difference it can make is therefore important not only for improving outcomes but also for allowing the usefulness of CLD to be seen. We found that unless a funding agreement required evaluation

Appendix 8 describes the tools and frameworks we found most useful.

and/or reflective learning was resourced and built into programmes, communities were often less interested in documenting understandings of the contribution of CLD than they were about actually doing the work and creating a better quality of life. There are too many other competing priorities on precious time! This is not to say there was no interest in the effects of CLD, more that individuals Inspiring Communities worked alongside tended to informally weave their observations in as they went along. However, while this may have informed individual learning, it didn't always flow through into the shared community learning originally anticipated. In most cases, this situation was compounded by limited resourcing for reflection and learning, and this initially made it difficult to gather and share information about how CLD was working in communities. Gathering information was further complicated by the diversity of the group — with different reporting and funding formats and timeframes, varying capacity, capability and interest as well as changing people and roles over the three year period.

6.1.2 ENABLING LOCAL CLD REFLECTION Enabling local reflection requires tangible support. This includes a direct information collection/ compilation role that can add value to the achievement of local aspirations, and be enjoyed as a process. In an effort to stay true157 to CLD principles, Inspiring Communities facilitated a research process158 that offered Inspiring Communities skills and capacity alongside those of local people. This ensured that information was gathered and presented in ways locals saw as most relevant to understanding of the differences they were making. It also helped to make the processes involved both relevant and more enjoyable. For example, while structured learning agreements to work together helped to clarify expectations, it was only when Inspiring Communities offered to undertake significant proportions of the 'story gathering' that progress was made. While Inspiring Communities did end up writing many of the initial draft versions of the seventy 157 158

learnings and outcomes stories compiled, we came to realise that our time and skillsets were valued and appreciated locally. As well, our efforts made it easier for local people to weave in changes and add their own flavours to the stories. Mutual trust and respect, built up over several years of working together, ensured that story writing processes were not extractive, and were often very convivial! Communities were assisted in documenting THEIR stories — which have since been used in multiple ways159 for local benefit. Connections were further developed and we were frequently reminded that not everyone likes writing! There was similar learning about learning together. In our experience, information gathering needs to serve at least one other purpose, such as informing ways of working with one another and/or with new partners, contributing to assessment and development of next stages, and/or reporting to funders and communities. For example, once the CLC communities saw how they could use the emerging understanding of CLD from both their own and other

initiatives to progress towards their goals, information gathering became more enjoyable and effective.160 Information gathering also needs to be done at the pace of the community involved and there needs to be a level of 'learning readiness' in the initiative itself in order to find time to reflect. Demonstrating the links between learning and doing, this readiness and prioritising, we now know, is tied to the community’s perception of how useful the information will be to them.

6.2 HOW WORKING IN CLD WAYS MAKES A DIFFERENCE CLC initiatives often found that ‘how’ they worked to achieve collective goals, was bound up with ‘why’ they wanted local change as well as ‘what’ they did and ‘who’ was involved. From our experiences with the CLC, successful CLD happens when a number of key things come together. These include: • Why CLD? Those that choose CLD approaches recognise that local change

There is discussion emerging about this – when does enabling become ‘doing for’?

Overall budget for the CLC learning process was around $40,000 per year to assist reflective learning in 9 communities. In hindsight we realise this budget was 'overly' optimistic, with considerably more resourcing required for both communities and Inspiring Communities to assist, encourage and document effective CLD measurement and learning in an in-depth way. 159 For example in newsletters, funding applications, reports to funders, communicating what a CLD approach means for their community etc. 160 For more information see Patton, Michael Quinn (1997) Utilisation –Focussed Evaluation. 109

institutional structures and processes that are more supportive of CLD.

Stewart Island locals were invited to submit their 3 wishes for their Island to the fairy located at the Island's general store.

is more relevant, appropriate and adaptable when it includes, and is guided by, local expertise that comes from local lived experience. This focus recognises the usefulness and, often, under-utilisation of local expertise, and the value of accessing and coordinating existing resources. It also recognises that spreading the contributions to positive local change over a range of individuals, groups and organisations is more likely to enable the sustainability, adaptability and evolution of those changes.

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â&#x20AC;˘ What are we trying to achieve? The need for both shorter term, projects-focused activities and a longer term, locally derived aspiration to work towards, enables a variety of contributions while also ensuring that, collectively, progress is made towards an agreed overarching goal. Being clear about motivations and intentions helps keep decision making deliberate in ways that can grow community capital as well as achieve tangible community change. It also helps influence broader systems change towards

â&#x20AC;˘ How can we achieve this? Working in CLD ways necessarily means visions, aims and ways of working are actively led by collectives or groupings of local people, in collaboration and partnership with other individuals, organisations and groups. Co-creating in ways where place is the focus and residents are at the centre brings diverse communities and groups together. This helps to acknowledge and access a wide range of gifts, strengths and assets that are already present, as well as enabling synergies that come from working together towards shared aspirations. It can also highlight areas for investment which can help draw in new resources. In turn, these approaches allow for the development of a variety of strategies that draw from a wide locally-focused resource base, and for a range of local leaders and leadership styles to be grown. With reflection and adaptation along the way, learning from local experience and that of others can stimulate momentum and support

sustainability as progress is documented and adaptations made. • How will we know we are progressing? Focusing on outcomes and making intentional decisions to achieve these is supported by tracking progress, achievements and deviations because these all inform future developments and activities, as well as help communicate changes to others. Incorporating reflective practice alongside mechanisms such as a framework of change helps to distil key assumptions and contributions that can then be tracked over time and in relation to both expected and unexpected outcomes. Noticing, documenting and sharing the relationships between outcomes and intention as well as what was done, how and with who helps to inform future steps (‘what matters now?’) and reveals the influence of CLD ways of working. 6.2.1 MOTIVATION AND INTENT – WHAT MATTERS HERE AND WHY ARE WE DOING THIS TOGETHER? Motivation to work in ways where communities are lead-

ers of the changes they want to see, comes from a range of sources and is contextual. Across the CLC, motivations most commonly focused on wanting to make a place 'better' than it was. These motivations have arisen from combinations of factors that include concerns about health, debt, land grievances, unemployment, low economic growth and crime, as well as opportunities to use a building in different ways, develop industries, improve social and cultural wellbeing, increase quality of life and better coordinate visions, energies and use of resources. Often, the catalyst to action from these motivations could be sourced to a particular event, situation or report that was remembered as a ‘tipping point’. Equally important to catalysing action was that in each of the CLC there were key individuals who recognised that local social change is more relevant and appropriate when it includes, and is guided by, local expertise that comes from local lived experience. This focus on CLD as a key part of the motivation for change (the ‘why’) recognised the relevance and usefulness of local expertise and often, its under-utilisation. This reflects

recognition of the value of accessing and coordinating existing resources, and that spreading the contributions to positive local change over a range of individuals, groups and organisations was more likely to enable the sustainability and adaptability of those changes over time. As such, a stated intent of the CLC initiatives was often to grow CLD, and CLD principles tend to form a significant part of the values that drive the initiative, as well as being developed as part of the focus of the initiative. ‘How’ CLD approaches work is, therefore, closely related to ‘why’ CLD approaches have been chosen in the first place and, in most cases, this early recognition of CLD informed overarching visions, and vice versa. 6.2.2 BEING OUTCOMES FOCUSED: UNDERSTANDING CONTRIBUTION Initial motivation for action is often a specific issue or opportunity, such as improving a town centre or a reducing graffiti. Making change around a specific focus is relatively simple, yet CLD initiatives operate in complex environments, with long term change, such as local economic development or place-based identity

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Attribution The initiative caused the observed outcomes; the outcomes are a direct result of this initiative, intended or not.

seldom generated by a single factor or group of factors. With this in mind, we have adopted definitions of outcome and impact as used in Outcome Mapping,161 where outcomes are distinguished as changes in behaviour while impacts are changes in state. Outcomes can be more directly contributed to, and may sometimes be attributable to specific activities, whereas impacts are the result of many interactions with different forces, actors and stakeholders. Further, impact implies a one way or linear cause-and-effect process to achieve a particular result, whereas we know that social change is non-linear, with cause-and-effect links often far from clear. Both outcomes and impacts, then, can be unpredictable and can happen at any time and in any place. We have found that focusing on outcomes is more useful in terms of understanding CLD’s contribution162 to change, and to the ongoing development of initiatives. For example, in Waitara reported crime rates 161 162 112

Contribution The initiative helped to achieve the outcomes; the outcomes happened as a result of many factors working together.

have dropped significantly over the period Waitara Alive has been in operation. It is, however, difficult to make many direct connections between the initiative and crime so it is impossible to document the impact Waitara Alive may have had on reducing crime. Direct connections however can be made that show how Waitara Alive has fostered more positive local police-community relationships, such as through street barbeques and a driver licensing project. These relationships can be linked to changes in behaviour towards police, residents’ behaviour towards others in their neighbourhood and towards unlicensed driving, all of which are outcomes that can be directly associated with Waitara Alive. While these outcomes may also have contributed to safer local communities with less crime, they will only have been part of the reason for change. Similarly, these outcomes may also have contributed to

other changes in state, such as improved local health for example. Observing what outcomes occur, and whether or not an intended outcome occurs, is relatively straightforward because we notice what we are looking for. Noticing what else is going on is more difficult, because we don’t know what to look for, or where to look for it – let alone how to assess whether outcomes are attached to certain actions. This was particularly challenging with the CLC initiatives because only a few had developed a Framework of Change, and none had any formal monitoring in place. Instead, linking the influence of their activities to outcomes was done through reflective practice. This conversational approach helped to reveal different interpretations of outcomes as well as highlighting the limita-

“...very great change starts from very small conversations held among people who care.” Margaret Wheatley

See how Terry Smutlyo makes this distinction for example, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzerM1vY4eM). For a useful discussion on contribution analysis see http://www.cgiarlac.org/files/publications/briefs/ILAC_Brief16_Contribution_Analysis.pdf.

tions of looking for attribution and the value of looking for contribution. For example, Paul Born163 describes how creating space for conversation amongst partners involved in Vibrant Communities — sometimes for more than one year — underpinned the improvement of the lives of more than 50,000 families in poverty. The conversations didn’t cause the improvements but they certainly contributed to them by leading to the establishment of structured ways of working, the inclusion of particular parties, and the collective development of both goals and activities that could truly make change. Similarly, a Wellbeing Survey164 undertaken by Whakatõhea Mãori Trust Board has not caused a change in the wellbeing of

Whakatõhea communities but is being used to contribute to that change by providing information on both challenges and strengths to local stakeholders in a way that can be heard and used to make a positive difference. The reflective conversations with the CLC initiatives revealed which different skills

“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.” Joel A. Barker

Establishing a local computers in homes programme was one of the outcomes linked to the Whakatõhea Wellbeing Survey. Here graduates from the 2012 programme celebrate their success. 163

and perspectives had contributed to different activities and outcomes and led to new decisions about what and how to develop next. Several of the CLC initiatives also realised through that process that there is value in formalising reflective practice and in using some systematic tools, such as Collective Impact, frameworks for change and outcomes harvesting, to help reveal what they are not looking for, but may also have contributed to. 6.2.3 VISION AND ACTION – WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO ACHIEVE AND WHICH COMES FIRST? There is no right place to start in CLD. In some communities, offering opportunities to contribute to a specific small task often feels more achievable than bringing a large group of people together to plan around a lofty vision. Many CLC initiatives have used a 'projects approach' to build on local strengths and assets, tap into existing resources, and develop stronger local connections by assisting and incentivising a variety of local actions. For example, the Massey Matters Fund has generated over 100 new local projects, with many of these becoming stepping stones into other

Born , Paul (2008), Creating Vibrant Communities.

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For more on the Whakatõhea Wellbeing survey process and results see http://www.giving.org.nz/sites/all/files/Dickie%20Farrar%20 Transformational%20Leadership.pdf.

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activities.165 In many cases, this approach has been found to also help grow a CLD constituency, as after doing small projects, some people are naturally drawn into bigger picture community thinking and visioning. To be intentional about achieving change however, the CLC have found that without an agreed, if not formalised, overarching vision, actions and outcomes tend to be more fragmented and isolated, without a sense of achieving any change beyond the immediate activity. This can lead to elements of re-invention, as learning is less likely to be shared beyond the immediate activity, or at all. Nor are efforts likely to influence broader systems change. Overarching visions can both focus intentions and encourage variation and adaptation in order to achieve the stated shared aspirations. Many communities have found

that a vision needs to be wide enough to allow a variety of action pathways to emerge, as these in turn provide a range of ways to involve local people, their interests and skills. This can mean that not only is there something for everyone, but if one particular activity founders, others can continue to contribute to the overarching goals in their own ways. Further, collective visions enable CLD practitioners to 'loiter with intent' which allows for, and legitimises, a level of organic growth, and the 'nimbility' to consciously adjust approaches and engage different stakeholders in different ways of doing things. 6.2.4 THE ROLE OF LEADERS AND JOINERS – WHO AND HOW Across the CLC, both leaders and those who join in are crucial to the success of particular projects and to the ongoing successes of a CLD

initiative. Leading at a local scale can be fun and satisfying — you meet other local people and create together a change you all want to see. It can also be frightening; it means publicly owning your intentions, which may or may not come to fruition. As noted in Chapter 4, in CLD terms, leaders are key to generating enthusiasm about the wider CLD initiative and movement. When CLD leaders call for others to join in, and embrace those who join as equals, they help to generate momentum by demonstrating what working together can create, which in turn attracts other joiners. With a culture of embracing new participants as equals, very soon future joiners join in because of their connection to previous joiners, not because of a connection to the original leader.

“Things change all the time. They don’t always go to plan, or to what I thought was the plan. It’s messy and that's just part of being in it together.” Core Learning Cluster initiative participant, 2012 165

Supporting young people and growing leadership have been a focus in Mataura.

For more see http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development-projects-initiatives/ massey-matters-fund-small-change-enabling-significant. 114

IT STARTS WITH ASKING AND INVITING OTHERS TO JOIN IN "Door knocking to find out what residents want in their neighbourhoods can be scary sometimes but really effective. Yet, for Sam Farquhar on a street with a reputation in Massey, conversation flowed from the opening of the first door. People were happy to share their concerns, thoughts and ideas about what it was like to live in their street and how they wanted to improve it. When they realised they could be supported to make some changes they quickly got others on board and within two weeks 50 residents turned up to clean up the local reserve. Conversation over sausages at the end of the day brought up ideas for a shared garden and residents were heard to say that they feel proud to live amongst such a great group of people." Excerpt from Sam Farquhar, Massey Matters Learning Story166 March 2012

CATALYSING ACTION "[A catalyst is] someone who can be a cross between an architect, a cheerleader, and an awestruck observer... people will do what they will do. At their best, catalysts connect people and maintain the drumbeat of the ideology." 167

Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom (2006:207) 166 167

In many cases, those who join have not had the opportunity to contribute to local solutions before. Having local leaders and initiatives working in CLD ways helps to open doors for the skills and experiences of local people to be used and appreciated locally. It also offers them the chance to lead and encourage others, which helps to grow the diversity of a group and, in turn, attracts those who may not normally come together. Taking a leaderful approach by sharing leading roles thus helps to build resilience in an initiative, because power and understanding at both decision-making and action-taking levels are widely distributed, which enables both adaptability and sustainability. CLD leaders are, therefore, catalysts who inspire others to action. 6.2.5 COORDINATION, CONVENING, ORGANISING AND WORKING TOGETHER – HOW CAN WE ACHIEVE THIS? Part of the way CLD makes a difference is through coordination and convening, bringing different parties together to catalyse shared interests and activities. The role of 'making calls' and coordinating activities within a CLD frame can require some

See http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development-projects-initiatives/door-knocking-making-link-streets. From ‘The Starfish and the Spider’: The unstoppable power of leaderless organisations. 115

careful balancing, especially when 'getting things done' is a focus, and/or when there is a dedicated paid worker to assist.

Securing a paid worker is an oft-dreamed-of resource that is regularly seen as an achievement in and of itself! From our observations, paid

HOW WE DO THINGS AROUND HERE "Since building a community pool on Ministry of Education land in the 1970s, the Halfmoon Bay community on Rakiura has come together to renovate it several times. In 2005, with a dwindling population, far fewer children at the local school, high running costs, a need for maintenance and ever stricter pool operation regulations, it was up to the community to step up again or the pool would be closed. “With two local mums taking the lead, local people secured funding from the Community Trust of Southland to upgrade the pool heating system and cladding, as well as changing to a new salt chlorination system. A working bee of locals installed the new system and a local volunteer tests the water each day. “The pool is now used by school children and the wider community (who purchase a key) from October to April, and is warm enough (29-32 degrees being optimal) for the under-five’s to have several swimming classes each season. Local people now have another way of socialising and keeping fit, while Halfmoon Bay school children are increasingly competitive with mainland schools in swimming competitions. “Very recently, over another bottle of wine, a bright and enthusiastic community member mooted the idea of an entirely new pool! This would be deeper, longer, wider and more appealing to a wider range of the community. With such a history of dedication to a project, it is probably only a matter of time before this happens too!" Excerpt from Di Morris and Kari Beaven Rakiura Learning Story May 2012

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coordinator resource generally makes a significant difference to the pace of progress. A dedicated role certainly aids local capacity but it can also mean that it is more difficult to remain responsive to emerging local ideas and energy, and also allow local people to lead in their own ways and timeframes. Some of the paid coordinators of CLC initiatives have, for example, found it difficult to communicate to their governance groups and wider public that working in CLD ways means their role needs to be about ensuring actions are driven by communities and that communities are supported to achieve their own goals. As noted in Chapter 3, this is compounded when funders require a detailed plan ahead of any developmental resourcing and/or when contractual outputs must be specified ahead of time, often with limited flexibility for change. As well, when there is space to develop more organically, it can be tempting 'to leave all the work to the paid worker' because 'that’s what they are there for'. Ironically, this can contribute to the fragility of an initiative, because much of the organisational and local knowl-

edge ends up residing with one or two key people only. It also often stretches paid workers such that, in time, these people become overloaded and less able to contribute effectively. This can be compounded when organisational structures and external resourcing lead to a focus that is prioritised on achieving predetermined outputs and outcomes. This highlights the creative tension between being intentional and organic and the fine lines between ‘enabling’ and ‘doing for’. Because CLD is a relatively new way of working, understandings of the role of coordinators, convenors and organisers are constantly evolving. Some coordinators found that

'leading from the front' was the quickest way to work, for example, because they could actively network and draw resources in, as well as demonstrate the value their role and their entity were adding. This was seen as particularly useful in the establishment periods of projects but, over time, many coordinators found themselves either overwhelmed with requests and expectations, or only working with select groups in their community. As a result, there are emerging practices that focus more on being catalytic and working together with communities as equals, even when there is a paid worker. Across the CLC initiatives, once both local people and contributing organ-

isations understood more about what working in CLD ways mean, paid coordination tended to take a ‘lighter touch.’168 Coordinators became more focused on the direction of community energies (both bright spots and concerns) and helped develop strengths-based pathways to enable resident-led efforts to achieve their own goals. As "It’s a real challenge because I have the dedicated time. I hope I haven’t ‘disabled’ [the local community] by doing too much." Local Core Learning Cluster Initiative Coordinator, 2012 "…the more we helped happen, the more we were expected to help happen." Massey Matters worker, October 2012 "What we do changes on a daily basis – it needs to be adaptable within our strategic direction but we can’t do everything.” “I don’t see strategic goals being played out in my work. We need to use these as a check and balance to guide where and how we best use our time.”"

Having a paid coordinator helps when organising community events like community treasure hunts that involve lots of people.

Local Core Learning Cluster Initiative Coordinators, 2012

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See http://natureinstitute.org/pub/ic/ic27/holding_gently.pdf, http://practicalaction.org/docs/ia1/empowering-community-organizations.pdf http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/changing-neighbourhoods-impact-light-touch-support-20-communities 117

discussed in Chapter 2, this means working on terms that local people determine, and ‘with,’ and not ‘for’ a broad base of the local community. This ensures that local people and organisations always have some ‘skin in the game’ with regard to both aspirations and the actions to realise those aspirations. Clearly, how CLD works can be challenging sometimes! In fact, for most of the CLC initiatives, their greatest learnings and changes happened when they faced challenges and worked out what to do next. As CLD approaches took hold in the CLC initiatives, challenging times were increasingly responded to with collaboration, and they were also increasingly understood to offer opportunities. More and more, next steps have been guided by formalised or commonly held vision, mission and plan and are often consciously rooted in a philosophy of using existing resources differently. As well, these responses were often developed to grow the local movement for CLD as much as to achieve a specific aim. Responding in this way is seen as an outcome of successful CLD and over time, this way of

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working often becomes part of the local culture, without it necessarily being named as such. 6.2.6 CAPACITY AND CAPABILITY – ACCESSING AND GROWING SKILLS. The CLC exploration of CLD practice found that in different places and times, certain competencies, as well as the capacity to contribute, need to be nurtured in order for communities to contribute to the realisation of the change they want to see. Sometimes this means first growing particular skillsets, or enabling access to the skills of others. At other times it is about growing the respect and value in existing community skills across local people and professionals. Achieving these are all seen as outcomes of working in CLD ways. ‘What’ is undertaken frequently changes to reflect the capacities that CLD ways of working reveal in local people. That is, local initiatives tended to develop along the lines of the particular skills, inclinations and opportunities that are available locally, or within easy reach. In fact, one thing led to another in most of the CLC initiatives and this is how they were most effective. Over

this period, the CLC initiatives reported focusing their efforts on a wide range of activities and achieving an equally wide range of changes. Amongst others, these changes included: • increases in the school roll and an upgraded swimming pool on Rakiura; • a newsletter, community market, community garden, youth centre, festivals and more in Mataura; • the Good Cents course, community pantry, joining up of different churches in conversation about debt and wealth as well as personal successes in Porirua; • a tool library, toy library, children’s gardening club, women’s friendship group, and time bank in Taita; • economic development, increased road safety, neighbourhood connections, the beginnings of a new multi-sport facility and reduced crime in Waitara; • murals, a cycleway, commercial mussel trials, improved participation in local planning and increased understandings of social, cultural and environmental sustainability in Õpõtiki; • the development of the Music and Arts Glen Innes

CLD GROWS LOCAL CAPACITY AND CONFIDENCE "In Taita, local people were attracted to Great Start because of how things were being done – even when they initially felt it was ‘not for them’ because of Great Start's focus on younger children and supporting parents. “Many had also experienced agencies who worked with very firm boundaries and fixed ways of working that did not include hearing local resident's thoughts and ideas. At first, several local people had to be strongly encouraged (or even coerced!) to join in with Great Start's activities. While some did so reluctantly, all have felt welcomed, useful and enabled to make their contribution to Great Start and to the Taita community in their own way, for example, by developing the community garden, time bank or welcome baby packs. In many cases this approach has led local people to grow in new directions too. “Great Start works in ways that enable a ‘re-member-ing’: a return of power to the local area, and to individuals and groups within that area, including staff and volunteers. “Our way of working is to awhi169 (support) the strengths of those who come through the door, while also assisting in the building of both personal and collective bridges, and encouraging and enabling people to give something back." Volunteers, community members and staff Great Start Taita Reflective Workshop September 2012

Centre (MAGIC+), Tãmaki Inclusive Engagement Strategy and book, Tãmaki Community Action Research (CAR) project, 169 170 171

Manaiakalani170 and Healthy Relationships in Tãmaki (HEART) in Glen Innes and Tãmaki; and

• An annual community/ family fun event (Te Raa Mokopuna), community network, community hub development, newsletter, enterprising communities project, school based community events, resident leadership workshop, clean-up days, neighbourhood resources for schools and communities, a new pedestrian bridge, school holiday initiatives and Massey Matters Fund in Massey and Ranui.171 6.2.7 SCALE – ME AND WE, AND BEYOND What is also clear is that CLD makes the most tangible difference at a particular scale – notably at the smaller town, suburb or neighbourhood level. These are the scales in which local people have a regular ‘daily life’ connection that is developed through their personal and collective patterns of living, working, studying and/ or playing. It is at these community scales that the strengths and assets of a community can best be mobilised and synergised by people from within that community. This often happens most effectively when a person

Mãori word meaning in this context ‘to embrace, cherish, nurture, assist, support’. For more on this see http://www.manaiakalani.org/ For a list of achievements from each of the CLC communities please see Appendix 9. 119

ACHIEVING NEW OUTCOMES BY BUILDING ON WHAT’S ALREADY THERE "In 2010, the early days of Waitara Alive, AmeriCARna172 was booked to come to town. The newly appointed community development coordinator capitalised on this opportunity by lobbying for the parade to be re-routed through the main street. This created possibilities for local businesses, schools and entertainment groups to host the festival together, generate income for the town and create positive media attention about Waitara. Very short time frames meant both coordination and collaboration were essential to successful event organisation! Using CLD approaches, Waitara built on its strengths and established a Business and Promotions Association with the community development coordinator as the key point of contact. This group linked local schools with local businesses to fundraise, as well as provide kapa haka groups who welcomed and farewelled guests with a powhiri and poroporoake. Local businesses donated sound systems, and trucks for stages. They set up stalls on the footpaths, while local service clubs provided entertainment, marshalling, food and clean-up crews afterwards. All of this was showcased on US television, and the success repeated again in 2012. “I think it’s good for Waitara, good for Taranaki. It gets the community out and about and talking. And you can set up stalls and earn a little bit of money on the side.” “You can guarantee Waitara will turn on a good show for AmeriCARna, and thanks to John and all the team for bringing it out here because without them, we wouldn’t have this number of people turn up and see what an amazing little town we have.” (From Taranaki Daily News, 23 February 2012)173 As well as the obvious event output, the CLD organising process and experience generated a shared sense of achievement that could only have come from local people working together. The experience of AmeriCARna put people in touch with others they would not normally work with. This fostered connections across age and interest groups as well as generating awareness and support for the Coordinator's role and the community development project that became ‘Waitara Alive’." 174 Melissa Willis, Waitara Alive Coordinator, April 2012 or organisation stands up and says they want to lead a project and calls for others to work with them. We have noticed that being involved in local change efforts is often a key motivating factor. However, 172 173 174 120

while many people are happy to help with a particular task, and to collaborate to create a particular output, they don't always wish to make ongoing commitments beyond that. Experiences and learnings

at these scales can lead to changes at other scales too — be that at the personal level, the group or organisation or wider system. For example, working at a neighbourhood level not only helps to access

AmeriCARna is a touring classic American car show. See a great video of the day here http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/videos/6462989/Americarna-in-Waitara.

Read the AmeriCARna learning story here: http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development-projects-initiatives/ americarna-how-400-classic-cars-kick-started-cld.

and grow local assets, resources and confidence at the street level, it also offers a scale where participants can see their individual contribution to an achievement that could only have come about by working with others in that place. It is at this scale that local people can often also see that greater achievements are always more than the sum of the parts as synergies are achieved. Equally, it is at this scale that individuals notice behaviour of other individuals and alter their behaviour to fit demonstrated local social expectations. For contributing organisations, the neighbourhood scale offers a mechanism to not only reach a greater range of individuals, but to also influence systems change, both within their own organisation and with others they are working alongside.175 In this way local practice can become ‘practice-based evidence’ that has a wider reaching influence than the immediate place and context from which it emerged. At the same time, very often not everything needed is contained within a smaller town, suburb or neighbourhood. Working together with others includes those 175 176

from outside the place of focus. This brings wider perspectives, experiences and additional resources into the initiative, and these can be transformative. In different CLC communities, anchor organisations such as Barnardos in Taita and Wesley Community Action in Porirua, funders working as partners, such as the Community Trust of Southland in Mataura and Rakiura, TSB Community Trust in Waitara and Waitakere City Council/Auckland Council in Massey and Ranui, national aquaculture experts and regional parties like Bay Trust supporting Õpõtiki’s visions and projects, and individuals like Pat Snedden in Tãmaki and Bliss Brown in Mataura all represent investment from outside each place that catalysed significant local movement and change in various ways. Outside perspectives can be particularly useful in guiding, assisting and contributing to local reflection, learning and adapting in developmental ways. 6.2.8 INFLUENCING PRACTICE AND OUTCOMES All CLC initiatives have been in a constant process of learning about CLD. For most of the initiatives, understanding that ‘how’ they worked to

achieve collective goals was bound up with ‘why’ they wanted local change as well as ‘what’ they did and ‘who’ was involved, which revealed that working in CLD ways often became an outcome in and of itself. This is because working in CLD ways represented a significant change from previous efforts which were often more ‘top-down’ or agency-led, which tended to consult and enrol local people into predetermined aims and visions. Working in CLD ways necessarily means visions, aims and ways of working are actively led by communities, in conjunction and collaboration with other individuals, organisations and groups. Working in such a way requires a change of behaviour, which can thus be seen as an outcome of the process or a ‘practice outcome.’176 For example, when Good Cents initially partnered with Work and Income NZ (WINZ) to run the Good Cents course (a participant-led approach to budgeting), referrals from WINZ were few, with attendance by WINZ-referred participants very sporadic. Rather than sending Good Cents staff to talk with WINZ, Good Cents took a CLD approach and some of the course graduates,

This reflects the quadrants of change as discussed in Chapter Two.

This is a term coined in 2012 reflective workshops with CLC initiatives to distinguish outcomes that happen in direct relationship to how things are being done. These are outcomes that are directly related to the process being used such as upskilling of particular groups.

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CLD ACHIEVEMENTS INCORPORATE ‘WHY’, ‘HOW’, ‘WHAT’ AND ‘WHO’ ELEMENTS "In Massey, most people were initially attracted to Massey Matters because of the enthusiasm those already involved had about the possibilities of change led by Massey itself. How people worked together was as attractive as what was being worked on together, largely because local people had not had this opportunity before. Working in ground up collaborative ways meant local people were enabled to develop things for their community that they felt strongly about (why), so who was involved and enabled was important too.” “I was drawn in by the energy! It was the first time I had been asked ‘What are your ideas to make this a better place?’ It was empowering working together – everyone brings something to the table.” “I felt I was getting into exciting opportunities for Massey that were strengths-based and built on what was already going on here.” Massey Community Members Massey Matters Community Reflection Workshop October 2012 who are were all well known to WINZ as long term WINZ 'clients', spoke with them instead. Never before had these women been asked to speak with WINZ staff in the 'inner sanctum' of the WINZ offices,

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and never had they been seen as the ‘experts’. Taking a CLD approach meant that, in a few minutes, a shift was created in relationship dynamics between Good Cents graduates and WINZ staff. With a new-found

confidence that came from being a Good Cents graduate and being invited to speak, the women stepped into a space of influence in a system they had formerly felt powerless within. The ability to step into this space is a practice outcome. Because the case officers knew these women, they also knew that what was said represented significant personal changes. This has meant that the women are now treated with more respect AND the WINZ staff also tell other people about the successes of the Good Cents Course as they refer them. These behaviour changes are also practice outcomes. There has been not just a huge jump in the number of WINZ referrals, but also in participant attendance rates of those referred – all of which contribute to the overall outcomes from each course. Similarly, in Glen Innes, Ka Mau Te Wero use CLD ways of working to train local people in research techniques. This training is a practice outcome as it results in positive changes for both the individual involved and in local community capacity to undertake their own research. Practice outcomes are related to how CLD approaches

operate and they often lead onto other outcomes as well. Because CLD puts residents at the centre and is placebased, it often demands the inclusion of communities and groups who may otherwise have had a limited involvement or been excluded altogether. This encourages behaviour changes amongst all parties and acknowledges the gifts and expertise of all involved, as well as the synergies that come from working together to achieve locally generated aspirations. So, CLD ways of working (‘how’) intertwine with the actions undertaken (’what’) and vice versa. At the same time, across the CLC, ‘what’ is undertaken frequently changes to reflect the capacities that CLD ways of working reveal in local people. That is, local initiatives tend to develop along the lines of the particular skills, inclinations and opportunities that are available locally, or within easy reach. In fact, one thing led to another in most of the CLC initiatives and this was also often the intention. At Great Start, for

example, connections between projects and outcomes are unpredictable – indirect routes range from participation in the toy library leading to joining the friendship group or time bank (all started and developed by local people) to a periodic detention worker completing community service at the Great Start site and receiving a baby pack, which is also made up by local people. Each pathway is unique but also helps fulfil the intentional goals of Great Start being of service to Taita rather than delivering services to Taita, and for those who benefit also to give back to others in Taita.

be seen in the emergence of a Guiding Group from Beyond Cycles of Debt Community Innovation Forum in early 2010, and the strategic plan this group collectively designed with Good Cents and Wesley Community Action.177

6.2.9 RECOGNISING THE DIFFERENCE

The kinds of things that are seen to have a direct relationship with working in CLD ways change over time, and in relation to the initiative’s stage of development. The outcomes CLD methods are linked to in the initial stages of a project, such as hosting AmeriCARna in Waitara, are often quite different to the outcomes CLD may yield when an initiative has matured, or when the collective goals are less tangible or still in

Seeing and experiencing how CLD can work to change the ways in which communities create their own development, often further motivates individuals and communities to contribute. Showing how CLD principles contribute to practice is relatively simple. How local voice, vision and leadership have contributed to local economic development at Good Cents in Porirua can

Linking this kind of practice to particular outputs – the Good Cents’ Guiding Group, the development of a community garden,178 an event, building a local playground179 or community centre180 – can also be relatively straightforward, as previous examples and many of the CLC Learning Stories181 illustrate.

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See http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development-projects-initiatives/changing-common-story-arounddebt-collective-and. 178 In Massey East see http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development-projects-initiatives/ neighbourhood-cld-street-barbeques-massey-east. 179 In Taita see http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development-projects-initiatives/ evolutionary-approach-%E2%80%98my-story%E2%80%99. 180 In Rakiura see http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development-projects-initiatives/ story-stewart-island-community-centre-building. 181 Learning stories from all of the CLC initiatives are available here: http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/ community-led-development-projects-initiatives/core-learning-cluster. 123

evolutionary phase such as in Rakiura.182 Yet, even when ‘what’ is focused on changes, CLD approaches tend to remain the framework for ‘how’ they are done.

share leadership and to recognise and develop opportunities, it also becomes almost impossible to separate the means from the ends because they are evolving together.

Ways of working that support CLD also reduce barriers between groups, develop and achieve shared goals that work to the strengths and assets of each contributor, bridge silos, and make tangible differences in communities, such as improving readiness for school or enabling more locally grown food. Importantly, these ways of working also become 'expected' by both communities and professionals as they continue to be applied.

There are several common outcomes that the CLC communities attribute to working in CLD ways. While the limits of Inspiring Communities 2010-12 CLC research mean these are not yet able to be costed or quantified, they are important none the less. Key outcomes include:

Local development and change becomes more integrated and locally responsive because CLD ways of working enable community expertise to be incorporated as a recognised success factor. This means that communities grow significant influence over both ‘when’ and ‘who’ is involved in decisions and actions, as well as ‘what’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ these actions are taken. In a mutually supportive manner, CLD grows community, and community grows CLD. While this allows people and organisations to work to their strengths, to

• increased community connection and participation across boundaries and with diverse, and sometimes previously diverging, groups;

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• development and completion of specific tangible projects identified by communities;

• recognition and mobilisation of community resources, strengths and assets plus an increase in resourcing from outside the local community; • increased local capability, confidence and pride plus increased recognition and valuing of community capabilities by key organisations;

See http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development-projects-initiatives/ stewart-island-%E2%80%9Csnack-and-yak%E2%80%9D-connecting-space. 124

• changing local cultures in terms of ways local change is developed and managed; and • above all, a nurturing and sustaining of ‘community’.

LINKING CLD APPROACHES TO CHANGE IN THE BEHAVIOUR OF OTHERS In Glen Innes, what Ka Mau Te Wero does has changed significantly over time. It's currently more focused on community-led research rather than community-led action. While the vision and mission remain the same, the ways of contributing to the achievement of these have changed in relation to various opportunities, needs and funding available. CLD approaches have remained integral throughout this change, however, with research projects ‘done through a community lens’, by community volunteers and ‘for community use’. This is seen to yield a number of outputs and outcomes that are directly related to how the research is conducted and why. “Evidence helps those in power to take notice.” “We want a lot of people to know (different ethnic groups and age groups, etc.) but we also want them to hear what WE mean by our research and what WE need and have to offer. That is the hardest part.” "Because of the ways in which the research has been undertaken, the local community knows what they don’t know now”. Ka Mau Te Wero Reflective Practice Workshop, October 2012

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APPENDIX 1 ABOUT INSPIRING COMMUNITIES

ollective community 'doing and learning', and promoting CLD philosophy and practice lie at the heart of Inspiring Communities. The Inspiring Communities Trust was created in 2008 to help support and strengthen the emerging community-led development movement in Aotearoa New Zealand. Our launch was enabled by a four-year establishment grant from The Tindall Foundation, with a broad range of other funders and support183 ers also co-investing in our work.

WHAT WE DO To support and strengthen the emerging community-led development movement in Aotearoa we focus on: • Promoting and catalysing: the understanding and practice of CLD, and influencing systems to change public policies at all levels. • Connecting: people, projects and places, to share and showcase CLD ideas, knowledge, learnings and experience. • Learning: more about CLD, about how positive change is created, noticed and effectively captured, and sharing this to build capacity and capability that strengthens wellbeing outcomes in local communities. • Building: a sustainable and vital 183

organisation, with a mixedsource funding and earning base. For the 2008-2012 period, our initial efforts focused on: • engaging, linking and reaching out to community-led development supporters and bright spots in Aotearoa, sharing news, learnings and resources by publishing regular newsletters, establishing a website, and meeting with interested communities, agencies and aligned networks to communicate and promote CLD; • bringing together a small cluster of communities from across the country to initiatives from across the country to begin a process of supported reflective learning to notice and better understand how and why community-led change happens, and the difference it makes;

participating in CLD learning events in Wellington, Southland, and Taranaki; • partnering with others on national CLD initiatives – for example Neighbours Day Aotearoa and family centred, 185 community-led development; • facilitating CLD learning opportunities by hosting international experts such as Jim Diers, Mark Cabaj and Michael Quinn Patton; and • undertaking CLD consultancy, mentoring, facilitation, and support.

• engaging part time brokers to enable more ‘hands on’ support and learning about transformational CLD efforts then underway in Tãmaki through the Tãmaki Transformation Project, and in Õpõtiki by Whakatõhea iwi and the Õpõtiki District Council; • connecting CLD supporters and communities — and their stories and experiences — through convening regional networks in Auckland and the Bay of 184 Plenty, and supporting/

Including ASB Community Trust, Auckland Council, COGs, Bay Trust, Community Trust of Southland, Families Commission, Ideas Shop, JR McKenzie Trust, Todd Foundation, Lotteries Community and Lotteries Community Research Fund, Rotorua Trust, Slingshot/Call Plus, TSB Community Trust and many others. 184 To learn more about networking and learning activities in both Auckland and the Bay of Plenty see http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/ regional-forum-reports. 185 For more see http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development/projects-initiatives. 126

OUR PEOPLE With team members currently based in Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington and Nelson, Inspiring Communities is a small 'virtual' organisation of 2.5 full time equivalents.

Barbara MacLennan Bay of Plenty CLD Convenor & National Development Team Barbara.Maclennan@inspiringcommunities.org.nz 027 4252277

Denise Bijoux Auckland CLD Convenor & Learning and Outcomes Denise.Bijoux@inspiringcommunities.org.nz 021 2456898

Megan Courtney National Development Team Megan.Courtney@inspiringcommunities.org.nz 027 6788622

Inspiring Communities is also supported by a Board comprising CLD passionate people from a diverse range of places, interests and sectors. To learn about our Board members see http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/about/meet-board.

INSPIRING COMMUNITIES: OUR WAY OF WORKING • CLD principles underpin everything we do. • We are committed to upholding the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and enabling iwi-led development. • We build capacity, skills and knowledge wherever we go to help support both the national CLD movement and the achievement of local aspirations. • We work ‘with’ others, not on our own. We model active listening, collaboration and building trusting and respectful relationships. • We are responsive, adaptive and committed to reflecting and learning from all we do. • We share what we know. • We are prepared to take risks and creatively model innovative and effective responses to address complex opportunities and challenges. • We use our connections, networks and knowledge for greater gain of the CLD movement.

David Hanna

Alison Broad

Mary-Jane Rivers

Robyn Scott

Anna Kominik

Vaughan Payne

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APPENDIX 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF 2010

KEY OBSERVATIONS AND LEARNING FROM OUR FOUR CENTRAL THEMES: WORKING TOGETHER IN PLACE • Having a strong, uniting community vision that frames local action plans. This enables development of effective processes for measuring, reflecting on, and learning how change happens. It is also a touchstone in difficult times. • Resisting the urge to jump straight into projects or solutions without first having spent time clarifying the bigger questions confronting communities and getting a feel for the real drivers behind key local issues and concerns. • Being intentional – knowing where you want to go and utilising flexible pathways and action plans to get there. Responding to opportunities, and purposefully learning from what works and what doesn’t as you progress. • Assisting momentum towards a community vision by starting with a few projects that are practical, high impact, participatory and can visibly demonstrate change and success. For many, ‘seeing is believing’ and visible projects build interest in the community change journey ahead. • Working in community-led development ways is chal-

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lenging for all and requires everyone to accept the challenge of adopting new ways of working. Encouraging creative and enabling roles by all – funders, local and central government, business, iwi, community groups, residents – sets the scene for diverse partners to work together, and co-invest effort and resources to achieve locally determined goals and visions.

• Persevering when the going gets tough – because it will. Learning, both internationally and here in Aotearoa, suggests an establishment phase of 2-3 years and more than ten years for really transformative change. COMMUNITY BUILDING • Supporting communities to identify, celebrate and leverage off their existing strengths and assets. This can help un-leash new resources and inspire confidence, participation and hope that a better future is possible. • Local community events are a great way to bring people together and keep them connected. Neighbourhoods and communities that meet, talk and work together have a stronger sense of identity, pride, optimism and place. Events can also be a key capacity building tool if local people are intentionally part of event planning, decision making and ‘doing’ on the day.

LEADING IN, AND LEADERFUL, COMMUNITIES Actively growing and strengthening community leadership is increasingly being recognised as important for local community futures. There is a conscious call to: • Encourage a more ‘leaderful’ community approach by looking for leaders and leadership in a whole range of new places in communities. • Proactively involve more local residents in leadership and decision making roles, and strengthen connections between and across leaders in communities. People nurture what they care about, and through civic engagement will strengthen their communities. • Proactively build more opportunities for resident leadership. Foster integrity and authenticity in leaders, valuing ‘character’ as much as achievements. Leaders who are highly valued actively build bridges within and across communities, empower and inspire participation, make room for multiple voices at decision making tables, and honour others.

CREATING AND SUSTAINING MOMENTUM • Effective transition planning for changes in local leadership is essential. Helpful strategies include buddying and shadowing, documenting personal

What we are learning about community-led development in Aotearoa New Zealand

insights on the ‘hows and whys’ of the community’s change journey to date, personally handing over key relationships and leaving a forward plan of key ‘next’ steps to take. • Value time and processes for noticing and reflection, and proactively build them into work programmes and planning, so that a local culture of ‘community learning’ can be empowered and supported. Useful tools to assist learning and help demonstrate change and success are target setting, community stories and discussion groups, indicators, and pictures.

What we are learning about community-led development in Aotearoa New Zealand December 2010

www.inspiringcommunities.org.nz

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APPENDIX 3 LEADERFUL PRACTICE AND QUADRANTS OF CHANGE

n 2011, as part of a leaderful practice and civil society co-research inquiry with Margy Jean Malcolm, Inspiring Communities reflected on aspects or conditions that influence change outcomes in each quadrant of change. In a brainstorming workshop, we identified some key enablers and blockers of positive change. We noticed the paradox that often the same factor could enable or block. While not a definitive list, the following tables share useful observations of what helps and hinders.

TRANSFORMATION WITHIN COMMUNITIES — DIMENSIONS OF CHANGE —

Personal

Relational

The attitudes, behaviours, actions and ‘value-sets’ of individuals

Structural

POWER

Quadrants of Change

The systems, structures and formal ‘rules’ that govern communities, families, organisations, government or whole of society

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The connections, ties and trust between people and organisations

POWER

Cultural

The culture of a community is the unwritten‘rules’of the game — the way we do things around here.

PERSONAL DIMENSIONS: THE ATTITUDES, BEHAVIOURS, ACTIONS AND VALUE SETS OF INDIVIDUALS. Enables Progress and Change • Strong sense of own identity, self aware • Curiosity, a 'learner' and 'listener' • Courageous, a risk taker • Perseverance, persistence, positive, passionate • Power 'with' • Generosity of spirit, humanity and humility • Motivated by 'we' more than 'I' • Open minded, flexible • Trusted • Strengths focused • Upholds/values 'good' process • Reframes issues into opportunities • Space creator and holder • Observes role models • Asking or being asked to participate/do something • Busyness - able to let go/pass onto others

Blocks Progress and Change • Self doubt • Ego, self interest • Micro manager, control freak • Too task focused – at expense of good process • Power 'over' • Fixed ways of thinking/operating: world in black and white • Negative, cynical • Risk averse, conspiracy theorist • Fear of change, failure, loss and/or not knowing • Deficit focus • Busyness - not able to let things go/let others take things over

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RELATIONAL DIMENSIONS: THE CONNECTIONS, TIES, TRUST BETWEEN PEOPLE AND ORGANISATIONS. Enables Progress and Change • Pre existing relationships and trust • Effective facilitation and group processes • Commitment to collaboration and co-creation • Commonalities and differences understood • Momentum and energy brought from shared vision, goals, rewards and risks • Partnering principles lived: trust, integrity, honesty, openness, respect, acceptance of diversity • Understanding and proactively dealing with conflict • Organisations working as 'one' rather than competing individual groups • Past, present and future acknowledged • 'How' is as important as what, who and why • Critical mass of 'right' people sharing leadership over long term • Brokers/facilitators with capacity to support collaboration processes and outcomes • Action reflection – learning by doing together that includes conscious role modelling, mentoring, capacity building etc.

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Blocks Progress and Change • Historical grievances, blame and mistrust • Emphasis on differences rather than commonalities • No real need to talk/work together • Too polite – not confronting difficult conversations • Attachment to status quo • Tick box engagement approaches • Competitive attitudes • Embedded power dynamics • Too much money up front – becomes the focus for relationships

STRUCTURAL: THE SYSTEMS, STRUCTURES AND FORMAL RULES IN COMMUNITIES AT THE LEVEL OF FAMILY, ORGANISATION, GOVERNMENT OR WHOLE OF SOCIETY. Enables Progress and Change

Blocks Progress and Change

• Mandated and documented shared visions, plans, values, principles • Co-created action plans and pathways, including agreed processes and timeframes for getting things done • Time/resources built in for implementation of collaboration and leaderful approaches, i.e. investment in people/process development as well as projects and action • Decentralised/collaborative governance mechanisms and processes in place • Anchor organisation to 'hold' collaboration and support local leadership building • Balance of formal/informal ways of working actively adopted • Risk taking/innovation supported and encouraged • Structures and plans not fixed – can be adapted with real time feedback loops and experience • Institutional expectations of collaboration reflected in organisational systems eg. job descriptions, contracts, performance management systems, policy development • Use of accessible tools and strategies, e.g. language, framing, agreements, shoulder tapping, etc. • Use of 'carrot and stick' (incentives/ punishments) to help embed leaderful approaches

• No translators to 'systematise' new ways of working and embed leaderful culture • Rules within the system that reinforce individual's power, silos, etc. • Fear of 'subsidiarity' – organisation and systems need to control what happens and how • Lack of joined up leadership across organisations • 'One size fits all' policies, processes and practices • Diversity (of approaches) discouraged • Thought patterns that focus on 'what' over 'how' • 'Either/or' rather than 'and/and' thinking and framing • Unchallenged power dynamics • 3 year political cycles – don't allow for new thinking/ways to embed • People/parts of organisations not doing 'their bit' • Preference for 'our/existing' ways of doing/ thinking over new ways that may be co-created with others • Not allocating resources for capacity building/ participation/leadership development

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CULTURAL DIMENSIONS: THE UNWRITTEN RULES OF THE GAME – THE WAY WE DO THINGS ROUND HERE Enables Progress and Change • Shared pride, identity and sense of mission/community • History, stories, people regularly honoured • Manaakitanga – food, caring, hospitality • Making the rules visible for all by naming and documenting the what, why and how things happen, with processes for reflection and review • Understanding the importance of 'good process' and having time for things to be worked out • Leaders who are connected and great role models of CLD ways locally • Rituals visible, e.g. celebration, stories, events, acknowledgement of achievements and contributions, etc. • Optimism/patience around messy times and / conflict. People and existing processes in place that help the community to find its way • Ongoing questioning to find better ways • Shared power and vision changes established power dynamics and provides room for new leaders • Previous (collective) experience of power sharing and respectful, reciprocal, trust based relationships • People/partners with skills/experience in empowering others and collaborating • Expectations and freedom to innovate and fail forward • Strong information flows to keep people/ organisations updated and connected • Asking, encouraging, supporting people as they step forward to participate/contribute/ lead

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Blocks Progress and Change • The culture (the how and why) is not understood or articulated so is hard to name and grow • Negative media stereotypes and/or perceptions of place, people, culture • Constant re-visiting of issues and no forward progress • Victim and blame mentality, – it's someone else's fault, we can't do anything to change things • Ongoing focus on WHAT gets done over HOW • Failure to spot or engage emerging/new energy, interest and ideas • Key local leaders/shapers leave without having passed on their knowledge/mantel • Expectation that communities are recipients of services, with problems that others must fix

POWER DIMENSIONS: POLITICS AND PROCESSES, RELATIONSHIPS AND DYNAMICS, AGENDA SETTING AND DECISION MAKING Enables Progress and Change • Confidence to say 'no', stand up to political pressure, challenge bully behaviour, etc. • Win-win thinking • New/neutral processes for conversations and planning • Showing vulnerability • Starting with questions, not answers • Strategic, collaborative thinking and skills • Consciously asking 'In whose interest is this?' – ‘For who, by who?’ • New voices and sectors intentionally at the table to challenge existing thinking and broaden framing and debates • Local voices and residents at the table as equals in decision making – communities seen as experts • Skilled translators who can engage and navigate across multiple sectors (language, agendas, processes, etc.) • Visibly demonstrating open information, transparency, inclusion, empowerment in all actions • Time and money • Structural analysis

Blocks Progress and Change • Overtly/covertly acting in ways that destabilise relationships and/or partnering arrangements • Old/current hierarchical paradigms and behaviours • Aversion to new possibilities/ways in favour of maintaining status quo • Knowledge about how political systems work and where power actually lies • Dependency relationships • Conspiracy theorists, control freaks • Need for certainty • Reliance on same old leaders • Time (too little) and money (too much)

Summary Findings from Co-Inquiry Research Workshop Inspiring Communities and Margy Jean Malcolm September 2011

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APPENDIX 4 - SUSTAINABLE NEIGHBOURHOOD DEVELOPMENT IN MASSEY-RANUI – THE STORY OF BACK2BACK

BACKGROUND The Back2Back project was a four year initiative aimed at supporting and growing street-level engagement and strengthening diverse residential neighbourhoods in the adjoining suburbs of Massey 186 and Ranui (in West Auckland). Funded through the DIA Community Development Scheme, the initiative was supported by four local project partners: Massey Matters, Ranui Action Project, Waitakere City Council/Auckland Council and Community Waitakere, with Inspiring Communities involved as a learning partner. A full-time, highly-skilled neighbourhood broker was employed (by the Council) to progress the following goals:

• Grow the local pools of people, organisations and practical resources, to support ongoing neighbourhood strengthening initiatives. 175 students were involved in a schools-based logo competition to name and brand the project. This set the scene for a diverse range of innovative engagement and neighbourhood strengthening activities with streets and neighbourhoods over the project's four year period. Results and achievements from Back2Back related activities:

• Grow street level leadership.

• engaged with 49 different streets in Massey and Ranui;

• Support local neighbourhood priorities to be determined and actioned.

• participated in/co-hosted 62 local neighbourhood events and activities;

• Build skills, networks and relationships, within and across neighbourhoods in Massey and Ranui.

• co-hosted a resident-leadership workshop process involving 22 local leaders, with workbook resources made available for other communities to use and adapt;

• Develop community and city-wide support for 186 136

neighbourhood-led development and learning.

Around 35,000 people live in these two suburbs, that are relatively high-needs communities.

• held 9 clean-up days involving 200 volunteers to enhance the Manutewhau stream and walkway; around 3000 native plants planted and a new residents group formed to champion and continue local restoration efforts; • collaborated with 4 local schools and Neighbourhood Support to produce a new national curriculum-based resource for schools on neighbourhood-led development; • worked with 25 local stakeholders to develop a starter kit for creating great neighbourhoods; • convened 23 network meetings in Massey and Ranui involving 55 agencies to strengthen relationships and focus discussion on neighbourhood development; • worked alongside other partners to enable 5 new school holiday initiatives, 10 backyard/ community gardens, a major new pedestrian bridge, and a new community hub;

• 73 fortnightly e-newsletters with snippets of neighbourhood focused news and action sent to key 300+ stakeholders to promote and celebrate all the great work happening; • co-convened new pan-Auckland neighbourhood development practitioners group to share ideas and insights; and • through focus groups and general community conversation, anecdotal reports of: – less graffiti/crime/violence and improved sense of personal/ community safety; – residents’ expectations raised: now a stronger sense of entitlement and ability to access services; greater ownership of neighbourhood issues and progress; – streets, parks, streams and facilities cleaner, more attractive and safer for children and adults; – increased use of and number of private and community gardens; – local community facilities better used; – improved community-police relationships; – better integration of newly arrived residents, including migrants; – strengthened relationships across community agencies; and – increased sense of neighbourliness and pride of place.

Learning from doing: • As a 'start up' project involving multiple project partners and a very large, diverse urban area, the first four years of Back2Back were really about establishment — namely relationship strengthening, alliance building, promoting neighbourhood development thinking, developing shared neighbourhood-led approaches and undertaking small-scale initiatives — both with local streets and local partners. • At a suburb level, some kind of broader networking between organisations and agencies is essential if neighbourhood-led development (NLD) outcomes are to be achieved. Connections need to go broader than just individual streets, and require another layer of focused attention and resourcing. • Empowered local organisations (eg. churches, preschools, community houses) can be successful neighbourhood developers too. Key ingredients for success include lots of small events and activities, encouraging joint action projects, and integrating residents' visions for their place with the aspirations and plans of local organisations to find common ground for ‘doing together’. • Fortnightly one-page newsletters with pictures are a great way to communicate with a large number of stakeholders and

supporters. Newsletters help celebrate success, acknowledge resident-led contributions and inspire further action and interest in Back2Back. • There is no 'one size fits all' practice approach for neighbourhood strengthening. Even within the same suburb, different kinds of residential neighbourhoods work in quite different ways and require quite different types of engagement and support. • Coming under/being part of a project umbrella like 'Back2Back' can help individual street initiatives get started, and be supported by other stakeholders too. • Neighbourhood development tool kits help communicate and spread ideas but they are required at two levels: – Getting going in a street — focus on individual residents taking initial action, needs to include very simple actions and ideas. – Supporting neighbourhood-led change — groups of neighbours working together on broader change efforts in their place need a different kind of 'how to' information. For example how to build groups, project plan, engage other residents, tell stories and capture change, and reach up and out to others who might help. • There are great opportunities to link with Neighbourhood

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Support in places where there is a shared intentional focus on growing community leaders in streets with a safety focus. • Coming together to support an event is relatively easy — it's time bound so people are more likely to commit. Doing it with others strengthens relationships and ideas for what is next. • Persistence and patience are important — not everyone will be ready to collaborate at once, and it takes time for services to see how they can 'build neighbourhood' into their existing service delivery models and plans. • Having strong supporters of 'neighbourhoods kaupapa' outside of the local area is key — people in 'systems' who can unlock resources and support neighbourhood dreams and needs! You need to keep these champions updated and inspired, as you never know when you will need to tap into their resources, ideas, assets or connections. • Working with bureaucracies is challenging! Many perceive resident engagement only in terms of consultation. Knowing how (and why) to get local residents engaged in participatory/ active 'doing' is generally well out of a bureaucrat’s comfort zone or experience. Health and safety can become convenient barriers to hide behind, but other real barriers include time, ways to bring people and integrated thinking about 'place' together within large organisations, staff turn-over and long timeframes for infrastructure planning and action.

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• Having to tell and share your own story is helpful and focusing for both local residents and neighbourhood brokers. Sometimes giving incentives (i.e. grocery vouchers) helps and encourages residents to write things down, as does sitting alongside and helping write their story with them. • More in-depth cost-benefit evaluation of neighbourhood strengthening activities is needed to change broader neighbourhood systems thinking. Also useful would be simple tools and strategies to help those leading this work to know which efforts and investments are making the most difference and why. Key areas for further work include identifying: – key indicators of success/return on investment/progress/ transformational change in Kiwi scale neighbourhoods; – ways for residents to define, own and collect data at street/ neighbourhood level; and – how attribution/contribution plays out when multiple stakeholders, investors, and 'do-ers' are potentially involved in supporting neighbourhood-led change efforts. Back2Back resources, reports & tools: • Curriculum resources on neighbourhood development for schools – Connecting Communities for Students Years 1-8 Student Resource – Connecting Communities for Students Years 1-8 Teacher Resource

• Creating Great Neighbourhoods — Toolkit • Me Mahi Tahi Tatou — Leadership Workbook Dowload copies of these tools and resources from: http://inspiringcommunities.org. nz/learning-tools Evaluation reports on the Back2Back Project are also available at: http://inspiringcommunities. org.nz/back2back-evaluation

APPENDIX 5 GROWING RESIDENT-LED LEADERSHIP Me Mahi Tahi Tãtou — Working Together

n Auckland in 2011, two CLD initiatives (Massey-Ranui Back2Back Project and McLaren Park Henderson South Community Initiative) in neighbouring urban communities partnered with Inspiring Communities to trial a 'leaderful communities' workshop process. Around 20 participants were 'shoulder tapped' and invited to attend a facilitated workshop process to explore understandings around community leadership, and build collaborative leadership skills and capacity. With both CLD initiatives focused on neighbourhood engagement, participants reflected a mix of street leaders and key staff from local community organisations who were also engaging and /or participating in neighbourhood building activities. Four sessions were held a month apart at a 'shoulder time' of 4-7pm, with childcare and refreshments provided for attendees.

participants brought diverse expectations, of which not all were met through the workshop process; • key aspirations common to most workshop participants included learning new skills, gaining better understandings about leadership, knowing more about being a good leader and meeting other people from their communities in 'similar situations'; • varying degrees of comfort with the word 'leader' (at the first session no one put up their hand when asked if they were a leader!); • ensuring the facilitator was available to stay and network after each session to further conversations and thinking; • using lots of local examples of leadership and leaderful practice in 'scene setting' to help make it more real for people (otherwise leadership can too easily be

seen as something that others do from up high!); • from workshop attendees' perspective, confidence building and networking/relationship building were the most significant outcomes from the workshop process; and • from the workshop organisers' perspective, a key outcome was strengthened organisational relationships from working together both on an initial joint project and subsequent new initiatives, which quickly spun off following this; e.g. in response to identified skill gaps around group facilitation, a skilled Council staff member went on to provide facilitation training sessions. For further information about the workshop process, resources and evaluation see: http://inspiringcommunities.org. nz/learning-tools

Rather than being framed or promoted as a leadership workshop, the process was called Me Mahi Tahi Tãtou — Working Together. Key learnings from the sessions included: • the importance of potential workshop participants being invited by someone who was known to them and trusted; • diverse backgrounds and experiences of workshop

Me Mahi Tahi Tãtou Leadership workshop with co-facilitator Alfred Ngaro 139

APPENDIX 6 CORE LEARNING CLUSTER COMMUNITY INITIATIVE PROFILES RAKIURA STEWART ISLAND This initiative has been investigating the potential of an overarching vision to guide and inform ongoing community-led development activities on Stewart Island (Rakiura). The Island has one main township, Halfmoon bay, with a population of 400 people. In that township there are currently 68 different trusts, groups, committees, boards and organisations, all of whom are already working hard in their chosen areas, making the Island a better place to live and achieving some astounding results. However, despite the Island's relatively small population, natural splits in local people’s social and work circles means that, while everyone generally does know one another, many people don’t often get to catch up with each other. Co-ordinated by a small group of locals, recent efforts have focused on consciously connecting people rather than creating projects.

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Building on what already happens on Rakiura, the group has created new spaces for shared dialogue, where people involved in community groups formally come together to share a little about their chosen area. With kai and a cuppa on offer, natural connections develop through conversation and, over time, the intention is to work towards a collective vision that various groups can contribute to in their own ways. The first of these collective conversations happened in May 2011 and was followed by another in September 2011. Both of these were very successful at generating new connections and ideas, one of which was for a community expo, which was held in November 2011. This further deepened local connections, while also reaching out to those newer to the Island. The expo stimulated energy and interest in maintaining connections, talking and working together as a whole Island community. This interest and energy was further inspired in 2012 by a

visit from Peter Kenyon. A working group formed to organise a community visioning day, which was held during Labour Weekend when many crib owners were also visiting. The session was led by an external facilitator and followed the school gala. About 40 people participated, although a number of key people had commitments at the same time and could not attend. While there was much discussion and a number of goals identified, a collective community vision is still a 'work in progress’. Small groups are continuing to meet and 'word smith' visions in a theme based way. Reflections from the visioning process to date include: • Some processes worked well — especially 'pre-vision' information gathering, e.g. engagement with local children, and the ‘fairy godmother’ box in the shop where locals could submit their three wishes for Rakiura. • Other aspects proved challenging — such as the workshop format, which for

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some resulted in frustration, disillusionment and exhaustion. Bringing in an external facilitator whose style and approach wasn't always understood by Rakiura residents impacted on residents' engagement in the visioning session. This highlights the tension of having external facilitation enabling all local people to participate, but also means existing facilitation skillsets within the Island community can't be 'tapped into' in the same way. • Clear links need to be made to what has gone before, so people do not feel they are talking about the same old things. • Eliciting information on ‘why’ people want to undertake certain projects was overshadowed by a focus on the 'what' they'd like to accomplish together. • Finding ways within the visioning process for those who just want to get on and 'do' to engage with broader futures-thinking, in order to better understand what matters to everyone, how any agreed actions contribute to goals, and what difference these actions are intended to make. Overall, the visioning day is seen as another step forward. While it did not yield a collective vision, it provided a wealth of information and learnings that will help to support the continued evolution of collaborative CLD on Rakiura. Hosting collective conversations

will take practice, and each one informs the next in a very organic way. The day revealed support for this in some unexpected quarters — which offers new opportunities to explore.

nity back in 2007. The main industry is a meat processing plant and this has reduced its capacity during 2012, affecting about 200 local people. However, this new challenge is seen as an opportunity to further build on the town’s assets and strengths.

Key contributions of CLD approaches: • Working from a strengths base and building on what is already there has meant new connections and alliances have been made, which help to use existing resources in different ways. • Using conversation as a key tool has enabled relationships to be developed between people and groups, and often across boundaries. It has also highlighted the diversity of interests and motivation across the Island's small population. • Joining up with others from outside the local community such as The Community Trust of Southland has enabled new thinking, ideas and support for local efforts. • Learning as we go is vital. This way both what and how things are done is increasingly more useful, relevant and appropriate.

MATAURA Mataura is a small Southland town of approximately 1400 people. Efforts to revitalise and improve Mataura have been underway for several years following a concerning report on the health of the commu-

Back in 2007, locals felt “angry that the town was being taken for fools” when agencies didn’t respond to the report, so “decided to come up with our own solutions.” Over time, the energy of anger and defensiveness has been channelled into developing local strengths and assets. This focus was made more coherent by the mission statement from the Mayor: ‘Encouraging healthy lifestyles’, a visioning session by Bliss Browne and the emergence of the Mataura Taskforce. Since then, Mataura’s assets and strengths have been mobilised and enhanced with the assistance of a Department of Internal Affairs Community Development Scheme grant. Together with the Mataura Taskforce, this resource has helped increase both collaboration and coordination amongst local people and various local organisations, such as the Community Board and Council. Working from a strengths base towards locally defined aspirations and goals and across boundaries has seen a number of activities develop that reflect the ‘can do’ local attitude. These have resulted in hugely successful efforts to grow and share local food, improve early childhood education opportunities, gain a social worker

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in the school, develop a safe social facility for young people, build the local economy and provide more ways to have fun together as a community.

times while doing tough stuff ” resonates with those involved and has “attracted other resilient and fun people”.

The plethora of relationships required to make things happen, such as achieving a social worker in the local primary school, means that Mataura’s aspirations and needs are kept at the forefront of conversation and are not forgotten when resources become available. Coupled with local perseverance and creative short term efforts, Mataura residents demonstrate that they can work out 'what can we do', not just ‘what they won’t give to us’.

Working in CLD ways has helped make Mataura a better place, primarily through linking local people with ideas and energy to existing organisations, local facilities and other people, to develop shared goals. These connections are seen as outcomes in and of themselves, as many did not exist previously and they are now being drawn upon to meet new needs in the community, including the opportunities created by significant changes in the workforce.

Being firm about local people as leaders of what happens in Mataura has meant ‘some steep learning at times' and has also challenged expected ways of working, and revealed embedded assumptions which created situations “that have had to be worked through”. As experience and knowledge about community-led development has deepened, however, attitudes and expectations have also changed and it is now assumed that community members will take strong leadership roles alongside agencies and organisations. The notion that “we are in it together” working with a “sense of laughter, fun and good

Working in CLD ways has also directly contributed to the success of the local community garden, school garden and local Meals on Wheels service; the increase in early childhood education activities available; the advent of The Bunker (a youth focused facility); new local businesses such as the SPCA shop and community market; and the community Gala and Swede Festival. Indirectly, CLD approaches have enhanced local arts developments, historic walks, new road safety projects and a revitalisation of kapa haka as well as involving school children in environmental

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restoration work on the riverbank. While these projects are evidence of local achievements CLD can contribute to, they also represent a strong, better connected local community that is helping to “make Mataura better”, and which working in CLD ways has helped to bring to the fore. Key contributions of CLD approaches: • Having residents at the centre of locally driven aspirations and activities has changed the way organisations work, to include residents at decision-making levels, and residents have also learnt to value their contributions to both a particular project and the wider culture. • The size of Mataura offers an ideal scale in which to see the ‘me in the we’. People can see their individual contribution to an achievement that could only have come about by working with others. Local people can also see that these achievements are always more than the sum of the parts, due to the breadth of skills included and the synergy that working together generates. • Using projects as a key tool has enabled connections to be made as people do practical and

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tangible things. A wide range of skills and motivations can be incorporated without attending numerous meetings, and one thing often leads to another, such as the Meals on Wheels associated with the community garden.

GOOD CENTS, PORIRUA Good Cents arose out of a community-led learning inquiry that aimed to find out why, even in ‘good times’, some people still needed to access food banks to survive. Debt, it turned out, was the common denominator. Early on in the initiative’s development, it became clear that people tended to favour a range of proposed solutions to the problem of debt. Some said financial literacy needed to be improved or school banking reintroduced, some said that minimum wages needed to be increased, while others said that churches played a key role in causing hardship or that 'loan sharks' needed to be regulated and interest rates capped. Yet, while none of these solutions are entirely wrong, they were at best only part of the picture. Good Cents staff observed that while pointing the finger at

others may highlight aspects of the wider issue, it tends to absolve personal responsibility and ownership of the issue, and doesn’t often actually change the situation. So, in 2007, Good Cents set out to tackle high interest indebtedness from a community-led development perspective, driven by the stories of indebted people themselves and working to engage the wider community and business interests. As an 'entry point' into the complex systems that create indebtedness, the Good Cents team have created the Good Cents Course. The course is embedded in a philosophy that encourages people to look at their own contribution to their financial situation and works to enable course participants to identify the positive actions they can take to reduce or eliminate their dependency on debt and grow their investment in their future. The course has evolved over the years and is now connected to WINZ in a mutually beneficial way, running 8 times each year. New facilitators are being trained, one of whom was a participant on the course in early 2012. Good Cents has come to use the course as a key learning incubator for understanding the rules and forces at

work in the wider system of debt in the community. This is enabling Good Cents to question not only what contribution participants can make to their situation, but also at a wider level, what contribution all members of the community can make — whether they are lenders or banks or politicians or school teachers. As part of this, Good Cents is aware that increasing the number of local people making significant personal changes does not necessarily lead to community transformation and, in fact, personal changes are very difficult to sustain without environmental changes too. As one step to move towards community transformation, Good Cents hosted 45 people from diverse groups together to generate conversation about Beyond the Cycles of Debt: What would it look like? in Porirua. Supported by Porirua City Council, the Todd Foundation and Inspiring Communities, this gathering brought the whole system into the room together. High paid executives, bankers and government people rubbed shoulders and shared ideas with beneficiaries, local cultural leaders and some of the local lenders. These were people who were scared of one

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another at the outset but as they considered ‘What is it that we could create together for our future that we can’t create alone?’ by listening to the wide range of experiences in the room, they realised they shared a lot of common ground. Out of it all was born a core leadership group dedicated to working out ways to move forward together, focusing on commonalities and the goal of being beyond cycles of debt. Since then Good Cents has run forums with local lenders, explored opportunities with Pacific Church leaders including recently completing a stocktake of all the ways that churches in Porirua are involved in positively contributing to financial wellbeing of the community. In 2011 Good Cents launched a Framework for Change — Together Growing Financial Wellbeing for Porirua to Flourish. In 2012 the Good Cents team were involved in a first ever Parliamentary Learning Forum on Community-led Development, sharing some of the stories of change and hope. Key contributions of CLD approaches: • A community-led inquiry revealed both the key issues and challenges involved, as well as pathways to change. • The course has evolved over time as a result of feedback and input from community members and course participants. • Course facilitators deliberately ‘hold the space’ for personal action. They are there to work with participants to enable the changes they can make, not to provide these changes.

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• Using stories as a key mechanism has helped to make a sensitive topic more accessible to all members of the community, and created possibility for a new depth of conversation and understanding around the issues. • Working together has fostered many new relationships and alliances, from bringing members of diverse (and competing) sectors together to seeing graduates informing WINZ staff. New roles have been forged and different types of expertise recognised and included. • Working towards systems change also means holding a space for others to make the changes they can make. In a context where most people have learnt to play specific roles, such as victim, professional, client, or businessman, creating space for people to step into different ‘roles’ is a very significant step in creating hope and transformation.

GREAT START, TAITA Great Start emerged from knocking on 1200 doors in 2008. When Barnardos was considering what to do with an old house they owned, they decided a community-led process would be the best way of finding out what residents wanted. Talking with people in their places, on doorsteps and around kitchen tables revealed that people in Taita didn’t want any more services. They wanted to make connections with each other and to be helped to connect with the services that already existed. They also wanted

a park for kids and adults to use, and phone boxes and bus stops that were useable, and their real interest lay in building a stronger community themselves rather than having others come in and do it ‘for’ them — or ‘to’ them. A similar message came from conversations with other organisations that worked in the area. Other service providers did not want to compete with each other or with Barnardos. Instead people talked about a strong desire to work together, to support each other and to find different ways of working with the people of the Taita community, not just delivering services to ‘clients’ who live there. So Great Start is about being of service, rather than providing services. Great Start provides space for getting to know each other, for children and adults playing, getting involved, sharing ideas, health and wellbeing and finding what local people need. It’s about helping each other, fun and laughter, learning and finding out what is happening in Taita. Everyone is welcome and everything is free or very low cost. And now, in 2013, there is a usable park for families and children, a community garden and tool library, a friendship group, a community café and a time bank. Whãnau support is on hand to all and young families enjoy access to the SPACE programme, play and music sessions, parenting support and a free community toy library as well. Little Star’s Baby Packs — a scheme devised by a local mum, invites neighbours to come and get a welcome pack to give to another family in celebration of a new baby in their community. People who

live in Taita are more involved too. They are developing their skills to provide what is needed in Taita, doing things that previously would have been professionalised, like undertaking research, developing new activities and running them too. There are more events and gatherings and more groups connecting through Great Start, as well as a wider audience (including Council) hearing what these people are saying (including the children) and acting on advice and information from these people. All of these are reminders that “this place is our place, is your place.” Along with these tangible differences, it is the way Great Start works that is most valued. By helping return a sense of power to the local area, and to individuals and groups within that area, including staff and volunteers, Great Start enables a “re-member-ing” of the local community by local people. While one thing leads to another at Great Start and these connections are unpredictable, they are also intentional in their movement towards enabling and ‘awhi-ing’ local people to get what they need and to give what they can, while also fostering more supportive and empowering systems amongst

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organisations working in Taita. The possibility of organic change is nurtured by letting people get on with what they are here to do/be, by encouraging and enabling people to find and follow their own initiatives (offering a training opportunity for instance), by bringing unusual groups together (eg. the younger and older or different ethnicities) and to give back by working together and alongside one another. In the words of a Great Start community member, “there is no need to explain yourself, to commit to any programme or plan, to have a file. Here you are not judged, you are welcomed. Everyone has gifts to offer and recognition of this creates a feeling in people where their heart swells so much that they can no longer keep it entirely inside themselves anymore.”

opportunity, and it draws out the best of everyone. • It leads to a confidence in Great Start by those who come through the door (including workers) as a sense of being and adding value grows: Great Start is part of me (individual, service provider, group, community) and I am part of it. Neither (Great Start or the specific individual/ group/service provider) actually needs the other to exist but both are better off for the opportunity and structure that encourages and enables them to work together, building on what they already have.

• Moving from providing services based on data to being of service, based on conversations.

• Everyone has gifts, and equally important is the role of opening pathways to reveal these gifts and how they might be offered. CLD helps Great Start to awhi the creation of such pathways, by offering with a light touch space in the house and connections with others in ways that are celebratory, creative and fun.

• People have a renewed confidence in themselves and what they can offer because they see themselves as part of a collective journey where “we are all teachers and learners together.” Difference is a strength and an

• CLD encourages giving things a go, and with trial will come error. And with error will come adaptation, and adaptation breeds resilience, especially when it builds on what is already here, and when it is

Key contributions of CLD approaches:

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undertaken and learnt from together. Greater community resilience is demonstrated by donations of food, goods and time as well as the willingness and desire to operate out of the Great Start house. • CLD is part of the way Great Start operates outside the expected norms and how it constantly creates new norms ‘that fit’. The challenge is to know how to both sustain what works and to nurture what isn’t yet known, while resisting the desire of others to categorise, contain and even distil the essence of what Great Start is. The next phase for Great Start may be a phase of humble assertiveness.

WAITARA ALIVE, WAITARA The Waitara story is one that comes from a hard place. The town is on the site of significant battles during the New Zealand wars and the subject of much grievance. Home to around 6700 people, the deprivation index of the area is nine (very high social needs), the town has decile one or two schools and long term unemployment (three generations). On top of that, several local factories had closed down and

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several very serious crimes over the decades led to a repeated response by government chequebook. Communities were involved but the same people found themselves considering similar situations over and again. By 2008, it was time to do things differently. This time the community was asked for solutions and responded by making decisions, setting goals and establishing a steering group for the Waitara Community Development Project (later Waitara Alive). Waitara knows it can not make fundamental changes on its own but this time what Waitara wants is what matters and government agencies and others are invited to be part of that, rather than inviting Waitara to be part of what others think is best. Taking an assets-based approach, Waitara Alive achieved funding from Department of Internal Affairs as part of the Community Development Scheme for three years to 2011 and has gone on to sustain its activities with a mix of local and national funding from a variety of sources. Amongst other things, the project has redirected a travelling car show as part of its economic development strategy, adapted street barbeque ideas, developed a shop theft network, fostered a street redesign

between Council and the local kindergarten, convened a Youth ‘Driving for Change’ Roadshow that has seen 24 unlicensed drivers become licensed, and coordinated the community group behind the Clifton Park multi-sports redevelopment project. Waitara Alive has also provided a funding conduit, guidance and support for other initiatives including the ‘Take a kid fishing’ event, and development of a creative theatre and arts space in Waitara. As an example of how the Waitara Alive works, the creative theatre and arts space evolved out of a previous art gallery initiative to become a new Trust that put on two shows within six months of establishment — the Waitara Wearable Arts Show and a play about the Rugby World Cup ‘Ruggernology’. This evolution from gallery to theatre and arts space was guided and supported by the Waitara Alive who helped to identify leaders who could become trustees, provided advice and support for funding avenues and sponsored some of the Trust’s local initiatives. Many of these things were not in a pre-prepared business plan, although they still delivered on the purpose of the project. Being responsive, creative, flexible and

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‘good enough’ means the ‘solutions’ are part of the community. Such actions also work with the capacity and capabilities available to the Waitara community, and in that way stand a good chance of being relevant, useful and sustainable within Waitara.

organisation. The increased recognition of Waitara Alive, and that the information provided by the project is sourced from local people, means local people increasingly feel that what they think matters may actually make a difference. Key contributions of CLD approaches:

As well as a projects focus, key achievements have been in the ways people have worked together. Often this has come about because there has been a projects focus, as people don’t always want to make a commitment (or even see a significant connection) to longer term goals. Working together is increasingly understood as being a way of accessing and validating different people, positions and perspectives, and key to this has been the resource of the community development advisor. This role has been a key driver of initiatives and is often very much involved in the doing. As such it is more than a catalysing resource — it is a developing and delivering resource that mobilises others. Local people feel strongly that the element of paid coordination, with the ‘right’ mix of skills, is essential because it provides expertise and time to facilitate and coordinate local efforts. As well, coordination helps to grow the profile of the

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• Initial goals were derived from community meetings and have been revised in conjunction with community desires. • Rather than focusing on deficits, Waitara Alive promotes strengths and assets. This has helped develop more of a ‘can do’ attitude amongst local people and seen a redirection of local energies and resources to local initiatives. • Using a project focus has helped mobilise specific skills for particular events and projects. This time-limited commitment has served to demonstrate the usefulness of working together towards local goals, brings diverse (and sometimes divergent) groups together and tends to prime people for participation in other CLD things. • New leaders are emerging as new initiatives develop, and these people and the ‘same old’ volunteers are learning from one another.

50+ Number of initiatives contributed to

• There is a flexible approach to achieving goals — overarching goals are held tightly but how they are achieved changes in response to the local context. CLD encourages such flexibility and this allows the Community Development Advisor to seed, guide and ‘hold’ ideas generated locally so they can link with others, flourish and self-seed more ideas and initiatives! • There is a new vibrancy in town — the Creative Theatre and Arts Trust is creating an arts scene in Waitara, sports teams are working together on and off the field for a multi-sports approach and facility redevelopment, businesses are working together for joint promotions and events which increase the positivity of the town and Waitara is increasingly known for what it is good at, rather than what its issues are.

ÕPÕTIKI For the purposes of this report, the focus is on the twin aquaculture and harbour projects led by Whakatõhea and Õpõtiki District Council respectively; the Motu Trails cycleway project, involving Õpõtiki District Council, Whakatõhea Mãori Trust Board, Department of Conservation

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locally along with the Motu Trails Charitable Trust and the Gisborne District Council; the Whakatõhea Mãori Trust Board Led Community Development Project; the Õpõtiki Murals Project; and the evolving youth development focussed relationships and initiatives. Comments concentrate on the 2010-2012 timeframe. The twin projects are absolutely enormous in scale and longevity, and require multiple relationships at local, sub-regional, regional, national and international levels. These relationships span a wide range of fields, including scientific research; economic, cultural, political and social arenas; philanthropic and investment resourcing; and communications and commercial interests. Each relationship also creates the possibility for other initiatives. For example, an international relationship forged with a Chinese company led to initiatives benefitting the wine industry in another region, while the Motu Trails Cycleway Project led to the establishment of new local enterprises, and the upscaling of local accommodation businesses. Similarly, the multi-year Memorandum of Understanding developed between Bay Trust and Õpõtiki District Council in 2010 has helped facilitate a relationship between Bay Trust and Whakatõhea Mãori Trust Board, and this is fostering the possibility of new types of relationships and investment to support local dreams. The Community Development Project revived youth and community worker networks, and undertook a significant wellbeing survey which has informed Whakatõhea and other agencies

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in their strategic planning. Within the Whakatõhea Mãori Trust Board alone, the survey helped inform comprehensive strategies around economic, environmental, cultural, educational and social development, as well as the focussing of business units to deliver on these. Funding and research relationships and partnerships have resulted, along with new arrangements and partnering with various agencies for delivery. This work also now informs the practice and priorities of some government funders. The Murals projects produced 30 works in 2011 alone and restored two other significant public art works. Since then, the Whakaatu Whanaunga-supported Youth Council has been helping run youth forums and activities for other young people. These have been enabled by partnering arrangements with the Council and the Ministry of Youth Development. Key contributions of CLD approaches: • Encouraging and supporting more focus on ‘the big picture’ and how many contributions add to that; • Providing models and frameworks to support how we work together more around local aspirations; • Demanding thought, and the joint development of solutions that actively balance social AND economic factors, and which are mindful of our precious local environment; and • Keeping connected and informed, especially locally, but also with regional and national networks and stakeholders that have an interest in the

development of our community; communication is so important.

KA MAU TE WERO, GLEN INNES Ka Mau Te Wero (KMTW) began in Glen Innes (GI) in 2001 as a community development project, with initial funding from the Stronger Communities Action Fund (SCAF), administered by Child, Youth and Family Services. This funding followed a successful nomination by the then Auckland City Council for GI to be one of seven pilot sites. Ka Mau Te Wero means ‘Rise to the Challenge’ in te reo Mãori. It was a term gifted by local kaumãtua (Mãori elders) to remind people in GI, Auckland Council and central government of the urgent need to generate strategies and actions that will improve the life quality of the people living in the GI communities (Glen Innes East, Glen Innes West and Pt. England). KMTW prefers a positive approach that focuses on the strengths, assets and aspirations of the community. To do that, it seeks to build on what has gone before and be both action-focused and strategic, as well as respectful and inclusive of the diverse communities. KMTW fosters a Treaty-based approach that honours the special place of Mãori in the wider community, especially the role of Ruapotaka Marae, seen by many locals as the heart and gateway into the GI community in which the KMTW office is situated. Being project-focused in the early days is seen to have been critical to the development of KMTW’s

credibility as 'a hub', because the organisation successfully connected people to others and helped to get things done. This way of working resulted in tangible recent outputs such as the Music and Arts Growing Innovation and Creativity Plus (MAGIC+) project and the 2011/12 Tãmaki Community Action Research (CAR) project. Although the project has changed over the years, these principles of working remain the same. When the original SCAF project funding was terminated in 2006, for example, KMTW became a legally-incorporated charitable trust, which allowed activities to be more inclusive of the neighbouring communities of Point England and northern parts of Panmure, by request from community leaders from those areas. Originally KMTW was established to support local initiatives achieve local innovative solutions through various kinds of support, including by distributing some funding locally. These days KMTW does not provide any funding but often umbrellas other groups to achieve funding for their own local initiatives. KMTW also conducts social research that helps to identify local needs and innovation, as well as advocating for local hopes and dreams. They achieve

that while helping to build local capability and capacity to lead local changes.

more about their wider community than they would otherwise. Key contributions of CLD approaches:

Currently, a key area of work is community-led research. The research projects are 'done through a community lens', by community volunteers and 'for community use'. While this is an example of KMTW’s movement away from community-led action, it is seen as another way of influencing 'what happens around here, and how it happens'. This distinction is critical; throughout its evolution ‘what’ KMTW has done has always been bound up in ‘how’ it has worked as an organisation. Both tangible projects and outputs in the community and the less tangible information produced through research are generated from an ‘all of community, strengths- and assets-based perspective’ and ‘always with the community and in conjunction with agencies’. Working inclusively with community members to produce information that is consumed largely by those outside of the community gives local voices an audience they may otherwise never reach, as well as building research capabilities amongst local people and helping local people to know

• KMTW uses a whole-of-community development approach that seeks to foster and support a community-owned and driven agenda that will keep the people ‘in the driver’s seat’. Increasingly, KMTW enables local people to work collectively to achieve locally-defined aspirations, with KMTW’s role being to assist and awhi, rather than organise or do. • Building on the strengths of the local community, KMTW adds to these by providing specific opportunities to up-skill and provide leadership. • Growing local relationships within and beyond GI, Pt. England and Panmure, as well as across organisations and sectors, fosters a sense of working with one another. It helps to create shared goals and allows people and organisations to work to their strengths, to share leadership and to recognise and develop opportunities that they could not do in isolation. • Being both action-focused and strategic enables local

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149

voices to be heard in different forums. This has the potential of not only improving life in GI through more effective community-informed service delivery, asset development and community engagement, but also enables a wider range of local voices to be included. • KMTW adds value by fostering local people to take local information and aspirations further in practical ways, by connecting people with organisations that can assist them, and by umbrella-ing funding applications and supporting local leadership. • KMTW uses the “Who DARES wins” standard to evaluate the extent to which the local community has been empowered in its activities and projects. They envision that it will always be the people in the community of place who Decide on the project goals; Act to deliver on project goals; Reap the rewards of the project; Evaluate the success of the project; and Sustain the efforts and outcomes on the ground.

MASSEY MATTERS Massey Matters began with a Community Forum in 2006 when fifty community leaders were interviewed to identify Massey’s strengths and assets and local aspirations for the future. The result was Waitakere City Council (later Auckland Council) agreeing to fund the establishment of a ten-year project to improve quality of life in Massey. Massey is a large suburb on the western edge of Auckland. Home to 25,000 people, it is divided by the northwestern motorway and adjacent to major commercial and

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residential development on the urban city limit. Quickly coined Massey Matters, things got started not by creating a new organisation or building, but by launching an umbrella brand that catalysed and convened a diverse range of innovative and collaborative actions. Projects such as the Tãtou West Harbour Neighbourhood project, Te Raa Mokopuna, Massey Marvels, Westgate Pedestrian Bridge, Our Amazing Place Treasure Hunt, Massey Matters newsletter and Community Projects Fund represent the things local people are passionate about and had strong support for. Without huge initial visioning and strategic planning, these conscious early decisions not to dwell on governance and structure enabled the project to evolve in an organic and collaborative way in response to community and organisational energy and opportunity. It has also created the flexibility to engage individuals as well as organisations, and to more effectively accommodate reflection and differences of opinion, which, in turn, contributes to the growth of the project and of Massey as a community. Being project focused also meant that Massey Matters was visible in the community from the start. While action focused, Massey Matters doesn’t actually do much of the ‘doing’. Massey Matters is not an entity as such, it is ‘a brand for doing things together’. Massey Matters works in the spaces in between — it is a vehicle for discussion, connection, alliance and coordination for an evolving collective of interested parties who are, or want to be, active in

the Massey area. The doing that involves Massey Matters directly is about grassroots engagement — facilitation and linking, administration and organisation. These things happen through the newsletter, community forums and events, and help to ensure both that Massey Matters has a mandate from the various communities in Massey and that energies are focused on priorities generated by the community. This mandate is reciprocal — the trust the community has in Massey Matters helps give those who work through Massey Matters a mandate to do things in their own community, especially when locals feel that it might not be their place to do so. Massey Matters provides an easily accessible space through which interested residents can connect with one another as well as with others who can ‘point them in the right direction’. Altogether, the achievements and possibilities of working in this way have been a huge draw card! Most people involved were initially attracted because of the enthusiasm of those already involved. How people work together is as attractive as what is being worked together on. Time limited commitments, such as contributing to events, have allowed people to work to their own capacity and still feel their contribution is valued and useful, and these experiences often led to further involvement over time as energies allow. Being actively part of something, especially when that something came from the community, has been key to recognising the value and usefulness of the Massey Matters concept. Some things have changed over time, as both energies and staff

have changed. One of these has been the emergence of strategic direction in order to ensure staff are not over-stretched, and so that the contribution of Massey Matters to locally relevant outcomes is both useful and effective. Balancing adherence to strategic direction with organic responsiveness to community energies and ideas is difficult. However, and somewhat counter-intuitively, it is the demands on limited staff time that have helped to foster 'a culture of collaboration and partnership' in Massey where events and projects are increasingly expected to be collaborative. This not only brings together local resources and energies across silos towards shared goals, but also highlights the wealth already within the community, and aids the leverage of further investment from organisations and individuals in community initiatives. It helps Massey Matters staff to focus their energies where energies from the community are also oriented. Key contributions of CLD approaches: • Emerged from community aspirations, and started off by working together with others. • A projects focus allowed energies to be focused on doing,

and local connections and value emerged from working alongside one another on visible local projects. • Adding value by being 'oil in the machine' allows community voices to be heard in places they might not otherwise be. It also reveals the strengths and substance of the community to organisations and groups who may not otherwise know. • Working in a CLD way allows for a variety of organic approaches: sometimes initiatives need driving, while at other times they need gentle revealing, nurturing and awhi-ing; sometimes a strategic approach is called for, then at other times flexibility is most important.

BACK2BACK, MASSEY-RANUI The Back2Back (B2B) project emerged out of a joint funding proposal to the Department of Internal Affairs in 2008 to grow street-level engagement and neighbourhood-led development in Ranui and Massey, suburbs on the western edge of Auckland (population 43,000).

1000

100

Number of local people involved in initiatives

Number of other initiatives seeded

Number of initiatives contributed to

Through encouraging and supporting residents and key agencies to work together, the project aimed to create safer neighbourhoods characterised by healthy housing, active and vibrant streets, opportunities for skill development and local employment, healthy and affordable food choices, people who are connected to and care for the natural environment, and neighbours who feel happy, healthy, proud and connected to the place where they live. The project also aimed to strengthen community governance and foster learning to support resilient neighbourhood-led development, with an intention to share key lessons beyond Massey and Ranui. The project has unfolded in a multitude of ways since then and B2B has been broker, supporter, initiator and ally. Always working in collaboration with others, relationships between residents, local and citywide organisations, government agencies and with Council and the Local Community Board (later Local Board) have blossomed. For example, as residents have got to know their neighbours, and become more aware of how they can take action, they have worked together on

200 1000s Number of alliances formed

Number of hours leveraged through CLD

@$25 /hr Dollar value of these hours

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collective issues of concern and interest. This has led to the development of resources and the increased acknowledgement and strengthening of local leadership at the street and neighbourhood level. In turn, this growing neighbourhood-led development momentum generated increasing interest and buy-in with a wide range of stakeholders. For example, when B2B supported 60 residents to take action over vandalism and graffiti to the playground in their local park, Neighbourhood Support helped local people develop a petition to Council for an alcohol ban and B2B successfully supported this through Council processes. Residents then went on to plan further actions to develop their neighbourhood including a community garden and this and other ongoing initiatives have since involved Neighbourhood Support, Safe Waitakere (now known as Community Safety West), Sport Waitakere, Tag Out Trust, Keep Waitakere Beautiful and the Police. To leverage its resources, B2B has piggybacked on other larger initiatives, such as Neighbours Day Aotearoa, to catalyse local interest and action, and to focus local promotion, engagement and events around. Very conscious decisions

3000 220+ Number of local people involved in initiatives

152

Number of other initiatives seeded

have also been made with regard to key locations to work in. These were predominately streets and neighbourhoods where there was already energy and/or where there was a locally identified issue, such as the locations of high crime rates that had been highlighted through the work of Neighbourhood Support. This approach also meant that the street and neighbourhood work often joined up with work being undertaken by the Ranui Action Project, Sustainable Ranui, Tãtou West Harbour, Neighbourhood Support, Massey Matters and Project Twin Streams. This meant B2B could both benefit from the ground work already being done, as well as add value to other local efforts. Breaking down tasks into clear roles helps to bring residents on board as this way there are specific things they can do. Each aspect is often in itself relatively small and self-contained and so achievable; yet to create the event, working together is a must. With a resource in B2B these small things are catalysed from conversation into action, then held together and synergised. In this way relatively small individual effort becomes something much larger than the separate aspects alone.

Key contributions of CLD approaches: • Help develop the funding application that has underpinned the development of the project. • Recognise that residents themselves, when they work together with others, have the expertise to make their own neighbourhoods and streets safer, healthier and more fun. • Attract the attention and resources of others — both other residents and organisations — because they see how a mobilised community is critical to achieving desired locally-generated outcomes, as well as how much more effective and relevant efforts can be. • Start small and together with others, in places where people already are and in ways that build on local strengths and assets. • Help provide guiding principles and intent to what can be very organic-with-intent practices.

120

8000

@$25 /hr

Number of initiatives contributed to

Number of alliances formed

Number of hours leveraged through CLD

Dollar value of these hours

APPENDIX 7 REFLECTIVE LEARNING METHODOLOGIES A key part of understanding the contribution CLD can make is through the documentation of the journeys local initiatives have taken. The CLC learning process has supported the use of five main tools to do this: 1. CHECK IN CALLS OR VISITS

3. LEARNING FORUMS

These regular group or individual telephone calls or visits with an experienced CLD worker from outside the local area explored highlights and challenges, leadership and learning. These calls help to cultivate learning practice in relative proximity to events and activities, and work especially well when done as a group because then the learning is collective. This encourages a sharing of the smaller aspects of working together and can build an appreciation of the finer points of individual skills and approaches as well as how these combine.187

Gatherings of 30-40 individuals from all of the CLC communities (3-4 individuals from each location) as well as the broader Inspiring Communities team happened twice during the 2010-2012 period. The focus of these gatherings was to nurture connections across the group and to undertake intensive sharing and learning about how CLD is working in the various communities.

2. LEARNING STORIES: Learning stories188 are a form of narrative research and have been used to explore the ways people interpret and make sense of their experiences. In conjunction with the CLC communities, Inspiring Communities developed an adaptation of internationally recognised methodology developed by Professor Margaret Carr (2001)189 from Waikato University to generate stories that link intention to both learning and outcomes, as seen from the perspective of the communities involved.

187 188 189 190

5. DEVELOPMENT OF CASE STUDIES Case studies have been developed in five of the CLC initiatives (Great Start, Taita; Waitara Alive; Massey Matters; Back2Back and T達maki).190 These each take a different approach and format, to collate the journeys undertaken, achievements and what these mean.

4. REFLECTIVE PRACTICE WORKSHOPS These workshops were convened as a way of completing the commitment to learn together as a community of practice. Over two-three hours, they reflected as a group on what the initiatives and communities had achieved and how that has happened over the past few years (2010-2012). Each workshop explored what community-led development means in their place; reviewed successes, achievements and deviations plus what contributed to these (both strengths and challenges); and discussed ways to progress current aspirations and goals.

See http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/learning-tools. See http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development-projects-initiatives/core-learning-cluster. Carr, Margaret, 2001. An Assessment in Early Childhood Settings: Learning Stories. See http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development-projects-initiatives/core-learning-cluster. 153

APPENDIX 8 USEFUL TOOLS FOR NOTICING THE DIFFERENCE CLD MAKES

hroughout this process of learning together, the CLC has also been guided by the ‘12 emerging principles of capturing and making sense of outcomes’ developed by Mark Cabaj of Tamarack. Each initiative has also used various other tools and frameworks to both gauge progress and assist development. Those that have proven most useful in helping to notice the difference CLD approaches are making include:

APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY:

1. DISCOVER/INQUIRE

An intentionally strengths-based approach that focuses on identifying and building on what an organisation or community does well rather than on eliminating what it does badly. By asking questions and envisioning the future, the positive experiences, relationships and other assets, including the difference that is being made, are highlighted. This reveals potential that can then be used to foster motivation for improvement through a cycle of four processes:

The identification of organizational processes that work well.

12 EMERGING PRINCIPLES OF CAPTURING AND MAKING SENSE OF OUTCOMES 1. Be as clear as you can (but no clearer); 2. Take a utilisation focus; 3. Use a contingency approach; 4. Engage stakeholders from beginning to end; 5. Invest proportionally; 6. Avoid trying to re-prove the proven or testing the obvious; 7. Gather hard and soft data from multiple sources; 8. Emphasise sense-making; 9. Look for contribution rather than attribution to change; 10. Use goal oriented and goal free evaluation; 11. Strive for roughly right; and 12. Be adaptable and flexible in your approach. From http://tamarackcci.ca/files/capturing_and_making_sense_ of_outcomes_emerging_principles_-_nov_27.pdf

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2. DREAM/IMAGINE The envisioning of processes that would work well in the future. 3. DESIGN/INNOVATE Planning and prioritizing processes that would work well. 4. DELIVER/IMPLEMENT Navigating the change, including noticing the difference being made. Appreciative Inquiry is perhaps most useful in assessing change when used as part of participatory and collaborative evaluation approaches focused on innovation and creativity with a wide range of stakeholders. It is also useful in building the evaluation capacity of those participating.

“The journey is as important as the destination. We need to give them equal weight.” Michael Quinn Patton PROGRAMME LOGIC MODELS:

nents need to be known in order to be placed into the model. They can, however, be developed at later stages too and are often revisited and adapted as new information comes to light or to guide particular stages, such as evaluation. Using a logic model makes it relatively simple to notice if, for example, outcomes are out of sync with inputs and activities, and to adjust approaches or goals as appropriate.

A framework that helps with the planning, implementation, evaluation and communication of programmes by linking key components together in a causal manner to more clearly identify inputs, activities, outcomes and impact. Logic Models usually start with a programme, or are initially developed at the design stage of a programme because the key compo-

PROGRAM ACTION - LOGIC MODEL INPUTS

SITUATION

PRIORITIES

Consider: Mission Vision Symptoms versus Values problems Mandates Stakeholder Resources engagement Local Dynamics Collaborators Competitors Intended Outcomes Needs and Assets

OUTPUTS

OUTPUTS - IMPACT

Activities

Participation

Short term

Medium Term

WHAT WE INVEST

WHAT WE DO

WHO WE REACH

WHAT THE SHORT TERM RESULTS ARE

WHAT THE MEDIUM TERM RESULTS ARE

WHAT THE ULTIMATE IMPACT(S) IS

Staff

Conduct: workshops meetings

Participants

Learning

Action

Conditions

Clients

Awareness

Behaviour

Social

Agencies

Knowledge

Practice

Economic

Decision makers

Attitudes

Decision

Civic

Customers

Skills

making

Environmental

Satisfaction

Opinions

Policies

Aspirations

Social Action

Volunteers Time

Deliver: services

Money Research Materials

Develop: products curriculum resources

Equipment

Train

Technology

Provide: counselling

Base

Partners

Long Term

Motivations

Assess Facilitate Partner Work with media

ASSUMPTIONS

EXTERNAL FACTORS

EVALUATION Focus - Collect Data - Analyze and Interpret - Report

From http://www.uwex.edu/ces/pdande/evaluation/evallogicmodel.html 155

A THEORY OF CHANGE makes explicit our hypotheses and asumptions that underpin our beliefs about what will work and why and how it is likely to have the effect we anticipate

OUR THINKING Exposure to other ideas can also help us improve or reframe our thinking

Our thinking influences our choice of actions

Learning from our actions help us improve our thinking

PROGRAM STRATEGIES

OUR INTERVENTIONS OR ACTIONS

From http://www.theoryofchange.org/

2 5

Stakeholders

Indicators related to breakthroughs, domains and long-term goal

Desired Long Term Goal (related to population impact group)

4 Breakthou

Assumptions and Risks

Breakthou

3 1

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Domain of Change

Current Situation, including underlying causes/barriers to change

Pathways of Change

THEORY OF CHANGE: A graphic representation of the change process that also expresses causal connections between action and results but, rather than describing the outcomes of a programme, focuses on attaining a particular change and developing approaches to achieve this. A theory of change articulates underlying assumptions and describes a process of desired social change by making explicit the way we think about a current situation or problem, its causes, the long-term change we seek, and what needs to happen in society in order for that change to come about. By uncovering the collective thinking about what achievements are intended, interventions and actions can be developed and adapted more proactively as potential weaknesses or gaps are also identified. This focus on the intended change helps develop more coherent and nimble approaches to achieve this change

that reach beyond any specific programme, especially if the theory of change is collective, and regularly tested, reviewed and evaluated. In addition, successes and lessons can be easily demonstrated along the way.

ECO-CYCLE FRAMEWORK: As well as helping to describe the lifecycle of an initiative and the way decisions can feed into what comes next, the eco-cycle can also be valuable in defining the most useful kinds of evaluation for particular stages. For example, developmental evaluation supports the design and progress of innovation to guide creation and adaptation especially in emergent and complex situations,191 while a formative evaluation is focused on improving, strengthening and fine tuning an intervention or existing program. There may be some performance monitoring and process evaluation between exploitation and conserva-

DEVELOPMENT EVALUATION

ganisat

The release phase allows for a harvesting of knowledge to uncover patterns and/or principles of effectiveness and learning, ideally to feed into the next phase of the process. In this way an initiative or organisation can continue to evolve in ways that can most usefully contribute to the achievement of stated goals.

SUMMATIVE EVALUATION

rv se

ation

reo

tion when a summative evaluation can be useful where its merits or worth are assessed.

i explo

i at

FORMATIVE EVALUATION

lease

HARVESTING KNOWLEDGE

From http://www.appartenance-belonging.org/en/resources/ the_panarchy_loop 191

See Michael Quinn Patton (2011) Developmental Evaluation. The Guildford Press, New York.

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OUTCOME MAPPING: helps with 1) documentation of the journey; 2) reassessment (and revision) of the intended ‘destination’; and 3) improving capacities and capabilities to continue the journey. The process is participatory and focused on outcomes rather than impact, while recognising that impacts (desired changes in state) are the ultimate goal. Outcomes are understood as changes in behaviour, relationships, activities or action of people, groups and organisations with whom an initiative works directly. These outcomes can be logically linked to the initiative but are not necessarily caused by them. Guided by understanding of ‘boundary partners’ and spheres of influence, outcome mapping has three core stages: intentional design, outcome and performance monitoring, and evaluation planning. By using outcome mapping, contributions to such outcomes can be revealed and social and organisational learning can be influenced.

OUTCOMES HARVESTING: is a way of working out what has happened. It does not measure progress towards predetermined outcomes or objectives, but rather collects evidence of what has been achieved, and works backward to determine whether and how the project or intervention contributed to the change. It yields evidencebased answers to the following questions: • What happened? • Who did it (or contributed to it)? • How do we know this? Is there corroborating evidence? • Why is this important? What do we do with what we found out?

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Answers to these questions provide important information about the contributions made by a specific program toward a given outcome or outcomes.

MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGE: is a form of participatory monitoring and evaluation. Many stakeholders are involved both in deciding the sorts of change to be recorded and in analysing the data. The process occurs throughout the initiative cycle and provides information to help people manage activities and monitor progress towards goals while also providing information on impact and outcomes. Essentially, the process involves the collection of significant change stories from those directly involved and the systematic selection of the most significant of these stories by panels of designated stakeholders or staff. Various people then sit down together, read the stories aloud and have regular and often in-depth discussions about the value of these reported changes. The process has been recognised as effective in identifying unexpected changes; distinguishing prevailing values across groups and organisations; encouraging analysis as well as data collection from those closest; delivering a rich picture that requires no specialist skills, and useful in monitoring and evaluating bottom-up initiatives that do not have predefined outcomes against which to assess progress or achievement.

SPLASH AND RIPPLE: is a particular approach of outcomes measurement that uses metaphor to help grow understanding. The rock is a material Input, the person holding the rock is a human

resource Input. The act of dropping the rock is an Activity. When the rock reaches the water, it creates a splash. These are the outputs. The ripples, spreading out from the splash are the Outcomes, and then later the Impacts. The edge of the pond represents the geographic and population boundaries of the initiative. This tool is an outcomes measurement approach to planning and managing initiatives that encourages those involved to be clear both about what they are doing and what they are changing. Partly driven by a desire for greater accountability, outcomes measurement also helps to influence wise planning and management decisions. The Splash and Ripple approach includes five guiding ideas: time, reach, control, context, and learning and improvement. It has been used by police, justice and health services as well as communities and community groups.

COLLECTIVE IMPACT: is a highly structured cross-sector framework that aims to support and foster conditions for the total being more than the sum of the parts. Particularly useful in developing approaches for complex situations, Collective Impact helps groups of people and organisations to collaborate and coordinate their efforts towards a shared desired change in state. With five conditions, it offers a model for getting partners to develop a common vision from shared understandings and then to work towards that vision together and share learnings as they go.

THE FIVE CONDITIONS OF COLLECTIVE IMPACT Common Agenda

All participants have a shared vision for change including a common understanding of the problem and a joint approach to solving it through agreed upon actions.

Shared Measurement

Collecting data and measuring results consistently across all participants ensures efforts remain aligned and participants hold each other accountable.

Mutually Reinforcing Activities

Participant activities must be differentiated while still being coordinated through a mutually reinforcing plan of action.

Continuous Communication

Consistent and open communication is needed across the many players to build trust, assure mutual objectives, and create common motivation.

Backbone Support

Creating and managing collective impact requires a seperate organisation(s) with staff and a specific set of skills to serve as the backbone for the entire initiative and coordinate participating organisations and agencies.

Collective Impact also enables the development of a shared agreement on the process and outcome measures that lead to change, agreement on the activities, which move the needle on outcomes, and recognition of the value of resources to drive forward change.

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APPENDIX 9 CORE LEARNING CLUSTER: RESULTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS RAKIURA

MATAURA

• School Growth initiative: multiple creative strategies have seen pupil numbers increase from 10-32 in last 3½ years.

• Mataura Messenger: Local newsletter delivered to every household providing local news and community group profiles (from sports through to Al-anon). Collected and written locally, printed and supported by local community board.

• Snack and Yak: new connecting approach to bring together all 68 of the Island’s community groups on a regular basis, to share ideas and work together on projects. • Community Expo: held at the start of the summer season to link seasonal workers with the community groups and projects on the Island. Aimed at welcoming transient workers to be a part of the local community, build greater social cohesion, maximise potential volunteer labour force, share skills for community projects and explore whether or not these things contribute to more people choosing to stay on the Island long-term. • Retaining and upgrading the community swimming pool, based at the local primary school, to boost higher water temperatures for a longer swimming season and cater for a wider section of the population. • Visioning: an externally facilitated community visioning session resulted in a number of ideas themes and vision statements being identified.

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• Mataura Community Market: Provides shopping and business opportunities for local vendors. Run by local people on a monthly basis. • Mataura Community Garden: While initially started to provide budgeting options for families, this has become a social connector for many local people. Offshoot projects include fruit tree workshops, an educational calendar, direct support for high needs families via family workers, support to school garden club and providing produce for the local ‘Meals on Wheels’ service. Over 60 families use this garden during peak season. • Mataura Meals on Wheels: While originally providing frozen meals, locals felt it could be done better with fresh community garden produce. Now, meals are prepared and delivered in Mataura with fresh ingredients provided by the garden. This has created a contract for the local bistro operator who has opened the service to everyone (includes any person of any age).

• Mataura Bunker: Created to provide a safe, fun place for children and young people. Supported by a volunteer base and mainly funded by volunteers. Opens on a regular basis with Friday family nights including an internet café (5 stations), gym, pool tables, table tennis, Wii, Xbox and massive music system. • Mataura Swedefest: Created to provide community entertainment options. A family orientated day with games, demonstrations, etc. Night time format provides entertainment for adults – 2011 included a Master Chef competition with local town leaders competing. • Mataura Family Fun Day: Provides a low cost fun day for families, with a secondary objective to provide local groups with a platform to fundraise & market their activities. Approximately 1500 attended 2012 event. • Mataura SPCA Shop: Eastern Southland SPCA has little or no funding so created a second hand shop to help generate their own sustainable funding. Mataura property owner Jack Phillips provided a shop space at a minimal rent. The SPCA shop is supported by Mataura volunteers but provides a large array of sale goods not normally accessible locally. • Mataura Café: Started by local Community Board Chairman and his wife to demonstrate their

belief in the town and making things happen. Highly visible property, well patronised locally and by passing traffic. Provides employment for more than 3 locals. • Mataura Directory: Local listing of business, organisations, and other important numbers within Mataura. About to have its annual renewal (2nd year) the Directory will eventually become a fundraising resource for a local group. • Four community-led efforts (renovation of the former Mataura Library for use as a heritage centre; establishment of a pre-school playground; upgrading of the stage area of the old town hall; and assistance with completion of carving in the Wharenui) were awarded funding from the Coster Fund totaling $115,720. The Plunket Preschool Playground has already opened.

GOOD CENTS PORIRUA • Pacific Ministers are working with Good Cents to facilitate conversations and actions around the role of Church in supporting and growing financial stability in the community. These are new and different conversations and are leading to an ideas workshop for generating ideas and initiatives for church involvement and leadership with regard to financial security in Porirua.

• Good Cents courses are creating new links and partnerships. WINZ Porirua has become a strong supporter and the primary referrer of participants. Good Cents is now receiving very positive feedback from a range of sources, including WINZ, about the ‘different conversation’ that is being generated by people who participate on the Good Cents course. • Many of the Good Cents course participants are going on to get involved in voluntary work, including some supporting ongoing Good Cents courses. Conversations with participants who did the course between 12 and 18 months ago show that they are reaching the point of having paid off their loans (despite having had very limited support from Good Cents since completing the course) and are very determined not to borrow more going forward. • In response to community interest, Good Cents has created a facilitator training course. This has enabled the scaling up of the Good Cents course with a range of different facilitators, delivered more frequently and in different locations. • Good Cents contributed to a Parliamentary Learning Forum on Community-led Development held in the National caucus room which profiled Good Cents as a case study. This created a hum of interest among MPs about community-led development.

• The pilot of a Community Pantry including gardens, learning and community reciprocity as core elements, builds on the work of Good Cents. Both have their origins in the Wesley Porirua Food Bank and the recent evaluation shows that the pantry is a catalyst for people to take more control of their lives and have pride in themselves.

GREAT START TAITA • Tool library – many locals and organisations have donated tools to this initiative, plus a local resident maintains and runs the sessions. • Ideas volunteers – the Great Start garden has supported a locally based ‘differently abled’ group to regularly spend time at the Great Start house helping in general and creating their own garden space. • Individual gardeners adopting a plot – offers chances for local families to grow a garden for their family and to learn about gardening and sustainability. • Project Sunshine – originated from the Great Start Children’s Gardening Club. This initiaitve connects children to residents through neighbourhood planting and also connects Taita children to children from all over New Zealand. • Children’s Gardening Club — children from each of the three local primary schools interacted

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together as well as with the wider community. • Women’s Friendship Group — with the garden as a source of shared learning and opportunity for swapping skills, knowledge and growing food for cooking sessions. • Cooking sessions – grew from people interested in growing their own food then wanting to explore ways of using their produce. • Koha catering – some of the women who took part in the garden and cooking session then went on to start their own small catering initiative – it has attracted lots of interest from corporates such as Hutt City Council, Barnardos etc. • PD – the Great Start garden has made the experience of PD work groups more meaningful as a mutually respectful relationship and way of working has seen workers feeling a sense of co-creating and belonging; they take initiative and enjoy working here. • Corporate volunteer groups – the garden’s magic is infectious – groups want to come back and do more, even offer their own personal time. • Hutt City Council workshops – large groups including people from surrounding communities have attended sustainability workshops around the garden. • Horticultural Society – became interested and frequently support with donations. Great Start has supported in turn by entering our garden produce in Horticultural Society shows.

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• Bunnings Warehouse – Supported with materials to build the garden and have stayed connected with on-going support in terms of plants, tools, discounts etc. Great Start support in turn by promoting their community events etc. • Creating a Neighbourhood Park — this was a community-led initiative that became a partnership between Hutt City Council and primarily, Taita children. It has engaged the whole community, including people who are temporarily away from the community, such as Rimutaka Prison inmates who contributed to carvings in the park. - The park development has inspired other initiatives, for example the planting of a community shared orchard and development of a youth sporting area. - Increased community celebrations – in reaching milestones, the park has created the opportunity for numerous celebrations to be held that connect hundreds of people together, e.g. park opening, instalment of new entrance carvings, plantings, harvestings etc. Also Christmas gatherings, a place for mobile community sports days, picnics and much more! • Time Banking – has connected neighbours to neighbours through sharing their skills and time; increased community wellbeing – made people feel valued and worthwhile. Isolated people have gained confidence and reason to connect with others; and has created jobs – employed locals as coordinators.

• My Story – Children’s leadership programme aimed at building relationships across generations and different sectors. Brings together the different schools in the Taita/Pomare area as well as connecting them to others – teaching staff, parents, community members and groups, children. Joint initiatives include lobbying the Hutt City Council for funds and partnership to build a new playground. • Midwife Clinic – DHB working from Great Start. - Has enabled Great Start to meet expectant mums and families in their area and establish relationships, connections to support and parenting for new parents; through the SPACE programme, breastfeeding support, weekly teen parents support group, access to Well-Child providers. - Has facilitated connections between health professionals via the families they work with and attending various workshops and networking meetings. - Provided an alternative facility that met cultural and socioeconomic needs by being accessible, non-judgemental, homely and friendly. - Made it possible for some Taita community members, who are ‘harder to reach’ and/or have more complex issues, to receive the support they need – a ‘one-stop shop’ so to speak. • Spark the Dream fund — Great Start has ‘lightly held’ this initiative and been the connectors to enable people to manifest their dreams. For example, the Community Café,

a dream of a local grandmother, was started with the help of this fund and the result is a place where people come weekly to be together and get to know each other – there are regular patrons as well as newcomers. • Tumeke Taita – Great Start has been actively involved in the planning and support for this annual community celebration that is visited by thousands of people every year - Brings together all of the community young and old, in preparation and on the actual day - Gives the opportunity for people to be involved and participate in various ways, not just as visitors on the day but as stallholders, entertainment and activity providers, volunteers who help with security, site management, health & safety and so forth.

WAITARA • AmeriCARna – using town promotions to bring communities and businesses together. From no town-wide promotions to over 2000 people in the street, all schools involved and 90% business participation. • Youth Driver Licensing Roadshow – using a road show to get from 48.8% breach of license, 46.5% students driving unlicensed and 87% of fully licensed students drinking and operating a vehicle to 400 kids at roadshow, 23 free licenses achieved and no reoffending! • Street barbecues – opening channels of communication with residents and police resulted in a record number of registrations

to neighbourhood support, faster and easier resolution of street based crimes and on-going project development for safer streets. • Sport Central Waitara – eight sports codes working together for first time with strong governance structure and a development plan in place. Involves an inaugural stakeholder/funder partnership to create multi-million dollar sport park redevelopment now in progress.

ÕPÕTIKI • Persistent iwi and community effort to strengthen the local economy with tourism and aquaculture as key thrusts, and cultural and environmental sustainability at the core. • Iwi and local communities working together with local and central government to develop and open the Motu Trails cycleway, which is already attracting higher visitor numbers and a new locally-led business venture. • Cycleway project includes a much wished for walking connection from the township to the sea – realising a long-held local dream. • Whakatõhea-led commercial mussel trials at the offshore marine farm confirm scientific conclusion that the site is located in New Zealand's prime aquaculture space. A further year of trials will confirm stop/ go decision. A number of other shellfish species are also being trialled. Next steps include detailed site investigation for

a port and processing facility development. • Strong local and regional support and participation for Council Ten Year Plans (local and regional) which include investment in detailed planning for Harbour Development in readiness for stop/go decision on Mussel Farm. • A cross sector Advisory Group to Council supports the Twin Projects and continues to evolve (This is the result of the initial Theory of Change jointly developed between Inspiring Communities, Õpõtiki District Council (ODC) and Whakatõhea Mãori Trust Board in early 2010). • Growing understanding regionally and locally of the significance of Whakatõhea and Õpõtiki’s vision, and plans to match regional and national economic growth targets. • A five year Memorandum of Understanding between ODC and BayTrust, collectively focussed on community development, and nurturing a growing BayTrustWhakatõhea relationship. As a result of the Whakatõhea Wellbeing Survey, Whakatõhealed nurturing of new networks and a number of joint projects have actively enabled significant relationship development among local iwi, community, youth and social sector organisations and leadership – results are being seen in collaborative service and facility development. especially around young people and whãnau/families. • Engaging more people in education and training is a key thrust, with initiatives including

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Computers in Homes and the establishment of waka ama activities. • Õpõtiki Murals, led by the Õpõtiki Children’s Art House Trust, have continued to engage local children and young people in visioning and creating murals around the District which reflect their history, their culture, their environment and activities. This has enormous impact on both self-perception and the look and feel of the area. The Trust works with multiple organisations and networks locally. • A strong local culture of generosity and volunteerism which underpins a wealth of community activities, venues , events and services, now supported by an active i-Site which is co-housed with DoC.

KA MAU TE WERO TÃMAKI • Music and Arts Glen Innes Centre (MAGIC+) project: a working group set up to promote and advocate for music and arts in the community and especially for a purpose-built facility for the diverse peoples that live and work in Tãmaki. • Tãmaki Inclusive Engagement Strategy: a published book documenting local stories about ways of working that are respectful, reciprocal and inclusive; it has been communicated via workshops, books, presentations and modelling by local groups/programmes. • Tãmaki Community Action Research (CAR) project: action research conducted by trained volunteers to work with residents of Tãmaki to identify

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local assets, priorities, and aspirations, so that innovative strategies and solutions can be found to build upon these. • Tãmaki CAR-Tunes: local singing group helping to connect community via songs. • Cooking4Cuzzies: planning, creating and sharing food cooked using seasonal produce that is nutritious, affordable and utilising diverse cooking styles and methods. • Food Group: learning about food and educating about eating for good health, also gathering natural food resources. • GI Kuki Airani Aronga Pakiri Group: elderly Cook Island group set up to socialise, learn new things, keep the arts and culture from the Cook Islands alive; offer courses and workshops in Cook Island languages, crafts and drumming; give performances at events. • GI Chinese Friendship group: elderly Chinese group set up to meet twice weekly to do physical activities (e.g. table tennis, badminton, cultural and ballroom dancing, low impact aerobics, mahjong, volleyball), socialising, choral singing, playing traditional Chinese musical instruments, English and Cantonese language classes. • GI Friendship Events group: working group set up to organise quarterly community events to celebrate cultural diversity. • Manaiakalani: initiative led by local primary school (Pt. England Primary) to help families purchase notebooks for their primary-aged children

to use and promote e-learning – fabulous learning outcomes achieved and maintained. • Healthy Relationships in Tãmaki (HEART): a project to promote positive and loving family relationships in Tãmaki families.

MASSEY MATTERS/BACK2BACK • Te Raa Mokopuna – annual community/family fun event in Massey (while this didn’t run in 2012 due to staff changes, it is planned for 2013). Wide representation from community groups and agencies. In 2011 there were 56 stall holders. • Community network – supports youth and family violence sub groups. Community and local government stakeholders involved. • Community Hub Development – development of hub at West Harbour School. • Newsletter – bi-monthly, delivered to 8500 residents and agencies across Massey. • Enterprising Communities project – DIA funded community economic development project – working in Massey and currently developing 3 community employment gateways at existing community organisations to support local people into training and employment. • School based community events – 3 or 4 events at school sites throughout the year. On average around 300 residents attend these events. • Massey Matters Fund – $25,000 allocated annually to individuals and organisations in Massey. 100 new projects generated.

• Resident leadership workshops – co-hosted, a process involving 22 local leaders, with workbook resources made available for other communities to use and adapt. • Clean-up days – 9 clean-up days held involving 200 volunteers to enhance the Manutewhau stream and walkway. Around 3000 native plants planted and a new residents group formed to champion and continue local restoration efforts. • Neighbourhood resources for schools and communities – collaborated with 4 local schools and Neighbourhood Support to produce a new national curriculum based resource for schools on neighbourhood-led development. • Creating Great Neighbourhoods kit – worked with 25 local stakeholders to develop a starter kit for creating great neighbourhoods. • Worked alongside other partners to enable 5 new school holiday initiatives, 10 backyard/ community gardens, a major new pedestrian bridge, a new community hub. • 73 fortnightly e-newsletters with snippets of neighbourhood focused news and action sent to key 300+ Back2Back stakeholders to promote and celebrate all the great work happening.

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LINKS & RESOURCES PUBLICATIONS Archer, David; Cameron, Alex (2008). Collaborative leadership – how to succeed in and interconnected world. Butterworth Heineman. Block, P. (2002). The Answer to How is Yes: Acting on what matters. Berret-Koehler. Block, P. (2008). Community: The Structure of Belonging. Williston, VT: Berrett- Koehler. http://www.peterblock.com Born, Paul (2008). Community Conversations. BPS Books, Toronto. Born , Paul (2008). Creating Vibrant Communities. Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement, BPS Books. Brafman, O. and Beckstrom R. (2006). The Starfish and the Spider: the unstoppable power of leaderless organisations. Penguin. Book Summary available at http://ugnchicago.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/ Starfish-and-Spider-Ori-Brafman-Summary.pdf Brinkerhoff, Robert, A., 2002. The Success Case Method: Find out quickly what’s working and what’s not. Berrett-Koehler, San Francisco. Cabaj, M. ed. (2011). Cities Reducing Poverty, 2011, Tamarack http://tamarackcommunity.ca/g3_books3.html Canadian Centre for Community Renewal. The Community Resilience Manual. http://communityrenewal.ca/community-resilience-manual Carr, Margaret, 2001. An Assessment in Early Childhood Settings: Learning Stories. Sage, London. Chile, L. M. ed. (2007). Community Development Practice in NZ- Exploring Good Practice. Institute of Public Policy, AUT University. Chrzanowski, D., Rans S. and Thompson R. (Undated). Building Mutually-Beneficial Relationships Between Schools and Communities: The Role of a Connector. Asset Based Community Development Institute at Northwestern University. http://www.abcdinstitute.org/docs/Building%20Mutually%20Beneficial%20School-Community%20 Relationships.pdf Courtney. M. (2009). Putting Pen to Paper, and Putting Pen to Paper Profiles. Department of Internal Affairs and Waitakere City Council http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/learning-tools/putting-pen-paper Diers, J. (2002). Neighbor Power: Building community the Seattle way. University of Washington Press. http://www.neighborpower.org/ Earl, S., Carden, F. and Smutylo, T. 2001. Outcome mapping: Building learning and reflection into development programs. International Development Research Centre, Ottawa. http://www.idrc.ca/EN/Resources/Publications/ Pages/IDRCBookDetails.aspx?PublicationID=121 Gamble, J. (2010). Evaluating Vibrant Communities Canada: 2002-2010. Tamarack. http://tamarackcommunity.ca/ downloads/vc/VC_Evaluation.pdf Green, M with Henry Moore and John O’Brien (2006). ABCD in Action: When communities care enough to act. Inclusion Press. http://www.mike-green.org/act.php Harford, T. (2011). Adapt: Why success always starts with failure. Little Brown. Heath, C. and Heath, D. (2010). Switch: How to change things when change is hard. Random House. http://heathbrothers.com/books/switch/ Hutchinson, v. and the NZ Social Entrepreneur Fellowship (2011). How Communities Heal. The Jobs Research Trust. http://www.nzsef.org.nz/howcommunitiesheal Inspiring Communities (2010). What we are Learning about Community-Led Development in Aotearoa NZ.

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Inspiring Communities. http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/learning-tools/what-we-are-learning-2010 Inspiring Communities (2012). Engagement between Business and Community Organisations. Charities Commission. Department of Internal Affairs - Charities and Creative New Zealand. http://www.charities.govt.nz/ strengthening-your-charity/income/engagement-between-business-and-community-organisations/ Isaacs, W. (1999). Dialogue and the Art of Thinking Together. Doubleday. Kaplan, A. (2002). Development Practitioners and Social Process: Artists of the Invisible. Pluto Press. Lederach, J. P., Neufeldt, R. and Culbertson, H. (2007). Reflective Peacebuilding: A planning, monitoring and learning toolkit. Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame. http://kroc.nd.edu/sites/default/files/reflective_peacebuilding.pdf Lewis, M. and Conaty, P (2012). The Resilience Imperative: Cooperative transitions to a steady-state economy. New Society Publishers. Lifewise and Takapuna Methodist Church (2012). Evaluation of Know your Neighbours. http://lifewise.org.nz/about-lifewise/our-services/community-projects/know-your-neighbours Loomis, Terrence (2012). Community-led development in NZ: Dead end or New Opportunity? McAllan C. et al. (2009). Lessons Learned by Community Recovery Committees of the 2009 Victorian Bushfires: Advice we offer to communities impacted by disaster. http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/1300-lessons-learned-from-victorias-bushfires-go-global.html McKnight, J. and Block, P. (2010). The Abundant Community: Awakening the power of families and neighborhoods. Berrett- Koehler. http://www.abundantcommunity.com/ Patton, Michael Quinn (1997). Utilisation â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Focussed Evaluation. Sage, Thousand Oaks Patton, Michael Quinn (2011). Developmental Evaluation. The Guilford Press, New York. Raelin, J. A. (2010). The Leaderful Fieldbook: Strategies and Activities for Developing Leadership in Everyone. Boston, London: Davies-Black. Find more of his resources on http://www.leaderful.org/ Scott, C., Reid, M. and McNeill, J. (2011). Local Government Strategic Planning in Theory and Practice. Institute of Policy Studies, Victoria University of Wellington. http://igps.victoria.ac.nz/publications/publications/show/328 Sinek, S. (2009). Start With Why: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action. Portfolio Penguin. Taylor, M., Wilson, M., Purdue, D. and Wilde, P. (2007). Changing Neighbourhoods: The impact of 'light touch' support in 20 communities. Joseph Rowntree Foundation. http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/changing-neighbourhoods-impact-light-touch-support-20-communities. Accessed 20 November 2012. The Annie E. Casey Foundation (2006). Imagine, Act, Believe: A framework for learning and results in community change initiatives. The Annie E. Casey Foundation. http://ccitoolsforfeds.org/doc/ImagineActBelieve.pdf Torbert, B., & Associates. (2004). Action Inquiry: The Secret of Timely and Transforming Leadership. Berrett-Koehler. Torjman, S. and Makhoul, A. (2012). Community-led Development. The Caledon Institute of Social Policy http://www.caledoninst.org/Publications/PDF/978ENG.pdf Walljapser, J. (2007). The Great Neighborhood Book: A do-it-yourself guide to placemaking. New Society Publishers. Westley, F., Zimmerman, B and Quinn Patton, M. (2006). Getting to Maybe. Vintage Canada. Wheatley, M., J. (2006). Leadership and the New Science: discovering order in a chaotic world (3rd ed.). Berrett Koehler.

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LINKS & RESOURCES Wheatley, M., J. (2010). Perseverance. Berrett-Koehler. Wilson-Grau, Ricardo and Gritt, Heather (2012). Outcomes Harvesting. Ford Foundation. Zander, R. S and Zander, B. (2000). The Art of Possibility. Penguin Books.

ARTICLES Australian Social Inclusion Board (2009). Building inclusive and resilient communities. http://www.socialinclusion.gov.au/sites/www.socialinclusion.gov.au/files/publications/pdf/building-community-resilience-brochure.pdf Blake, Robbie and Pasteur, Katherine (undated). Learning from Practice. Empowering community organizations: A ‘light touch’ approach for long-term impact. Practical Action Ltd. http://practicalaction.org/docs/ia1/empowering-community-organizations.pdf. Accessed 10 February 2013. Cabaj Mark. Capturing and Making Sense of Outcomes 2011. http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/sites/inspiringcommunities.org.nz/files/capturing_and_making_sense_of_outcomes_1.pdf Hanleybrown, F., Kania, J. and Kramer, M. (2012) Channeling Change: Making Collective Impact Work. Stanford Social Innovation Review. Holdreg, Henrike and Holdreg, Craig (2012). Holding Gently: A story of social practice. http://natureinstitute.org/ pub/ic/ic27/holding_gently.pdf. Accessed 20 November2012. Hutchinson Vivian (2011), "It's going to take community" http://www.scribd.com/ agathis/d/54240668-It%E2%80%99s-Going-to-Take-Community-%E2%80%94-vivian-Hutchinson Inspiring Communities (2012). Thinking out loud. Inspiring Communities. http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/ sites/inspiringcommunities.org.nz/files/inspiring_communities_-_cld_think_piece_july_2012_0.pdf Kanier, J and Kramer, M. (2011). Collective Impact. Stanford Social Innovation Review. Kanier, J and Kramer, M. (2013). Embracing Emergence: How collective impact addresses complexity. Stanford Social Innovation Review. Miller, Gloria, E., 2004. The Success Case Method: Find out quickly what’s working and what’s not. Personnel Psychology, Vol 57. Rooke D and Torbert W. Seven Transformations of Leadership. Harvard Business Review 2005. http://www.newperspectives.com.au/downloads/seven%20transformations%20of%20leadership.pdf Schmitz, P. 2012. The real challenge for Collective Impact http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-schmitz/collective-impact_b_1920466.html: a critical interrogation of Collective Impact with many more links. Sneddon, P., 2004 Pakeha and the Treaty: Why it’s our treaty too http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0405/S00082.htm. Sull, D. (2007). Closing the Gap between Strategy and Execution. MIT Sloan Management Review, Summer. See http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/closing-the-gap-between-strategy-and-execution/ or for great six minute video on the strategy loop see http://www.london.edu/videoandaudio/podcasts/closingthegapbetweenstrategyandexecutionthestrategyloopinaction.html Surman, T. and Surman, M. (2008). Listening to the Stars: the constellation model of collaborative social change. Social Space. http://www.lcsi.smu.edu.sg/downloads/MarkSurmanFinalAug-2.pdf Zimmerman, B. (2011). Nine Emerging and Connected Organizational and Leadership Principles. http://archive. hsc.org.nz/sites/default/files/Nine_Organizational_Principles_-_from_Edgeware__adapted_for_website.pdf . Retrieved 7 April 2012, 2012

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WEB LINKS ABCD Institute http://www.abcdinstitute.org/ : The Asset-Based Community Development Institute (ABCD) is at the centre of a large and growing movement that considers local assets as the primary building blocks of sustainable community development. Building on the skills of local residents, the power of local associations, and the supportive functions of local institutions, asset-based community development draws upon existing community strengths to build stronger, more sustainable communities for the future. Aspen Institute http://www.aspeninstitute.org/: The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. Art of Hosting http://www.artofhosting.org/home/: is a pattern and a practice that allows us to meet our humanity in ourselves and in each other - as opposed to trying to be machines when meeting.The Art of Hosting training is an experience for deepening competency and confidence in hosting group processes - Circle, World Café and Open Space and other forms. At the Heart Resources http://www.familiescommission.org.nz/publications/forum-reports/at-the-heart/orderform: A dvd and workbook resource available for purchase. Developed from learning gathered at the Victory Village Forum in 2011, this DVD shares ideas and examples from those working with communities about what working in in family-centered, community-led ways is all about. The DVD has four core modules and is designed to be used as both a training and reflective discussion tool for organisations and communities Bank of I.D.E.A.S http://www.bankofideas.com.au/ : The Bank of I.D.E.A.S. operates from the basic assumption that communities do not develop from the ‘top down’ or from ‘the outside in’. It believes that communities need to build from ‘the inside out’, and for their residents to invest themselves, ideas, assets, capabilities and resources in the process. Be. Accessible http://www.beaccessible.org.nz/: Be. Accessible enriches the lives of all people, by inspiring and enabling greater accessibility for all. See the possibility, seize the opportunity and Be. the change. Caledon Institute http://www.caledoninst.org/: The Caledon Institute of Social Policy does rigorous, high-quality research and analysis; seeks to inform and influence public opinion and to foster public discussion on poverty and social policy; and develops and promotes concrete, practicable proposals for the reform of social programs at all levels of government and of social benefits provided by employers and the voluntary sector. Carnegie Trust http://www.carnegieuktrust.org.uk/home : The Carnegie UK Trust works to improve the lives of people throughout the UK and Ireland, by changing minds through influencing policy, and by changing lives through innovative practice and partnership work. Community Economic Development Network http://www.ced.org.nz/: Two conferences and ongoing bulletins focusing on community economic development. Canadian Center for Community Renewal http://www.communityrenewal.ca/: CCCR is committed to crafting solutions and adaptations to the critical challenges stemming from climate change and peak oil. Our priority is working with communities to increase their resilience, especially their capacity to equitably meet their needs for food, energy, finance, shelter, and sustainable livelihoods. Cities reducing poverty http://tamarackcommunity.ca/g3s61_VC_2011g.html In this podcast, Garry Loewen speaks with Mark Cabaj about Tamarack's new book, Cities Reducing Poverty - How Vibrant Communities are Creating Comprehensive Solutions to the Most Complex Problem of our Times which profiles the work of six different Canadian cities as they worked collaboratively to reduce poverty, synthesizing the experience of Vibrant Communities Canada over the past decade into a set of powerful lessons for any city eager to address this complex issue. Collective Impact http://www.fsg.org/tabid/191/ArticleId/211/Default.aspx?srpush=true articles, video, webinar and conference details.

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LINKS & RESOURCES CONTRIBUTION ANALYSIS http://www.cgiarlac.org/files/publications/briefs/ILAC_Brief16_Contribution_Analysis.pdf: John Mayne provides a way of assessing contribution to outcomes and change for when it is not practical to design an experiment to assess performance. Using a theory of change approach and paying attention to other factors that may influence the outcomes can provide reasonable evidence about the contribution being made by the programme. Flaxroots http://www.flaxroots.org.nz/: Flaxroots supports communities to be in the driving seat of planning and deciding how to improve their neighbourhoods. It is a community-led initiative that actively engages local people on issues affecting their areas. Flaxroots harnesses the community’s interest in solving local problems, contributing fresh ideas and increasing voluntary effort to generate new solutions. Communities take charge of developing a vision for their neighbourhood, translating it into community action plans which summarise locally identified priorities, goals, and aspirations. Hikurangi Foundation http://hikurangi.org.nz/: The Hikurangi Foundation supports and grows social enterprises and ambitious communities to deliver solutions to climate change, resource limits and environmental degradation. Impact Blues http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzerM1vY4eM: Terry Smutlyo sings about the differences between outcomes and impact. Inspiring Communities tools http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/learning-tools : Tools that are used successfully in by New Zealand communities to help achieve the vision of an Aotearoa where all communities flourish. Inspiring Stories http://www.inspiringstories.org.nz/: Inspiring Stories is a charitable trust based in Wellington, operating nationwide. Our mission is to be a catalyst for action – to showcase what’s possible, build capability & celebrate young New Zealanders leading change. Leadership learning Community http://www.leadershiplearning.org/blog/eleanor-cooney/2012-09-21/2012-webinar-strengthening-collective-impact-leadership-development-t: Strengthening the Collective Impact of Leadership Development Webinar. Maytree http://maytree.com/: Maytree invests in leaders to build a Canada that can benefit from the skills, experience and energy of all its people. Policy insights promote equity and prosperity while programs and grants create diversity in the workplace, in the boardroom, the media, and in public office. This is changing the face of leadership in Canada. Ministry of Awesome http://www.ministryofawesome.com/: Ministry of Awesome exists to water the seeds of awesome in Christchurch. This is a space for your own awesome ideas to flower! Neighborhood Empowerment Network http://empowersf.org/: The Neighborhood Empowerment Network (NEN) is about empowering the neighborhoods of San Francisco with the capacity to steward themselves to a resilient condition. It includes tools, resources and methodologies to advance resilience at the community level in a bottom up grass roots approach. Neighborhood Matching Fund http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/nmf/: The Neighborhood Matching Fund was created in 1988 to provide neighborhood groups with City resources for community-driven projects that enhance and strengthen their own neighborhoods. All projects are initiated, planned and implemented by community members in partnership with the City. Every award is matched by neighborhoods’ or communities’ resources of volunteer labor, donated materials, donated professional services or cash. This community match is at the heart of the NMF Program. NESTA http://www.nesta.org.uk/areas_of_work/public_services_lab/past_projects_public_services_lab/ neighbourhood_challenge: The Neighbourhood Challenge was a programme from Nesta and the Big Lottery Fund in the UK. It aimed to support and learn about community-led innovation. It showed how community organisations – when equipped with the right skills, practical tools and small, catalytic amounts of money – can galvanise people to work together to create innovative responses to local priorities, particularly in neighbourhoods with low levels of social capital.

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New Economics Foundation http://www.neweconomics.org/: is an independent think-and-do tank that inspires and demonstrates real economic well being. It aims to improve quality of life by promoting innovative solutions that challenge mainstream thinking on economic, environment and social issues by working in partnership and putting people and the planet first. Philanthropy New Zealand http://www.philanthropy.org.nz/: Philanthropy New Zealand is primarily for organisations that give money but also encourages all Kiwis to think about their giving, their generosity. The organisation believes that the way in which philanthropy is carried out - whether we give money, time, or experience - can build social capital in our communities and will enrich Aotearoa New Zealand. Our Amazing Place http://site.ouramazingplace.org.nz/: Our Amazing Place Community Treasure Hunts are free community events running throughout New Zealand that seek to connect people to their local communities. People, places, businesses and services are all profiled and discovered in a fun treasure hunt trail around a local neighbourhood. The treasure hunt trail features a number of stations which each have a challenge, activity or task that must be completed to gain a stamp for their "passport". The participants then head to a final destination for a celebratory event of people, place and prize draws! Pomegranate Center http://www.pomegranatecenter.org: The Pomegranate Centre works from the belief that the future depends on our ability to work together to find the best solutions, to use resources wisely, and to learn to see our differences as gifts. With a unique style of community-building that combines a creative approach with effective community planning, broad public participation, hands-on learning and leadership development, beautiful places are created, the economy grows, health improves, resources are better used, crime goes down, and people are happier. Project for Public Spaces http://www.pps.org/: Project for Public Spaces (PPS) is a nonprofit planning, design and educational organization dedicated to helping people create and sustain public spaces that build stronger communities. Our pioneeringÂ placemakingÂ approach helps citizens transform their public spaces into vital places that highlight local assets, spur rejuvenation and serve common needs. Sustainable Business Council http://www.sbc.org.nz/: The Sustainable Business Council (SBC) is a CEO led group of companies that catalyses the New Zealand business community to have a leading role in creating a sustainable future for business, society and the environment. Sustainable business in New Zealand improves economic prosperity, develops people in workplaces, enhances our environment, and strengthens communities without compromising future generations. It aspires to optimise financial, social and natural capital. Sustainable Business Network http://www.sustainable.org.nz/: Sustainable Business Network members are about profit that benefits communities, employees and the natural environment as well as shareholders â&#x20AC;&#x201C; profit for the 21st century. The Sustainable Business Network provides advice and support to help business succeed through becoming more sustainable. We support our members year-round with networking opportunities, practical tools, training and sustainability assessments. Take Part http://www.takepart.org/fullresourcedirect.aspx is a learning approach in the UK that helps people develop the skills, confidence and knowledge to become more active in their communities and influence public policies and services. Their site includes a great range of resources around active citizenship Tamarack http://tamarackcommunity.ca/: Tamarack is an Institute dedicated to the art and science of community engagement and collaborative leadership. The Barefoot Guides http://www.barefootguide.org have been written by community development practitioners mainly working in South Africa. They are written in very accessible language, with great stories to illustrate their messages. Their second series focus on around building a strong learning orientation in our work. The Plexus Institute http://www.plexusinstitute.org is a community of diverse people committed to fostering the health of individuals, families, communities, organisations and the natural environment by helping people use concepts emerging from the new science of complexity. Tipu Ake ki te Ora Lifecycle http://www.tipuake.org.nz/index.php: is an easily applied, and action focused leadership model that exploits Kiwi style teamwork. It provides new tools for organisations that wish to grow into dynamic living entities, rather than just behaving like machines. 171

LINKS & RESOURCES Transition Towns http://www.transitiontowns.org.nz/: Transition Towns initiatives are part of a vibrant, international grassroots movement that brings people together to explore how we â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as communities - can respond to the environmental, economic and social challenges arising from climate change, resource depletion and an economy based on growth. Vibrant Communities http://www.vibrantcommunities.ca/: Vibrant Communities is about significantly reducing the human, social and economic cost of poverty by creating a connected learning community of 100 Canadian cities with multi-sector roundtables addressing poverty reduction. Our goal is aligned poverty reduction strategies in cities, provinces and the federal government resulting in reduced poverty for 1 million Canadians. Village Planning Porirua http://www.pcc.govt.nz/Community/Community-Projects/Village-Planning-Programme: The award-winning Village Planning Programme is a groundbreaking partnership between Porirua City Council and its communities. It puts communities in charge of developing a vision for their neighbourhoods and then partnering with Council to make it happen. This vision is brought together through community consultation and developed into Village Plans, which lay out the community's goals and aspirations for the future of their neighbourhood.

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GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Accessibility barriers

Actions, policies, processes, etc which prevent positive working relationships - including overly complicated funding applications, short time frames for communities to respond, unwillingness to partner with communities, lack of dedicated community liaison staff.

Active citizens

Those who participate in community life, and take action to support and improve their community in proactive, positive and ongoing ways

Active relationships

Relationships involving people talking, planning, working and learning together to achieve shared visions and goals.

Adaptive learning

Using learning to adapt action plans in an ongoing way so that each phase of activity builds on new knowledge about what did or didn't work previously.

Ako

MĂŁori concept that reflects we are teachers and learners at the same time.

Alchemy

A seemingly magical process of transformation and creation.

Anchor organisation

An organisation that provides a range of 'overarching' support functions thereby enabling community-led initiatives to focus on the 'doing' - this may include fund or contract holding, payroll, guidance/advice, asset management, providing office space, convening or administration support.

Asset mapping

A process to identify, collect and collate the various skills, resources, networks and strengths that exist within a community.

Attribution

Attribution is where the initiative or action directly caused the observed outcomes; the outcomes are a direct result of this initiative/action, intended or not.

Authentic relationships

Relationships that are genuine and built on the values of honesty, openness and mutual respect.

Awhi

MĂŁori word meaning support, embrace, cherish.

Backbone organisation

A coordinating body or organisation who supports collaboration partners in a range of ways such as by convening meetings, supporting agreed work programmes and tasks, establishing shared measurement systems and practices, seeking/holding funds on behalf of the partners, communicating with stakeholders etc.

Broker

Brokers, or community brokers, are those who help bring people, organisations, ideas, resources and action together â&#x20AC;&#x201C; building and catalysing relationships as they go.

Bumping place

Places that encourage and enable informal connections and contact between community members which in turn helps build relationships, and shared sense of identity and belonging.

Capability building

Interventions aimed at enhancing the necessary knowledge, attitude, and skills within a community.

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GLOSSARY OF TERMS

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Capacity building

The process of developing and strengthening the skills, abilities, structures, policies, processes, practices and resources (including time and genuine engagement) that individuals, organisations and communities need to survive, adapt, thrive and achieve their goals.

Catalytic leaders

Dynamic, highly motivated, and inspiring people who proactively lead others into action towards goals.

Charismatic leaders

Leaders who grow followings based on their positive personalities, gifted communication skills and enthusiasm.

Civic leadership

Civic leadership is about citizens within a community identifying, analysing, and collaborating in order to solve pressing community needs and/or opportunities.

Civil society

A space where people participate from across all the many different spheres and our different roles in society in a leaderful way to dialogue, debate, define, grow capability and co-create a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;good societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

CLD initiative

A project that utilises CLD principles in practice to achieve its aims.

CLD practitioner

Someone experienced in or directly involved in 'doing' or enabling/supporting CLD to happen.

CLD constituency

Those supporting and or actively involved in a CLD initiative.

Co-design or co-creation

An inclusive, collaborative, and participatory process that recognises the value of multiple stakeholders working together, and actively engages all in order to create something. This could be a vision, process, project or product.

Collaboration

A process of two or more parties working together with shared decision making, and agreed principles for how they will work with each other to achieve shared visions and goals.

Collaborative governance

A process whereby power is shared and multiple stakeholders lead together.

Collective learning

Learning together and/or bringing learning together from a wide range of perspectives.

Community

A group of people who share common elements, for example common history, ethnicity, culture, geography, or interests.

Community building

An intentional process to create or enhance a sense of belonging, identity, connection and participation among individuals within a given area or with a common interest.

Community capital

The range of social, cultural, environmental and financial/economic assets and strengths that exist within a community.

Community hub

A base or space within a local community where local residents can get information, advice, meet other locals, participate in or lead activities, and/or access a range of services and support they may need.

Community mandate

Authority given by a community (usually via voting) to designated individuals or organisations to work on their collective behalf.

Community mobilisation

A process of community self organisation to ensure a wide range of people are actively involved and participating in identified tasks or action.

Community of place

A geographic community of people who share a common location together because of where they reside, work, visit or otherwise spend a continuous portion of their time.

Community of practice

A group of people with a shared interest, craft, profession or passion who meet to discuss and share their experience and knowledge.

Community resilience

The ability of a community to utilise available resources to respond to, withstand, and recover from adverse situations or crises.

Complex issues

Are those to which there is no easy or guaranteed solution. Complex issues are difficult to frame, have multiple root causes and are hard to eliminate. Addressing them requires involvement of multiple stakeholders investing time and resources to explore and test a range of potential solutions that best fit each communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique context and circumstance.

Contribution

Contribution is where the initiative or action helped to achieve the outcomes; the outcomes happened as a result of many factors working together.

Cross-sectoral leadership

Leaders from a number of different sectors intentionally working together to achieve shared goals.

Culture

In terms of community change efforts, culture reflects how things get done in a place, i.e. the informal rules and norms that influence how things happen.

Crowd sourcing

The practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or resources by inviting contributions from a large group of people - especially in an online way.

Decentralisation

The process of redistributing or spreading functions, powers, people or things away from a central location or authority.

Deficit thinking

Focusing on problems, deprivation, gaps, or areas of perceived underperformance, and developing actions to address these.

Dependency

Over reliance on others for funding, support, assistance etc - the opposite of self sufficiency.

Developmental approach

Rather than being prescribed in advance, strategies and best courses of action emerge as people work together.

Developmental evaluation

A process of thinking, planning, implementing and evaluating that is continuous and simultaneous, so that actions and interventions can be adapted on an ongoing basis â&#x20AC;&#x201C; thus ensuring a higher chance of success.

Distributed knowledge

Information and learning is widely spread and shared across a large group of people.

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Devolution

The formal granting of power and decision-making to a different level or group of people.

Eco cycle

Natural process of birth, life and death.

Emergent solutions

Rather than known in advance, the best course of action is discovered and developed as people plan, talk, work and reflect together.

Empowerment

The process of giving of confidence, skills, support and power to others so they can actively shape, influence, lead, and be part of what happens in their place, and how it happens.

Enabling role

Supporting others to achieve their goals with the resources you have. This could include funding, moral support, meeting space, advocacy etc.

Extractive consultation

When an agency asks for feedback and input from a group of people or community, and then fails to report back a summary of the information gathered, and how the input contributed to agency decision-making.

Fail forward

Consciously applying learning from what didn't work to the next phase of planning/activities.

Family foundation

A philanthropic organisation established by family to distribute funding to community change efforts they wish to support.

Feedback loop

The process of collecting results and learning about what worked or didn't, and why, in order to inform the next round of planning and doing.

Framework or theory of change

A process that documents desired community outcomes and articulates the goals and actions that will be taken to achieve them. Also included in the framework are underlying assumptions and beliefs about how change is anticipated to happen. Indicators of success are identified, along with how change in community can be noticed and measured.

Framing

The structure, including assumptions that underpin the way in which something is named, described or put into a particular context.

Gentle approach

Involves going slowly, listening before speaking/acting, seeing where others' energy and interests lie, and encouraging and supporting others to lead.

Governance

Decision making power.

Government capture

Government-led policy direction, regulations, systems and communications change the nature and ownership of an initiative, process or project.

HapĂş

Groups of extended families who lived in close proximity within part of a tribal boundary.

Impacts

Changes in state.

Incremental changes

Small scale changes that often build upon or are related to other smaller changes that have come before – and those which are yet to come.

Indicator

Something that helps us to understand where we are, where we are going and how far we are from the goal.

Infrastructure planning

The basic physical, social and organisational structures, services and facilities necessary for a community to function. While traditionally focused on technical or physical structures such as roads, bridges, water supply, and telecommunications, aspects such as services, networks and community facilities such as schools, libraries, playgrounds are increasingly recognised as an essential part of this mix.

Input

Something that is added to enable a creative process or product.

Interdependent thinking

Rather than individual or separate streams of thought, everything is inter-related.

Institutional relationships

Relationships and ways of talking and working between diverse groups, organisations and agencies.

Interconnection

Intertwining of multiple connections – each as part of the other.

Intuitive knowledge

Understandings and beliefs developed from practical experience, practise wisdom and 'gut feel.'

Iwi development

An iwi-led planning framework that guides and supports the achievement of cultural, economic, social and environmental aspirations of a distinct tribal community.

Joiners

Those who follow others and become part of projects, processes or initiatives.

Joining up

Process of coming together, finding alignments, common ground, sharing resources and coordinating efforts to achieve shared goals.

Kanoi ki te kanoi

Speaking or meeting face to face.

Kaumãtua

Respected Mãori elder of either gender, appointed by their people to teach and guide both current and future generations.

Kaupapa

Shared philosophy, purpose and focus.

Leaderful

Joseph Raelin coined the term 'leaderful' around four dimensions that are different from a traditional leadership model. Concurrent, rather than serial leadership enables more than one person to lead at the same time. Collective leadership is the focus, rather than individual leaders. Collaborative, participatory decision- making is the dominant style rather than more controlling, top down approaches. Compassionate leadership is reflected in ‘whole person’ relationships, rituals and events, rather than a detached, dispassionate focus on work tasks and boundaries.

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Learning and outcomes story

Community directed stories of change and learning that describe what and how actions have contributed to achieving intended goals and what new knowledge and change has resulted.

Leveraging

Gaining advantage by utilising, linking to or building off existing relationships, knowledge, resources, arrangements or organisations.

Lightly hold

See gently hold.

Lived experience

Someone who has direct personal experience of the issue/theme identified, e.g. poverty, housing, neighbourhood leadership.

Living systems

Living systems are open, self-organising, and ever changing as a result of interacting with the environment (information, energy, relationships, activities) around them.

Macro issues

Large scale, complex and widespread issues that impact many communities. They require addressing at a higher level (usually national or international), e.g. poverty, family violence, protecting native flora and fauna.

Mainstreet programmes

Mainstreet programmes and business improvement districts are based on a partnership between local government, the local business community, and the community at large and focus on keeping 'main streets' vibrant and prosperous.

Manaakitanga

Hospitality, kindness.

Matched funding

Funds that are granted when an equal contribution is also made by the applicant organisation - which can be comprised of labour/time, professional services, donated goods and/or cash.

Means and ends

Refers to a process or action (the means) that delivers an outcome or result(ends).

Middle space (or 'space in between')

A conceptual space where multiple visions, ideas, challenges and ways of working are 'held'. By talking and working openly together, new shared ways forward are co-created that may or may not resemble original ideas, visions etc of the parties involved.

Most significant change

A form of participatory monitoring and evaluation. It is participatory because many project stakeholders are involved in deciding the sorts of change to be recorded, and in analysing the data gathered. It is a form of monitoring because it occurs throughout the programme cycle and provides information to help people manage it.

Neighbourhood

A smaller geographic community within a city, town, suburb or rural area normally a few adjoining blocks or streets.

Neighbourhood strengthening

Working with local people to build social cohesion and the capacity and capability of local people to lead and/or contribute to positive change in their community.

Neighbours Day Aotearoa

Neighbours Day Aotearoa (NDA) is a campaign that encourages thousands of kiwis to engage in small and local acts of neighbourliness.

Nimbility

The ability and capacity to be responsive in a quick and light-footed way.

Organic

Working in ways that are flexible, adaptable and directly related to community context and conditions, with next steps and actions arising from conversations, collaboration, input and investments from others.

Outcomes

The impacts and effects aimed for at the end of a programme, project or action.

Outcomes harvesting

An approach used to monitor and evaluate the achievements by collecting evidence of what has been achieved, and working backwards to determine whether and how the project or intervention contributed to the change.

Outcomes mapping

An approach used to make direct links between project activities and specific outcomes.

Outputs

The end products that result from performing a specific service, project or activity.

Outsider

Someone not from, or connected to, a particular place.

Overarching goal

A high level collective aspiration, aim and/or intention that may be worked towards and contributed to in different ways by different groups.

Paradigm

A philosophical or theoretical framework that includes a set of assumptions, theories, concepts, values and practices.

Participatory process

A way of working that is designed to actively include a wide range, if not all, key stakeholders.

Partnering approaches

Ways of working with others where the various parties contribute in shared coordinated ways towards mutually agreed outcomes.

Peer support

Colleagues or other people who meet as equals to provide knowledge, experience, emotional, social or practical help to each other.

Philanthropy

The effort or inclination to increase the wellbeing of humankind by charitable aid, acts or donations.

Piecemeal change

Change that happens 'bit by bit'. Can be fragmented and disjointed but may also be incremental if linked to other change efforts.

Policy

A course of action, agreed approach and/or guiding principles.

Place based

Being focused on location.

Practice

The action or process of doing something.

Practice-based evidence

Information that is derived from action undertaken in the real world rather than a controlled experiment or an application of already 'proven' ways of working.

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Practice outcome

An outcome that happens in direct relationship to how things are done. These are outcomes that are directly related to the processes being used, such as upskilling of particular groups to work collaboratively.

Process

Way of doing things.

Programme logic

A way of representing the sequential inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and impacts of a particular programme of work.

Prototype

An initial model from which other forms or versions are developed or copied.

Rangatahi

Young people.

Readiness for school

Being fully prepared for school.

Red tape

Excessive regulation or rigid conformity to formal rules that are considered redundant or bureaucratic and obstruct or prevent action or decision-making.

Reflective learning

The process of considering and analysing outcomes from actions and activities in order to learn more about what happened and why.

Reflective practice

The process of improving individual and group skills by reflectively reviewing the impact and effectiveness of actions in real time.

Relational accountability

Effort invested is governed more by a sense of obligation to those you're working with than by a set of formal rules or contract expectations.

Resilience

The ability to positively adapt to changes or challenges that occur.

Resources

A stock or supply of money, materials, staff, and other assets that can be drawn on by a person, group or organisation in order to function and to achieve intended outcomes.

Sector

A grouping of ‘related’ aspects, activities, or organisations.

Seed

To provide initial ideas or resources that over time, and with the right support and conditions, will grow into something bigger.

Sense of belonging and identity

Knowing who we are and feeling connected to a place and others in that place.

Silo'ed thinking

Ways of thinking that are confined, and not open to, or interacting with other knowledge, approaches or ways of working. Frequently driven by management or organisational approaches.

Social capital

The formal and informal social networks, support, community values and helping structures that exist within a community.

Social enterprise

A social enterprise is led by an economic, social, cultural or environmental mission consistent with a public or community benefit; they trade to fulfil their mission, derive a substantial portion of their income from trade, and reinvest the majority of their profit/surplus in the fulfilment of their mission.

Social justice

The exercise of justice in a society or community which is based on principles of equality and solidarity.

Social media

Internet based interactions among people in which information and ideas are created, shared, and exchanged in virtual communities and networks, such as through Facebook and Twitter.

Stakeholder

People with a vested interest in a place, initiative, or issue.

Statutory funding organisation

Statutory organisations that have legal obligations to distribute funds to the community, for example the Lottery Board, Energy, Licensing and Gaming Trusts.

Stepping up

Taking leadership, responsibility, or initiative to help make something happen.

Strengths based

An approach that assesses the inherent strengths of a situation or place and then develops actions that builds on these strengths.

Structures

Structure refers to the arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of something complex.

Subsidiarity

An organising principle of decentralisation whereby a matter should be handled by the smallest, lowest, or least centralised authority capable of addressing that matter effectively.

Systems change

(also see systems thinking below). Changes overall to how things happen, or relationships between structures.

Systems thinking

Systems thinking is the process of understanding how things influence one another– for example in nature, ecosystems involve various elements such as air, water, movement, plants, and animals work together to survive or perish. In organizations, systems consist of people, structures, and processes that work together to make an organization healthy or unhealthy. Systems thinking is an approach to problem solving. Problems are approached as part of an overall system, which minimises the risk of reacting to specific parts, outcomes or events, and potentially contributing to further development of unintended consequences.

Te Ao Mãori

Mãori world view: customs, beliefs, traditions, language, values and culture.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand's founding document signed between the British Crown and Mãori in 1840.

Tangata whenua

A Mãori term of the indigenous peoples of New Zealand and literally means ‘people of the land’, from tangata, 'people' and whenua 'land.'

Tipping point

The point at which a slow reversible change becomes irreversible.

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Tools

Systems, processes or techniques.

Transformative change

Significant and multilayered systems change that's profound, fundamental and irreversible.

Translator

A person who understands different community systems and processes, and can interpret/help others to engage or work with new people in new ways.

Túrangawaewae

Literal translation is a 'place to stand', i.e. the place where you belong through kinship and whakapapa.

Virtual organisation

Members are geographically apart, usually working by computer, email, and shared IT systems, while appearing to others to be single, unified organisations with a real physical location.

Whakapapa

Genealogy, descent, lineage back to your ancestors.

Whakawhanaungatanga

The process of establishing relationships and getting to know one another.

Whãnau

A Mãori concept that encompasses a broader understanding, including blood relations, as well as friends and community members who act like family and undertake family roles.

World café

A technique for facilitating purposeful conversations involving large groups of people.

World view

The beliefs that shape the way we see and interpret the world.