Te Manawa Taki in Motion: Collaboration for Collective Impact
Collaboration is the lifeblood of meaningful change. When teams come together across rohe, they bring not only their skills and experiences, but also the wisdom of the communities they serve. For Healthy Families NZ, these connections are more than meetings, they are the spaces where ideas intersect, where challenges are shared, and where collective solutions are born. By working side by side, kaimahi can see the bigger picture, identify opportunities to influence the systems that shape wellbeing, and strengthen the impact of their mahi far beyond their own rohe. In this way, partnership becomes a catalyst for innovation, resilience, and sustainable change across whānau and communities.
That is why in early 2024, Healthy Families Rotorua, East Cape, and Te Ngira came together in Tūranganui-a-Kiwa to wānanga and share space for whakawhanaunga to strengthen relationships. This gathering allowed kaimahi from each site to connect more deeply within the Healthy Families movement, laying the foundation for ongoing collaboration.
These three sites have reunited again in Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe to reinforce that hononga and build a shared understanding across the Te Manawa Taki region. We explored how collective impact can be amplified by sharing strategies, insights, and the mahi happening in each rohe. Having this understanding of how each site engages with their hāpori, we can build capability across the movement and drive meaningful systems change. It also enables us to identify opportunities to influence the systems that shape health, wellbeing, education, kai, and beyond. This regional approach is especially vital in addressing complex issues like chronic illness, where systemic change and community-led solutions are key.
During this huitahi, the teams participated in whanaungatanga activities to rebuild connection and provide an envrionment safe for sharing. The hui then went into a Pecha Kucha style presentation where each site had a chance to showcase their kaupapa with a focus on concise, visually engaging, and impactful presentations.
These presentations were not just updates but rather they were lived expressions of innovation, leadership, and whānau-led transformation. The kauapapa ranged from māra kai, to smoking harm reduction, to kaupapa kauhoe, to rangatahi-led harm reduction. The kōrero carried a message that our inisghts are grounded, lived and ready to move systems.
It was here that a powerful reminder was shared by Healthy Families Rotorua Practice Lead Pirihira Whata that “Insights aren’t meant to sit in reports.”
This resonated deeply as we know time and time again Indigenous knowledge and lived experience is captured but not actioned. It is turned into data points or case studies instead of being used to inform how we work.
In Te Manawa Taki we aim for insights to be activated. They inform how we reflect, how we plan, how we design kaupapa, and how we challenge the structures that influence wellbeing. They are tools for accountability and ignite collective transformation.
The wānanga then went into reflecting on a regional roadmap of a shared framework to guide the collective action across the Te Manawa Taki region. The roadmap will be a representation of the commitment we all have toward strategies, insights, and supporting each other's mahi to create healthier communities.
Kāore he mea i tua atu i te noho tahi, kōrero tahi, wānanga tahi, kai tahi anō hoki.
There is nothing more powerful then coming together, talking together, learning together, and sharing kai. We hope to meet Healthy Families Te Ngira and Rotorua again to continue to nurture the hononga we have created together, growing our collective impact and deepening our commitment and mahi moving forward.