Our director David Hanna worries that in the current economic and social climate we no longer notice things like recent cuts to funding for targeted support for babies and their families under stress. He asks whether we are becoming like frogs getting used to being in hot water.

Our director David Hanna says that a 60% cut in staffing for the Family Start service we provide to families under stress in Kāpiti, Porirua, and Wellington is harmful and likely to increase problems and costs down the track.

We recently wrote an article for Age Concern about what we are learning about innovative approaches to support our elders through our work at Wesley Rātā Village in Naenae. Click through to read the article.

The first residents are starting to move in to Punavaiola – Spring of Living Water, a new $7m social housing development in Flaxmere - and it's been an emotional experience for them. We've built 12 new houses in partnership with Methodist Church of NZ Hastings Samoan Parish, with support from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.

We’ve just launched a new website which provides valuable resources for anyone interested in sparking community change. We developed the Te Hiko website as part of our ongoing commitment to supporting the development of local economic systems that truly value what makes people’s lives better.

We’re delighted to welcome Mamaku Midwives and Trade School Industries to Wesley Rātā Village in Naenae. Babies and baristas – who could ask for more as the Village takes another step forward on its journey to becoming an intergenerational community.

Our director David Hanna is calling for the government to implement the main recommendation of last week’s Waitangi Tribunal report on our tamariki care system – setting up an independent Māori Transition Authority to reform the current care system for tamariki Māori.

We’re developing a new collaborative way of funding grassroots communities to tackle the impacts of poverty, called Just Change. We’re holding a no-obligation evening event on Wednesday October 14 for potential donors interested in exploring the Just Change concept.

We’re delighted to have published a short report on the People’s Voices forum, held in Porirua on Wednesday 4 March. The forum, which was attended by about 160 people, was a unique opportunity to hear from people whose voices are often not heard in policy-making.