Since early 2023, the Waikato Wellbeing Project’s storytelling initiative Lots of Little Fires (LOLF) has been at the forefront of our work to illuminate the deeper stories of wellbeing challenges, to awhi the real-life initiatives, people and projects imagining, creating and leading positive alternatives to the status quo.
In that time, the creative team of Joe Wilson, Muredach Daly (One Man Crew) and Amy Van Garderen (The Collective Agency) has amplified and celebrated the voices of 18 inspirational people and kaupapa working towards equity and social justice, shining a light on the invisible labour which leads to grassroots change in our communities. These stories have sparked real shifts on the ground – strengthening local support, attracting resources and influencing decisions in favour of community-led solutions.
Collectively, they have gathered more than 500,000 views on YouTube, built a strong audience across multiple social media platforms, and are now being used as powerful tools to advocate for meaningful change in local communities. A summary video was produced in 2024, and a final story for 2025, profiling the extraordinary work of Te Whare Korowai Taangata o Kirikiriroa, will be released before Christmas.
In 2026, Lots of Little Fires will call Seed Waikato its new home. Supported by Len Reynolds Trust and Creative Waikato, Lots of Little Fires will continue to nurture inspiring stories and advocate for the change makers in our communities. The WWP will continue to share and champion these stories on its existing platforms.
This change is a result of a partnership agreement between Seed Waikato (Seed) and the WWP. The agreement recognises LOLF as a taonga born within WWP and ensures that the kaupapa continues with integrity, care and strong alignment with our shared regional wellbeing goals.
The WWP is honoured to have been the founder and guardian of LOLF during its inception and the first three years of its life. In that time, not only have the team shared some extraordinary and inspiring stories, they have also achieved many real-world impacts as a direct result of the stories told. We are proud of this unique offering and we know it will become even more impactful and successful with Seed.
The WWP would like to particularly acknowledge and thank Joe Wilson. Not only has Joe worked tirelessly to nurture trusted relationships with the people and communities profiled in the stories, but he has also acted as an advocate and champion for them, sometimes when nobody else would. When you see LOLF, you see and even hear Joe’s creative genius- that’s him on the guitar!
We also thank the Seed co-CEOs Tania Pointon and (former WWP Kaitiaki) Dujon Cullingford for developing this initiative, along with Melissa Gibson from Len Reynolds Trust and Jeremy Mayall from Creative Waikato.
For all enquiries regarding Lots of Little Fires, please contact:
· Joe Wilson: joe@lotsoflittlefires.co.nz
· Tania Pointon: tania.pointon@seedwaikato.nz
· Dujon Cullingford: dujon.cullingford@seedwaikato.nz
