Participatory approaches are widely recognised as a highly successful way of getting the best out of people, gaining a greater understanding of a situation, and ensuring fair, equitable and sustainable outcomes.

Zoom, Teams, and Skype are new technologies that allow us to have conversations with anyone in the world. We can see each other, hear each other, and ignore each other.

This year the Community Waikato team have recognised and made an effort to prioritise wellbeing.

Visuals are an important part of our everyday world. Research has shown that visuals increase engagement and can enhance understanding and recall of information.

Andrea Goble was the second CE of Community Waikato, and the woman who supported me into my role as the current CE. She was a remarkable woman who was passionate about the for purpose sector and for the people who dedicate their lives to making our world a more equitable space.

The ‘new normal’. We have heard this for the last two years now, but what does ‘new normal’ actually mean? For many of our community and social service organisations, it means more demand for services, increasing complexity of client and service user cases and continued underfunding of government contracted services.

The law setting up a Matariki public holiday has passed in Parliament, and we now have a new public holiday set for 24 June this year.

Co-governance is currently a topic of discussion, as policies such as Three Waters and the Maori Health Authority work their way through Parliament.

An exciting Te Tiriti o Waitangi project with ethnic communities is growing in the Waikato!

Diversity makes us stronger and Community Waikato is committed to progressing our learning as we grow our understanding of what it is to live in a bicultural country and multicultural community.

Women are a growing force in philanthropy. Research tells us that women are more likely to give, give more, and give more often. This is true at all age levels.

For many women, being a part of the Rainbow community comes with challenges. But our world is changing, and at Rainbow Hub Waikato they welcome, advocate and advance the rights of all women.

The primary objective of Shama is to be a vibrant, sustainable social service organisation that provides culturally appropriate support, advocacy, and programmes to ethnic women, their children and families, and to be a source of strength and empowerment for ethnic women of all ages.

Dress for Success Hamilton is the only provider of a free employment dressing service for women in the Waikato region.

Creating positive pathways to healing, resilience and empowerment for whaanau impacted by violence is key to breaking cycles of intergenerational violence and preventing intimate partner and family violence from occurring and reoccurring at a community level.

The YWCA of Hamilton has been empowering young women in the Waikato since 1946.

The theme of this Kumara Vine edition is ‘Empowering Women’. Women make up a significant proportion of leaders and workers in the community and social service sector and women are often the recipients of much of the work we do. This Kumara Vine edition celebrates some of the extraordinary work being done in our sector that empowers women.

Insight Endometriosis is a Charitable Trust supporting those affected by endometriosis since 1999

NCWNZ as an umbrella organisation has been working towards true gender equality in Aotearoa New Zealand for more than 125 years.