We are proudly and actively part of the community network ComVoices – amplifying the voices of Aotearoa’s community sector to influence decision-makers.
ComVoices has been working hard to create an face to face opportunity to insights from social policy research on communities, during a Covid environment.
Janie Walker and Gauri Nandedkar presented at the ComVoices Insights from Social Policy Research on Communities and Covid at the Royal Society 7 September 2022. We presented our own inquiry into what has been happening to the way in which communities have been participating in research in a Covid environment. And what impact on community this has and will make. Thank you to Ana Ika for her work on this enquiry.
Our takeaways from this event:
- Communities have their own solutions. They are creative and resourceful.
- During lockdown and after, whakawhanaungatanga and local mobilisation were keys to success. How can this continue?
- Whānau were not receivers of service, they were co-delivers of service.
- Covid showed us that a disability lens needs to be over everything we do. People with disabilities are a part of every community.
- Knowledge is locally performed.
- Local solutions like Rally Your Village is an excellent example of the innovative ways that communities perform.
- As Government seeks to get closer to communities, they could utilise community mechanisms like ComVoices, Community Research, Hui E and Powerdigm.
- Community Research is also looking at offering a Research Broker/Curator Function to support the way community research is done.
- The way in which community research is designed, done and shared needs to change in order to realise tino rangatirotanga and diverse community aspirations.
- Research participants need to be equal partners in research.
- Supporting national and local community researchers needs to be resourced.
- Equity happens from diverse perspectives.
- We are in a new local, Community paradigm.
