The tangata whenua, community and voluntary sector of Aotearoa New Zealand has faced two years of the COVID-19 pandemic with resilience, manaakitanga and commitment to the communities of Aotearoa New Zealand. But the pandemic has also exacerbated the ongoing systemic pressures facing the sector, its people, organisations and the communities they serve – of being underfunded, under-resourced and undervalued.
Drawing on the findings of the research report, COVID-19 Hauora Wellbeing Survey of the tangata whenua, community & voluntary sector 2021, this paper explores the hauora | wellbeing of the sector, its people, its organisations, and its communities. Hauora support, in all its forms, is one of the sector’s most pressing needs. The need to invest in people is just as important as investing in the services they provide.