Watch the recording: Oro atua - Support your hauora: A puoro Māori sound healing experience

Our last webinar for the year was a hauora offering by sound healer Jerome Kavanagh (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Kahungunu).

Jerome shared his pūrākau (story) and puoro (Māori musical instrument) sound healing experience, using his collection of unique and rare Māori musical instruments.

"This was a beautiful gift of sound mediation and learning to be offered at the end of a stressful year - ngā mihi nui Community Research and Jerome for such a lovely experience." - Webinar participant.

Watch the recording here.

Most Significant Change - What Works resource

We know the evaluation approach taken is as important as doing the actual evaluation. This ‘Most Significant Change’ approach is a participatory evidence-gathering technique which involves collecting stories of significant change. This technique supports whole teams of people to focus on impact and what matters most to those involved.

Read more on our What Works website here.

Hauora for social change-makers

Those who work in the community sector are used to coping with a challenging environment, even before the impact of COVID massively increased this stress.

HuiE! looked at the important but often overlooked connection between inner well-being and effective social change.  They invite us to 'embrace not-doing' in order to create a solid foundation of well-being, to build the change we aim to make.

Read their article, 'Prioritising well-being when our causes keep demanding more' by Vicki Evans.

Our new kaimahi – Gauri Nandedkar - a wealth of experience and community heart

We welcomed our newest kaimahi – Gauri Nandedkar – to the Community Research whānau in November. Gauri takes up the new role of Kaitūhono – Research Sector Engagement and Projects Lead. This role will support our organisation to re-engage with the sector and lead some of our equity and social justice projects.  

“I am thrilled to be part of the Community Research whānau. My research background is in international development, housing, and migration. The strands that weave these topics together are an interest in seeking perspectives and voices from marginalised and silenced communities. I am working towards honouring indigenous knowledges, practitioner-based and lived experiences in the width and breath in which they occur in Aotearoa - with you, our diverse research communities."

Update on our Pacific Strategy

Two exceptional wahine are bringing the potential for our Pacific Strategy alive. Ngā mihi a Janet Tupou rāua ko ‘Alapasita Teu – thank you for breathing life and authenticity into this mahi for Community Research. And to those who contributed to the strategy last year – we look forward to engaging with you next year - meitaki maata, vinaka, malo ‘aupito, fakaaue, tangkiu, fa’afetai lava, fakafetai lahi lele, fakafetai lasi, tangkyu.

Telling the stories of our researcher whānau: Cristy Trewartha

Dr Cristy Trewartha is a researcher and change strategist who has spent most of her career in family violence prevention mahi.

Her mission is to empower communities with quality research to see themselves more clearly, to establish strengths and to assess what resources are needed to tackle change making more effectively from the grassroots and up.

Kia ora Cristy - thank you for sharing your story with us.

Read the full story here.

Connecting and supporting migrant and refugee background researchers in Aotearoa

We would like to mihi to (thank) everyone who has come along to our two recent online networking hui for refugee and migrant background researchers. 

“Honour our voices, validate our knowledge, and let us research ourselves” – this is what Community Research heard loud and clear.  We will be sending out a survey early next year to all those who attended the sessions, so that we can continue to grow this space and tautoko their mahi next year and beyond. 

Read a summary report of the hui.

Pacific Data Fale o Aotearoa

Figure.NZ in association with StatsNZ would like to introduce the Pacific Data Fale o Aotearoa, a home for free Pacific data, tools, and reports.

Pacific Data Fale gathers data for NZ’s Pacific people in one place, to help improve Pasifika wellbeing in Aotearoa through better, data-informed decisions.

Check it out here.

Easy Evaluation workshops and training support

The SHORE & Whariki Research Centre provides evaluation training plus organisational and individual support for community organisations with a public health focus.  They are offering a series of two-day Easy Evaluation workshops in 2022 along with many other resources.

More details here.

Enabling Housing for Women & Ethnic Women Research Project

Shama Hamilton Ethnic Women's Trust is conducting a research project inviting women to participate in sharing their housing aspirations and what challenges are experienced to being able to create or live in housing that is in alignment with those aspirations.  They will explore what could enable achieving better housing for and by women and their families.

More details and express your interest in participating here.