Community Research

Community Wealth Building puts people back at the center of local economies by ensuring wealth generated in a local economy is held and invested back into that area, and puts…

Kei te pēhea aku mokopuna (How are my mokopuna doing?) is a simple question which Whanganui schools, their school boards, tumuaki and kaiako have heard for many years. However, the…

We set out to find lessons for good governance for non-profit and community organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand, by focussing on the strengths and capacities, especially of particularly well regarded…

Life Unlimited secured funding from the Lotteries Commission to complete an evaluation of some of their services. The purpose of the evaluation was to use the EGL vision and principles…

This is paper is evaluation of the Taku Wairua programme to assess the diverse effects of the program and identify areas for improvement. Taku Wairua is a program designed to…

The persistent educational achievement gap and historically haphazard nature of progress for students in impoverished contexts in New Zealand primary schools is a deep-seated problem needing urgent attention. This multifaceted…

Informed and engaged communities are central to a healthy democratic society, and local government has a critical role to play. Engaged communities have high levels of community knowledge, cultural vibrancy,…

The Western Bay of Plenty covers the region from Waihi Beach in the north to Paengaroa to the east and Pyes Pa to the south, and includes Tauranga and Mount…

The modern-day healthcare systems incessantly undergo rapid shifts ranging due to the fiscal meltdowns. As such, it is evident that healthcare facilities, especially, in rural areas need a unique type…

Reflecting on community work and anti oppressive practices.

Mapping the Social Sector in the Western Bay of Plenty project emerged from a need expressed by the sector to better understand itself, provide data for future planning, and to…

Taranaki has a rich and diverse history related to maritime culture. Located on the lower west coast of the North Island, this region was most notable historically for the Taranaki…

The boards that govern Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) who deliver social services face a range of complex challenges. They must secure sustainable funding, comply with changes in the law and…

Community Safety is relevant at both individual and community levels. This research report is about perceptions of safety which is different from an objective measure of changing crime rates, or…

What has happened in the 25 years or so since purchase-of-service contracting was introduced for government funding of voluntary organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand? This article provides a brief commentary…

In 2016 the Ministry of Soical Development (MSD) advised that from July 2017 its contracts with funded providers would include, as a condition of funding, the requirement to gather and…

What drives the dyslexic leader and how can we support the development of leaders who happen to have dyslexia? I also asked myself how am I going to support my…

Population growth has already ended in a number of countries around the world. Significant demographic trends are transforming the global population, with record low fertility across the globe, increasing longevity…

This article discusses the development and contested nature of community development practice and the effects of neoliberalism on community development in Aotearoa New Zealand. We describe how community development has…

BayTrust’s mission is to “effectively build, strengthen and enhance present and future Bay of Plenty Communities.” To support this, BayTrust approached the Centre for Social Impact to provide research and…

Drawing on Canterbury and Victoria experience, his report discusses and gives examples of the role of the non-profit sector in disaster risk reduction, readiness, response and recovery. While many see…

‘Collective Impact’ has been sweeping the non-profit world by storm, beginning in North America and gaining popularity in Australia and New Zealand. Collective Impact sees that no single organisation can…

The disability sector in Australia is experiencing a period of unprecedented, transformational change with the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. This paper is a case study of House…

Organisations in the Australian disability sector have new regulatory pressures challenging their governance structures. Increasing levels of political, economic and social pressure means that membership of third sector boards is…

This paper draws on recent research which was grounded in theory-building with civil society practitioners in two Aotearoa NZ leadership learning contexts (Malcolm, 2014) to draw out their tacit wisdom…

New Zealand has an opportunity to become a global example of the benefits of organizational gender balance by showcasing the Christchurch rebuild as a project that promotes gender diversity. Equal…

United States, United Kingdom and Australian literature on the potential, and actual, impacts on not-for profit (NFP) social welfare and human services agencies of contracting with government highlight the risk…

The “leader” word often brings to mind strong, decisive, visionary individuals. Yet this assumption stops many from ever thinking of themselves as leaders. This PhD thesis explores an understanding of…

In February 2014, the NGO Health and Disability Network held five Good Governance workshops around New Zealand. These were attended by more than 150 board members from approx 85 non-profit…

This research explores the principles and practices relating to community economic development (CED), and social enterprise in New Zealand at this time. Success factors and challenges are identified, including an…

This paper is part of a annual series of essays commissioned for Waitangi Day which explores the State of the Pākehā nation in memory of the late Joan Cook –…

There is little information in Aotearoa New Zealand about how women are represented in the Community and Voluntary Sector, despite the fact that the the sector’s voluntary and paid workforce…

Over the last decade, government agencies, the community and voluntary sector, and academics have all noted the changes difficulties, and tensions being caused by government policies and processes surrounding social…

This research focuses on the nature of Government/Not for Profit (NFP) sector relationships with particular reference to advocacy in New Zealand. It follows up on a study of advocacy in…

This report examines two models of governance used in non-profit organisations, namely a model based on collectivism which is founded on consensus decision-making involving people at all levels of the…

Ka Pai Kaiti facilitated a project to increase voter turnout and participation in the local council and district health board elections in Gisborne 2010. The purpose of research project was…

This article came about because it was initially a workshop presented at the AAEGT biennial conference held in Darling Harbour, Sydney in 2010. I was asked to convert the workshop…

This research has piloted a tool for assessing the cultural impact of sub-division on ancestral Māori land. Local government authorities have said they often find it difficult to incorporate the…

This paper discusses mindsets, competencies and attitudes of community leadership. Metaphors such as playing jazz are used to normalise the complexity of community sector work and starfish to emphasise the…

New Zealand organisations that are engaged in community development practice to empower women are disadvantaged under neo-liberal and third way style policies of the New Zealand Government. Recent research has…

Learning networks operate under a variety of names: communities of practice; e-learning networks; web-discussion fora, learning communities, thematic groups… Whatever name they go by, they tend to be groups of…

This summary report provides baseline data for understanding the sector and the role and importance of those managing volunteers. It is a snapshot. It tells us who are managing volunteers,…

The Background provides a summary of various key developments over the last decade in working to strengthen relationships between Government and the Tangata Whenua, Community & Voluntary Sector. Analysis concludes…

This paper examines the relationship between the non-profit sector and government, and the public policy environment in which the sector operates in Aotearoa. Non-profit organisations are affected by laws and…

The Building Better Government Engagement (BBGE) project seeks to identify actions for building skills, knowledge and values in the public service about effective engagement with citizens and communities. This report…

This article examines the contemporary practice of community development in New Zealand by considering its application to third sector organisational case studies. Broadly speaking community development is held up as…

In 2001 the government signed a Statement of Intent for an improved relationship with the community and voluntary sector (SOGI). In 2008/09 the Association of Non Governmental Organisations of Aotearoa…

Why this report has been produced The Ministry of Social Development’s (MSD) Diverse Communities – Exploring the Migrant and Refugee Experience in New Zealand report brings together existing data and…

This paper looks at how local government in New Zealand is working to improve the participation of residents in local decision-making. The research looked at three communities where community planning…

In recent years ‘third way’ style governments have sought to partner with third sector organisations in ‘joined up’ government. The neo-liberal basis for the third way model has sought to…

This research looks into the governance of 12 medium sized not for profits in Auckland and Christchurch. It also considers how they compare with theoretical models, the strategies for dealing…

There are many reasons for studying the relationship between governments and nonprofits in the community services sector; it is a critical nexus though which much social policy implementation passes as…

This is a joint paper describing and assessing initiatives undertaken by ANGOA in New Zealand and DSE in the Solomon Islands to improve the ability of NGO’s to interact effectively…

Sustainable Management Practices in the Voluntary Sector

This document reports on results of sector meetings in July 2006 on how Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) can best fit within the primary health care setting. It also advises how key…

Indigenous contributions to governance in health informatics can be drawn from cultural concepts such as Katiakitanga, which implies guardianship, stewardship, governance and responsibility roles. Kaitiakitanga acts as a guideline to…

NZAID is seeking to move to a more strategic developmental approach that meets their principles and ways of working to effectively address the needs of people living with disabilities in…

The suburb of Kaiti in Gisborne is characterized by established families with a strong affinity to their community and a desire to challenge the negative reputation of Kaiti by making…

The Local Government Act 2002 requires New Zealand local authorities to become actively involved in the development of social well being. Recent research indicates that the community and social services…

Abstract There is ample evidence that a number of women leaders tend to adopt an authoritarian model of leadership. If I have found it necessary to question what drives women…

The successful delivery of services and programmes by Māori and iwi providers is key to building Māori community capacity and therefore in addressing Mäori/non-Māori disparities (across, for example, health, education,…

We can extract lessons in the information technology era from our colonial past. One such lesson is to understand how information technologies might further impact our knowledge. Experience has taught…

Purchase-of-service contracting with voluntary organisations for social services in Aotearoa New Zealand is examined, in the context of international trends and as a part of the long run historical evolution…

Policy-making requires more than market mechanisms for implementation. That recognition should also be made with great caution, because the Government’s attempt over the last 20 years to incorporate as many…

In this paper I offer a set of guidelines for the use of Action Research in New Zealand local authority community development and parks and recreation settings.

This paper considers the space within which the State, the Public Service and Common Wealth interact. In particular, power relationships which fall outside nation-states are examined. These general issues are…

Governments around the world are making increasing use of contracting “technologies” to purchase services from voluntary organizations – both in privatising (contracting out) previously government-provided services and in reining in…

Pacific people have been in Aotearoa / New Zealand for generations and have made many meaningful contributions to their new home: contributions in the spheres of sport, education, the arts,…