A social rebuild

1. I love seeing our city rise again. But our physical rebuild and our social rebuild are not the same. Just because one is in hand doesn’t mean the other is.

2. It is so important that we do what we can to ensure the places we build - where we spend so many hours of our lives - are part of our community, and not just part of the map.

Otherwise, we risk a scenario where the businesses or residents in areas emerging today may still be only a collection of strangers with similar addresses ten years from now.

How can that lead to a more resourceful and caring society, better able to care for each other and our planet? It certainly won’t help us get any closer to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030!

3. Fortunately, the global trend is clear. What people want, even in cities, is good old-fashioned neighbourhood. We need connection to each other as well as a sense of belonging to a place. Page 21

4. If you’re curious about how to make change happen, here are two things you could look up. One is the Town Team Movement.

It’s an award-winning approach to place governance at the community level that brings together anyone who wants to be part of making the area they care about into the best it can be.

5. The other is SALT District. It’s the area around St Asaph, Lichfield and Tuam Streets (where Little High is).

SALT District is significant because it is the first neighbourhood in New Zealand to adopt the Town Team way.

Here, locals set the intention to become a neighbourhood now and not wait 10 years for magic to happen. SALT District’s choice shifted them from the realm of tactical thinking to strategic thinking.

6. Did it matter? Absolutely. As physicist Max Planck is supposed to have said, “when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”.

For SALT, considering what builds community and benefits the area, as well as the city, changed the way they might have otherwise done things, and changed outcomes.

7. That choice to think about the bigger picture instead of just the individual bits is one any fragmented neighbourhood can make, but I do think it helps to have some facilitation and a little leg-up.

8. SALT District are doing it. After only a couple of years building on local assets and the smallest amount of public funds, they’ve used an impressive bunch of collaborations to develop their community, identity and destinations. They’ve become award-winning placemakers.

Many involved think if the central city had up to 10 walkable little 5-minute neighbourhoods, each built around what makes them special and unique, the whole city would be pretty unique and amazing.

9. Based on my experience facilitating SALT District, I know that putting resources around neighbourhood development is crucial. It amplifies everyone’s impact.

10. I imagine a future where each neighbourhood wishing to develop as such receives three years of part-time facilitation by a dedicated community development advisor, and, as you can’t build something from nothing, each can access ongoing support of up to $20K per year to support hyperlocal organising strength and provide a small financial platform to amplify value from.

We’d no longer be trying to whistle that symphony alone; we’d be playing together. Now that’s a social rebuild.

Laura Taylor is Principal Placemaking Advisor at Ōtākaro Ltd, a Crownowned development company based in Ōtautahi, Christchurch.

Reshoring manufacturing in New Zealand

The advent of COVID-19 has forced many industries to adapt to a new way of doing things - the ‘new normal’, as it’s being called. It’s not always a bad thing; for New Zealand’s manufacturing sector, the pandemic is presenting some opportunities as well as challenges. Many New Zealand businesses outsource some or all of their manufacturing offshore and have had to re-evaluate how to continue production as their offshore options become no longer available. What this has meant is manufacturers have been looking at fulfilling their requirements back home, playing a major role in revitalising NZ’s economy. Part of this economic upturn will include Kiwi businesses using local manufacturers providing employment opportunities through the sector.

Cost effectiveness – is overseas really cheaper?

Outsourcing is a viable strategy for achieving a ‘leaner’ approach to manufacturing and it applies to New Zealand contract manufacturers, as well as those offshore. A business is still outsourcing - but the manufacturing is done here in New Zealand. When a business decides to outsource their manufacturing to a contractor, they’ll save money in a number of ways, including:

Scaling resources to fit demand

- there’s no need to hire people with specific skills for particular, possible short-term projects. This reduces the administration of related resource management like holiday pay, sick leave, training costs and staff turnover. Health and safety costs - this isn’t an issue if the manufacturing is being done off-site, and there aren’t any compliance headaches either.

Looking to the future

As well as strengthening local supply chain links, New Zealand businesses should be looking to invest in additional inventory space to keep supply inputs on hand in case of future supply disruptions. As disruptive and challenging as Covid-19 is, the past few months have helped strengthen the belief in local manufacturing; to create more jobs, increase local revenues and to safeguard the economy. It’s not the end of globalisation, but global supply chains are likely to become less integrated over the next few years. What the pandemic has done is highlight the risk of relying too heavily on offshore outsourcing, and if Kiwi businesses continue to operate with supply chains that are too exposed to global trends, they’re facing a struggle in the event of future outbreaks. Page 25

Meet Lorenzo Massetti – our Sales Consultant at Bupa Parkstone Retirement Village.

Lorenzo Massetti is a face and name you’re not likely to forget! With his jovial manner, well-dressed attire, and super friendly nature, he’s bound to put you straight to ease the moment you meet him.

Having worked for over 20 years as a Funeral Director, Lorenzo made the change to the aged care industry last year. He recounts his time in the funeral industry as a humbling by rewarding experience, where he assisted others during a very distressing time in their lives. With extensive experience in aged care management, Lorenzo has also worked in a sales environment but was naturally drawn back into his key skills – helping people make big life decisions.

Originally from Dunedin, but having called Christchurch home for the past five years, Lorenzo is no stranger to good old fashion Southern hospitality. He prides himself on his ability to take time to listen to others, hear about their journeys, and facilitate the transition of moving to a retirement village.

‘I am privileged to see, on a daily basis – happy and content village residents, who often say to me I should have done this sooner’

Based on Lorenzo’s experience at Bupa Parkstone Retirement Village, we asked him what he thought made our Ilam village stand out. “Independent living without the worry of many aspects of owning and maintaining your own home. Companionship and reassurances of continued care”, he said.

And with a smile on his face, we asked Lorenzo if there was any parting wisdom he wanted to share with us before we left him to tend to his busy day – “be loyal, be honest, have Integrity – always”, he said smiling that big warm Southern charm smile we’ve come to love seeing around Parkstone.