Hearts and Minds of Katikati – Ngā Ngākau me ngā Hinengaro o Katikati

The purpose of Katikati Taiao Hearts and Minds Research was to investigate the potential and possibilities for a reinvigorated community sense of identity and belonging. The research focused on whether there was one unique aspect to Katikati that created a united sense of community. What was found that although there is much to celebrate within the Katikati community, there are also significant disconnections that hold people back from reaching a more unified and equitable sense of who they are in shared relation to Katikati. The research was community-led, participatory and action oriented. Many one to one interviews with diverse cross sections of community were undertaken. Some of these resulted in actions such as events and collaborative projects. What was found was that many who engaged had a desire to connect with others, particularly other ethnicities than their own, but they did not for a variety of reasons. These included: shyness, naivety about how to connect, pre-judgement including racism, worry of being offensive without meaning to, lack of cutural understanding, language barriers, time or motivation to make the effort. The themes of connection and disconnection were reflected in each of five ‘limbs’ which are represented as an interactive tree graphic, and includes links to 3 reflective video interviews created as part of the project.