The level of interest in this webinar held on 26 November 2024, with almost a thousand registrations, demonstrated interest in engaging with the Government on the issue of social impact. The level of interest also comes from a place of concern. Hui E! coordinate a new group of over 20 community peak body and infrastructure organisations, called the Community Constellation, working to collaborate across communities to be more impactful, together. Collectively, the Community Constellation has thousands of member organisations, from the largest providers to the very smallest of community groups. This webinar was hosted by the Community Constellation as an opportunity for the community sector to hear from, and engage with, the Minister for Social Investment, and for the Minister to hear about the opportunities, and the challenges, for communities. It was facilitated by Katie Bruce from Hui E! and Zoe Witika-Hawke, Kaiwhakahaere Matua | Chief Executive of E Tipu e Rea Whānau Services and co-chair of Te Pai Oranga Aotearoa SSPA. The webinar was recorded and can be watched here. This is the start of a conversation that we hope will continue, grounded in the experiences, expertise and impacts within hapū and communities. Below is a summary of some of the realities, concerns and ideas shared, along with follow-up questions for the Minister and the Social Investment Agency that we have passed to them and will be sharing the answers we receive. Some current realities shared by webinar participants at registration (quotes): I am seeing and hearing more vulnerability, more isolation, less support and less ability to find support or even information It is difficult to jump through the hoops to access government funding when you are a small organisation Demand for our services is rising while we’re simultaneously losing contracts and resources, and our internal stress levels are soaring with that Grave concerns regarding the wholesale cutbacks to front line contracts and the damaging effects on vulnerable clients and communities, if social services are no longer picking up the pieces who will? Many of the changes to disability funding in the last year have been the opposite of social investment The direction isn't too clear for many in the sector, some clarity would be useful for future planning. Concerns shared about social investment at registration: Impact on grassroots Concern about smaller hapū and community organisations lacking resources to navigate social investment, when they are the ones with the relationships with marginalised whānau and communities Giving effect to Te Tiriti Indigenous models of wellbeing with evidence base may not be considered and therefore these approaches under-valued and under-resourced Ensuring cultural integrity in research and evaluation Government responsibility Concerns about government reducing funding for social services, including prevention supports Increased burden on local hapū, communities and volunteer-led organisations Measurement and evaluation Challenges in measuring intangible outcomes (eg. changes in mauri) Risk of non-clinically trained policy writers designing clinical measures Balancing data-driven approaches with lived experiences of communities Difficulty in quantifying quality of life and wellbeing impacts, particularly when whānau are involved in a number of services Concerns about cherry-picking evidence to suit predetermined government decisions Equity and access Risk of further [...]