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A Warm Collective Welcome to Incoming Mayors, Councillors and Local Representatives

In October, local government elections were held across Aotearoa New Zealand. As well as selecting Mayors, Councillors and ward representatives, the elections also included, for those councils who had elected to, a referendum on whether to retain their Māori ward.To assist councillors to fully come up to speed on the Waikato wellbeing ecosystem, a number of organisations were invited to prepare a short introductory video, explaining their work and what they do. The WWP was honoured to be asked ...

Māori Wards

Changes to the Local Government Act in 2024 meant that Councils could elect to either remove Māori wards, or retain them by way of a referendum. The Changes arose from the amendments to Part 3 of the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Act 2024.  In August, we issued a public statement in support of Māori Wards, which you can read here.The Key changes were:1.Restoration of Public Polls:Councils that established Māori wards or cons...

“Wellbeing” and the Local Government Act

In August, the WWP submitted to the government on the Local Government (System Improvements) Amendment Bill.The bill responds to concerns about deteriorating infrastructure, rising rates, and perceived lack of financial focus in local government. It is part of the Government's System Improvements programme, first announced by the Prime Minister in August 2024, and aims to refocus councils on delivering essential services efficiently. You can read out full submission here.Key Amendment Objectives...

Waikato Kai Challenge Update

By Hera DentonLived Experience: ManiapotoThe lived experience mahi with ThinkPlace is now in its final stages. Draft reports are taking shape, providing a clear picture of what is being created, how the stories will be presented, and the themes they will include. Behind the scenes, content writing is underway with the first draft due for review by mid-October. A full draft will follow soon after, allowing time for feedback before the reports are finalised.A plan is being developed to return this...

Every Bite

The Every Bite Online Programme is a 4-week transformative journey designed to help participants waste less food and save more—for their wallet, their whānau, and our planet. Led by Waikato sustainability expert Nicola Turner, the programme combines three key elements to create lasting change:·       Daily Inspiration: Regular emails delivered straight to participant inboxes, packed with insights, practical tips, and fresh ideas to keep them motivated and inform...

Hauraki Opportunity: Update

In July we reported on the completion of the Hauraki Opportunity research programme, and the product of the final reports. Following on from this, on 3 September, we jointly hosted a webinar with Huber Social to share the report findings. You can see the presentation video here. Nearly 100 people registered for this event, and we had a great turnout on the day, with great interaction and questions from participants. A huge thank you to Michelle Macaskill, Pascarn Dickinson, Olivia Webster and Am...

Housing Challenge – Affordability

In September, we issued the final version of our housing report “Hiding in Plain Sight: The Real Cost of Housing in Waikato”Key Summary PointsKey regional indicators—such as the median house price of $740,000 and a regional median household gross income of $116,7226—reveal a price-to-income ratio of approximately 6.4:1, signalling a deepening affordability crisis across the Waikato region. These structural imbalances entrench long-term financial stress, limit pathways to home owners...

Lots of Little Fires Update

By Joe WilsonImage: Edz Wehi and two of her inspiring rangatahi during filming of Te Kura Taiao in September.The mahi for Lots of Little Fires has been deeply embedded in our grass roots community over the past three years shining a light on the slow burn, long lasting mahi that special people and kaupapa in our hāpori are leading. Often, the story development stages are like the mahi; slow burning and deeply intentional and because of this, building trust, understanding the story and...

Why We Support Māori Wards

The Waikato Wellbeing Project is an apolitical initiative. We do not endorse or oppose individual politicians - whether candidates, councillors, or MPs.But we are not politically indifferent. Wellbeing is inherently shaped by political decisions. Since our inception, we have made a genuine and public commitment to being a Te Tiriti-focused organisation: supporting a positive and inclusive future for everyone in Waikato, and recognising Te Tiriti o Waitangi as one of Aotearoa New Z...

Ngaa Mihi to our Kaitiaki Advisory Board

In May we held the final hui for our inaugural Kaitiaki Advisory Board.We were hosted by Waikato Regional Council and WEL Trust. The Kaitiaki’s term of three years commenced in August 2021 and was extended in mid-2024 to allow the Kaitiaki to oversee the independent review of the project, which was shared in our May update. The kaitiaki supported and facilitated the WWP through its first 4 years. The leadership and guidance of the kaitiaki was invaluable, had a major influence in clarifying ou...

Next Steps for the Waikato Wellbeing Project

The Review of the WWP concluded that while there is always plenty of room for improvement, the project is doing the right things and creating value. Regardless of what happens next, that value must not be lost and the investment made over the last 4-5 years cannot be wasted.The WWP needs to make decisions about its future, primarily because its main sources of funding are finite. The funding from the WEL Energy Trust was $3m, backed by a Partnership and Funding Agreement with the Waikato Regiona...

Waikato Kai Challenge Update

June was a powerful month for kai-focused kaupapa across the Waikato region and beyond. As part of Matariki ki Waikato, WWP and Go Eco partnered with Te Ohu Whakaita to host four engaging kai wānanga, each aligned with a different star of the Matariki cluster and the unique food systems they represent. These wānanga celebrated mātauranga Māori, stories of kai, and the importance of community connection.The series launched with an opening ceremony where our Waikato Kai Challenge Project Lead,...

Te Ara Poutama Update

 Quarterly Data Stories & InsightsWe have launched a regular quarterly “Did you Know?” data story series to bring the numbers to life. These are short, accessible insights that combine regional data with real-world impact, bringing evidence and local insight to the forefront. Each data story features interactive visuals and localised data, designed for community leaders and whānau alike. The purpose of each report will be to take a key regional topic, explore the state of knowledge...

Hauraki Opportunity: Update

The Hauraki Opportunity has been a multi-year project that has brought together organisations at all levels of community, to co-design and apply a wellbeing measurement and management system from the flaxroots upwards. The Hauraki Opportunity was co-constructed with, and applied by and for, the people of Hauraki, including those who work, live, play, or whakapapa to Thames Coromandel, Hauraki or Matamata-Piako districts: from Moehau to Te Aroha, across the Hauraki Plains, and up to the Wharekawa...

Housing Challenge – Affordability

The WWP has been working across a number of different wellbeing domains (for example food security and youth wellbeing)- many of which have consistently pointed back to the price of housing as a key factor which undermines household wellbeing and prosperity. This month, our Lots of Little Fires story on The Serve has underlined the effect of unaffordable housing on food insecurity, while the Child Poverty Action Group (Child Poverty Action Group | Scoop InfoPages)   has recently restat...

Housing Challenge – Ethical Landlords

Over the past year, Joe Wilson has been researching the rental situation, the growing inequalities and housing instability in the Whaingaroa community.The findings have been grim but with flickers of hope that something better can be achieved. Joe wrote an article for the Local Raglan Newspaper and gave a radio interview to shine a light on the need for an ethical landlord culture and collective, in order to protect and home our local people and their families. Listen to the full radio interview...

Lots of Little Fires Update

The past two months have been busy in the Lots of Little Fires kaupapa. The final edit of ‘The Serve’ story was successfully released to a wonderful reception. You can see The Serve’s story here: https://youtu.be/O3yj4GbvdEw It is a story we are really proud of and we thank Murdoch Daly, our videographer extraordinaire, for once again capturing and editing the magic which reflects the beauty and heart of the people who give so much of themselves to the service of others. We also thank Mare...

The Rangatahi Opportunity: Ōtautahi Visit Youth Sector with The Len Reynolds Trust

Melissa Gibson, CE of the Len Reynolds Trust has worked closely with the Waikato Youth Sector in systems change mahi over the past five years.  With a strategy that is now designed and being implemented to support and enable cross sector innovation and collaboration in line with Te Tiriti Ō Waitangi, Melissa organised a 14 strong Youth Sector Leaders trip to Ōtautahi.From 16–18 June 2025, a dynamic delegation of youth sector leaders from across the Waikato touched down in Christchurch f...

Trustee Tinder

Hamilton technology entrepreneur and community leader Alan Chew has noticed that across the region, many community organisations are doing incredible mahi, but the one challenge he hears about most is the shortage of qualified, committed trustees.To help bridge that gap, Alan has teamed up with Community Waikato and Volunteering Waikato to launch Trustee Tinder. This is a fun and purposeful trustee speed-dating event to connect skilled professionals with the community organisations.Date: Wednesd...

WWP Business Plan

The WWP Business Plan sets out our priority projects for the next 12 months. The plan follows the same general format as the 2024-25 plan and continues the same theory of change which we developed last year to describe how the WWP works, and what value looks like for us.The plan builds on the review of the WWP completed earlier this year. A key conclusion of the review was that in order to further succeed, the WWP needs to scale ‘up and out’- engaging better with organisations who it can par...

WWP: Next Steps

The WWP is now in its fifth year of implementation. As a ‘project’ the WWP exists only as long as it has supporting funders. Our major funding source was provide via a 5-year agreement between the WEL Energy Trust and the Waikato Regional Council, and we are now in the fifth year of that agreement. Following the completion of our review (above), while we are confident that the project has achieved its objectives so far, we need to plan for the next iteration of the WWP and potential changes....

Kai Challenge Update

Since March, the Waikato Kai Challenge has seen steady momentum in its lived experience workstream. In partnership with ThinkPlace and Tuakana Teina, we are currently working towards a Memorandum of Understanding with a community partner to guide a collaborative storytelling project centred on food security and wellbeing.The first community to participate has been confirmed, and early conversations are underway to identify a second. These lived experience insights will inform a set of co-designe...

Advocacy - Enabling Housing and Wellbeing Through Smarter Water Infrastructure

The Waikato Wellbeing Project has recently provided feedback to Hamilton City and Waikato District Councils on their proposal to establish a joint Council-Controlled Organisation (CCO) for water services. On 6 May, Harvey gave evidence at Hamilton City’s hearing for the CCO proposal (below). Our submission and evidence was reported on by the Waikato Times, which you can read here: Waters CCO debate bubbles on despite majority submitter support | Waikato Times...

Lots of Little Fires Update

Lots of Little Fires, as always, have been burning deep in our Waikato communities and Muredach and Joe have been capturing the magic of two incredible kaupapa over the past two months. Both these stories are now in edit and we look forward to releasing the first by the end of this month of May. Firstly, we have ‘The Serve’.THE SERVE … free healthy kai, 365 days a year, served to our food poor and homeless communities by a team of over 100 volunteers.What’s it all about?The Serve has bee...

Te Ara Poutama Update

In alignment with our 2025-26 Business Plan, we regularly monitor quarterly topical and place-specific updates on key wellbeing issues in the Waikato region.Overall outlookIn the March quarter of 2025, Waikato's socio-economic landscape is characterised by cautious optimism. While economic activity and confidence are improving, retail and employment levels remain below historic highs. As Waikato continues to evolve, understanding the region’s social and economic dynamics is essential for foste...