 |
| Wishing You Peace and Joy This Christmas Kia ora koutou, As we reflect on the year, we are inspired by the incredible mahi carried out across the social services sector to nurture and support whānau and communities in Aotearoa. Your dedication brings hope and light to those who need it most. In the words of Matthew 5:16: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” May this season bring you peace, joy, and renewal, and may the light of Christ’s love continue to guide us all as we work together for a more just and compassionate society. Ngā mihi o te Kirihimete me te Tau Hou Hakihea | December As the end of 2024 draws near, we wanted to send out a final issue of Te Raranga Kaupapa Here | Weaving Policy to highlight some of the important policy work you can contribute to and to wish you all the very best for the festive season. Our monthly newsletter serves as a platform to connect the mahi of our team with insights from our policy groups, wider membership, and sector relationships. Through this lens, we aim to highlight how these combined efforts shape policy and influence decision-making. Each issue is structured around our four primary focus areas: Ōritetanga me te whakaurunga | Equity & Inclusion Tamariki | Children Kaumātua | Older People As we round out the year, this will be a lighter version of the Weaving Policy format, with each of our Analysts leaving you with one main thought to carry you through the Christmas period. As always, we welcome your feedback and thank you for your continued commitment to this work. NZCCSS Christmas Hours Our office will close for the Christmas break at the end of the day on Friday, 20 December 2024, and will reopen on Monday, 13 January 2025. Thank you for your support throughout the year, and we look forward to connecting again in 2025. Farewell and Thank You to Sister Catherine Our governance council is comprised of representatives from our six member organisations, all of whom bring with them their lifetime of experience in dedicated service. This is particularly true of Sister Catherine, who has a long and faithful career of service as a Marist Missionary Sister. Over her time on the Council, she has been an active and considered part of the governance team, and her wisdom and anecdotes will be missed by both the Council and the Secretariat. We thank her for all she has given us and all she continues to do for her community.  Threads in Action: The Treaty Principles Bill The Treaty Principles bill passed its first reading in the house on 14th November. The Bill, introduced by ACT party leader David Seymour, aims to redefine and legislate the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi), the founding document of Aotearoa. The Bill has sparked large public interest, both locally and internationally. Overseas, Aotearoa has historically been viewed as a leader in indigenous rights, while this Bill has been described by the Waitangi Tribunal as “the worst, most comprehensive breach of te Tiriti in modern times”. It has sparked sufficient outrage that it led to the largest hīkoi that Aotearoa has ever seen. A petition opposing the bill has received the most signatures by any petition to ever be hosted by ActionStation. Despite this, the leader of the National party Christopher Luxon, stood firmly behind his party’s coalition promise to support the Bill through its first reading. With the support of National, Act and New Zealand First, the Bill has progressed through to the Select Committee phase, where it will reviewed by the Justice Committee over the next 6 months. Submissions for this review can be submitted through the Parliament website and close on 7th January 2025 at 11:59pm; all feedback must be submitted by this deadline to be considered. Submissions allow individuals or organisations to provide feedback to select committees about proposed Bills. Although this process is standard practice within the legislative process, for many people wanting to provide their feedback on this Bill, it may be their first submission. To support you in writing your submission, our new resource “NZCCSS Guide to Government, How to Write a Submission” can be found on our website Additionally, more information about the Treaty Principles can be found on our Treaty Principles Bill Issues page, with links to other resources to help you understand the issue and make your voice heard. NZCCSS strongly opposes the Treaty Principles Bill and encourages the submission of feedback that promotes equitable and just outcomes for tangata whenua and tangata tiriti.We would like to take this opportunity to wish our Equity and Inclusion Analyst, Dr. Katie Schraders, all the very best as she goes on maternity leave. We also welcome Daniel Campbell who will be taking care of this portfolio until Katie returns in July.  Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy Review Rachel Mackay (Acting Executive Officer) and Melanie Wilson (Senior Policy Analyst) were pleased to attend the launch of the Child & Youth Strategy at Parliament in November. The Strategy was launched by Minister for Child Poverty Reduction Hon. Louise Upston with MSD’s Child Wellbeing & Poverty Reduction Group and Chief Children’s Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad. The Strategy itself is an example of cross-party commitment to investing in children, something we believe Aotearoa needs more of to ensure our tamariki and rangatahi thrive. The refreshed strategy has three core priorities which are: Supporting children and whānau in the first 2,000 days Preventing harm against children Reducing child material hardship We are encouraged to see a focus on preventing harm against children as a strategy priority and look forward to learning more about the implementation of this priority given the current Oranga Tamariki contracting landscape which has seen a reduction in funding for prevention and early support initiatives. NZCCSS participated in consultation on the draft strategy and highlighted the importance of middle childhood in children’s development. While there isn’t a strong focus on middle childhood in the strategy, strategy priorities 1& 2 above, and some of the wider government priorities, apply across this age stage. There was a noticeable absence of a focus on youth mental health in the strategy priorities however this is expected to be covered by the government’s Mental Health Strategy. We look forward to continuing to engage with the Strategy team to share insights about what we believe is important for children and young people in Aotearoa. Children’s Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad spoke at the launch and shared insights from engagement with children and youth which informed the strategy. We encourage you to learn more about what children have said matters to them. Learn more about the Child & Youth Strategy Read about what tamariki and rangatahi said matters to them in Mana Mokopuna’s report Read a summary of engagement on the Strategy Interested in having Mel present to your team or at one of your events? Mel Wilson is the lead author and senior policy analyst responsible for our Children’s portfolio. She is available to present on Te Kōrero mō ngā Tamariki | Exploring the context of middle childhood in Aotearoa New Zealand to your team or at your events.Last month she presented insights from the report to the paediatric team at the Taranaki Health Board to really positive feedback.Please email [email protected] to explore her availability.  Structural Ageism addressed with Government Following the video we released for International Older Persons Day, Rachel Mackay (Senior Policy Analyst) moved our advocacy against Structural Ageism into the next phase. Last week, an overview of the absence of Older People in the key documentation was sent out to each of the entities included in the assessment. We are heartened by the number of responses we have already received and look forward to extending this conversation into the new year. We encourage all entities that interact with Older People to consider if they would receive a favourable score on this kind of assessment. =Ka pō, ka ao, ka awatea. From within the darkness comes light and a new day. From within the structures that continue to disadvantage though ageism can we bring new ideas, and with them, new understanding. You can find the overview that we sent out, including the entities that were assessed, on our website. |
| May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 |
12 December, 2024
Te Raranga Kaupapa Here – Hakihea
The December edition of our Weaving Policy newsletter
Te Raranaga Kaupapa Here – Whiringa-ā-rangi
The November edition of our Weaving Policy newsletter
News
Te Raranga Kaupapa Here – Mahuru
The first edition of our new-format newsletter, Weaving Policy, released in September 2024
News
Te Raranga Kaupapa Here – Whiringa-ā-nuku
The October edition of our Weaving Policy newsletter
News