“Hurihia to aroaro ki te ra, tukuna to ātārangi ki muri i a koe”
Turn and face the sun and let the shadows fall behind you
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If you have felt that this has been a long and gloomy winter, you are not alone. Cuts to public services have inflicted real pain. We’re falling behind on meeting our climate targets. Unemployment is rising, and many people are feeling the cost of living crisis. How do you find hope when it feels like we’re stuck in an endless winter?
The public narrative and organising leader Marshall Ganz says, “Hope is the belief in the plausibility of the possible, as opposed to the necessity of the probable.” Winter isn’t over yet, but if we look around we can see signs of new life, fresh shoots and tiny blossoms. The days will get longer, there will be sunshine and warmth again.
We can find hope in knowing that that change can happen and we can make it happen. In living memory we’ve seen the success of the anti-nuclear movement, the end of apartheid in South Africa, the fall of the Berlin Wall and marriage equality. Recently In the UK thousands of ordinary people took to the streets to stand up to racism and violence, forming human shields to protect asylum centres. It’s a good reminder that although news headlines and social media feeds might make us feel overwhelmed by hate and division, most people do care and want good things for their communities.
In this season’s newsletter, we’re seeking the light. Come with us!
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Connect and learn with us
We’ve created some new opportunities to build community and learn together.
Lunch and learn
In July we hosted the first session of our Lunch & Learn series. Kristin Gillies and NZEI Te Riu Roa Online to Offline Organiser, Chennoah Walford explored five things they’d learned about digital campaigning.
Key points:
🔍 To reach people, we must meet them where they are
🤓 Strategy before tactics
🗺 Plan(s) are crucial
🔭 Each pathway should be measured
👩💻 Online campaigning is campaigning (just online)
Thanks to the friends who joined us and contributed to the session. If you missed it you can find a link to the recording here.
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Join our next session, Framing and Messaging for Movement Building hosted by Anna Jackson. Come along to talk about how a narrative change approach can help us shift mindsets and help build the change we want to see in the world. Friday 16 August 12-1pm (online)
Sign up here
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In-person strategy training: building an advocacy campaign strategy
We’re running one-day campaign strategy trainings in Pōneke and Tāmaki Makaurau. For individuals or small groups who are keen for more in depth learning, this in-person full day workshop covers core principles, tools and methods.
Pōneke
Fri 18 Oct 2024, 9am to 4pm two/fiftyseven, 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington Central
Tāmaki Makaurau
Thurs 31 Oct 2024, 9am to 4pm Studio One - Toi Tū, 1 Ponsonby Road, Grey Lynn
Other trainings
For organisations we’ve put together five offerings that can be tailored to your organisation's needs and stage of change, which include:
- Campaign strategy training
- Campaign planning
- Campaign debrief and reflection
- Strategy tune-up: reviewing and strengthening
- Ongoing campaign support
Reach out for a chat if you’d like to talk about trainings for your organisation and learn more here.
Recent highlights
- We were proud to work with Ria Hall and Hautapu Baker on their 2024 Tauranga City Council campaigns. Read about this campaign mahi.
- At the end of June, Zenaida was a Polaris Awards jury member. The awards are a global competition celebrating exceptional work in political and public sector communication, part of the Polaris Leadership Summit hosted in London.
- In July, we headed along to Festival For The Future, to learn from and amongst Aotearoa’s young and emerging leaders. The two day conference drew a diverse crowd from across the motu, with the purpose to build ideas and skills for a more inclusive and sustainable future. It’s on every year, encourage the tamariki in your life to head along in 2025.
- It was a joy to support Te Taura Whiri in building their Taumāhekeheke o te Ao Olympic Glossary on the Reo Māori website. He inati te karawhiu!
Honour Te Tiriti: stop the Treaty Principles Bill
Since coming into power, the coalition Government has introduced a series of policy shifts that deepen existing inequalities and disproportionately affect whānau and hapori Māori. The Guardian recently produced an excellent in depth analysis of the impact of six of these legislative and policy changes.
Since February the Act party has been campaigning on its Treaty Principles Bill, which National and New Zealand First have agreed to support to the select committee stage. The Bill redefines the principles of the Treaty according to Act’s vision and agenda, disregarding and disrespecting the rights of Māori and the role of Te Tiriti o Waitangi as our foundational document.
Sign the open letter to stop the Treaty Principles Bill
Following an open letter to senior ministers outlining the inaccurate and misrepresentative nature of the translations used by Act in the Bill, over 150 organisations have signed an open letter to urge the Prime Minister to to stop the Treaty Principles Bill and ensure it is withdrawn prior to the select committee process. For Purpose has signed the open letter and we urge you to join us.
Understand and have constructive conversations about Treaty Principles and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
As Act’s public campaign on the Treaty Principles continues you may find yourself navigating misinformation and having some challenging conversations:
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Campaigns, actions and events
Tax cuts for Gaza
Since October 2023, more than 38,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli bombing, which has destroyed vital infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and refugee centres. There is a critical shortage of shelter, essential supplies and medical care. Donating some of your tax cut to help ReliefAid deliver essential humanitarian aid to those in most desperate need is one tangible way you can make a difference. Donate your tax cut now.
Exploring the New: An evening with Jon Alexander, author of Citizens - Hosted by Goodlife Collective & ThinkPlace supported by Voice of Aroha. Thu 29th Aug 2024, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm, Victoria University (Pōneke) Tickets here
Radical Kitchen Crew and Radical Sewing Circle Radical Kitchen Crew is a nationwide network that recognises the importance of comfort food (baking, soup etc) in times of trouble & embraces solidarity & guerilla acts of kindness. Next action late Aug - early Sept baking for union organisers. Sign up now. Or, if you’re handy with a needle and thread, check out the Radical Sewing Circle.
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2024: Ake Ake Ake
The theme for Te Wiki 2024 is ‘Ake ake ake – A Forever Language’. It represents the resilience, adaptability and endurance of te reo Māori. Kia māhorahora te reo – let’s make it seen, let’s make it heard.
Join the movement to support our forever language.
We’re reading/watching/listening to:
Fixing our Democracies and Winning Elections in The Age of Junk Politics: A Guide to Transformational Campaigning
For anyone in advocacy concerned about the rise of spectacle-driven, authoritarian, and populist politicians this is a good, short winter read (3 hours) by Ned Howey at Tectonica
A conversation between Prof Marshall Ganz and Wil Stracke (hosted by the Australian Fabians) on leadership, organising and action (Video)
Marshall Ganz's latest book, 'People Power Change: Organizing for Democratic Renewal' is now available
Uproar (Film, 2023)
A hopeful film about advocacy set in 1981, when the arrival of the South African rugby team sets off nationwide protests against apartheid and racism. This is on Neon, friends in Aotearoa. .
A dose of hope and possibility
Reasons to be cheerful is a nonprofit online magazine founded by legendary musician David Byrne that shares stories that offer hopeful evidence-based stories that demonstrate that change is possible. Some recent highlights:
This recent kōrero between Dr Jane Goodall and Forest & Bird’s Nicola Toki is inspiring and uplifting. We love her whakaaro about supporting young people to create change, and her vision for Roots and Shoots, a global programme to empower young changemakers:
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