workshopS

STREAM: STRENGTHENING PROVIDERS

Aotearoa Pacific Futures in Community Housing

The Pacific-led Community Housing sector is emerging, and we have one registered Pacific-led Community Housing Provider. But the future is looking brighter in the Pacific housing space. In this session, three Pacific-led organisations will talk about their housing journeys from now and their plans for future housing projects.

Facilitated by: Catherine Ioane, Dr Pauliasi Tony Fakahau, Rev Ifalame Teisi & Sesimani ‘Ahio Havea

Catherine Ioane is General Manager of Housing Services for Penina Trust with over 10 years in the Mental health sector and 2 years in housing and social services industry. As a tamaita’i Samoa born and bred in New Zealand holding a Bachelor of Social Work and specialized qualifications in supervision, Catherine combines a strong foundation in social work with leadership expertise to effectively manage and mentor teams. Throughout their career, they have focused on improving housing access and outcomes through a ‘Tagata mo Aiga’ centered approach, strategic planning, and collaborative partnerships. Catherine is committed to fostering sustainable housing solutions, advocating for social justice, and delivering high-quality services that support both clients and staff.

Dr Pauliasi Tony Fakahau is the Chief Advisor for Taulanga U which is the social service entity for the Free Church of Tonga. Dr Fakahau was born in Folaha, Tonga, grew up in Glen Innes Auckland, before moving to Christchurch. He attended Tamaki College and Wesley College in Auckland before pursuing tertiary study at Lincoln University and later AUT where he graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy in Economics and Public Policy. Dr Fakahau has worked in public and private sector organisations as well as NGOs. His area of expertise is in economic analysis and strategic policy development. Dr Fakahau is a member of the Free Church of Tonga. He spends his spare time tasting kava with the Inasi Kalapu and supporting the Warriors and mighty Crusaders.

Rev Ifalame Teisi is the Social Work Principal for Taulanga U and the Free Church of Tonga. Rev Teisi is at the forefront of developing ethnic models of practice and using our cultural values to improve social service delivery. He is one of the most experienced social work practitioners in the family sector and currently leads our Whanau Resilience and Social Work programme for Taulanga U. Rev Teisi provides direct social work intervention to our transitional housing families as well as working with our family violence prevention programme. He is currently based in our Auckland office but has oversight of our national social work services.

Sesimani Ahio-Havea is of Tongan descent, is a dynamic young leader striving for strategic growth and operational excellence in her workplace. Sesimani is the Acting General Manager, Operations at Vahefonua Tonga Methodist Mission Charitable Trust (SIAOLA). She has experience in Human Resources, Quality Management, and Financial Management.

Sesimani holds a Master’s degree in Pacific Studies from Auckland University, with a focus on the Pacific community’s resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand. She has deep understanding of the Pacific community’s needs and challenges and she is committed to leveraging her knowledge and experiences to drive positive change and empower the Pacific community.

Mana Kāinga Leadership Programme

Mana Kāinga is the first ever, national Māori housing leadership programme. It responds to the need to grow the capability of emerging Māori housing practitioners.

The kaupapa for Mana Kāinga was co-created with Māori housing leaders at a national wānanga. Our HUD funded pilot is currently in delivery to the second of three kāhui (cohorts).

This session will begin with an overview of the kaupapa of Mana Kāinga, followed by a panel discussion with some of our current tauira.

Facilitated by: Wayne Knox, Te Matapihi, Gavin Barr, Mana Kāinga & Traci-Mae Nathan, Mahitahi Trust

I’m blessed to live in my hometown of Katikati, home of my wife's people of Ngai Tamawhariua, where I was born in raised. My paternal grandfather was an Irish immigrant, and moved here because Katikati was an Irish Presbyterian settlement. On my mother's side I am of Waikato descent, from the hapu of Ngāti Pou (Horahora Pā), Ngāti Mahuta (Wāhi Pā) and Ngāti Apakura (Te Haona Kaha). I am the proud father of a blended whānau of five tamariki and two mokopuna (so far).

My training is in architecture and my career has been dedicated to Iwi and Māori community development. I work for Te Matapihi, the national peak body for Māori housing. My current role is coordinating He Ara Hiki Mauri, a new national programme prototyping tangata whenua led solutions to homelessness.

Gavin Barr is a current tauira of the Mana Kāinga Programme, committed to filling his kete with skills, knowledge and resources to support his jouney to provide sustainable, effective housing solutions for his whanau, iwi and hapori. Gavin is also the CEO and founder of Ecospace, a New Zealand company that designs and builds sustainable, off-grid tiny homes. Inspired by Kaitiakitanga, Gavin aims to create eco-friendly and affordable housing solutions. Since founding Ecospace in 2017, he has focused on using high-quality, sustainable materials and minimising waste. Ecospace homes are known for their aesthetic appeal and energy efficiency, making them a popular choice for those seeking sustainable living options in New Zealand.

A committed tauira of the second Mana Kāinga Programme, Traci-Mae Nathan brings an abundance of passion to deliver quality, housing solutions to the Mahitahi community and others. Traci-Mae, has made significant contributions to the community through her role at Mahitahi Trust. As the Deputy CEO, her leadership has been pivotal in initiatives like the Kōtukutuku Papakāinga project, a social housing development in Ōtara, South Auckland. This project provides safe, culturally appropriate housing and fosters a sense of community and belonging.

Māori Wellbeing: A Guide for Housing Providers Growing Together - a new learning and development tool for housing providers

“Poipoia te kākano kia puawai”
(Nurture the seed and it will blossom)

The aim of our proposed session is an interactive workshop on a new learning and development tool for housing providers developed by researchers at the University of Otago (Wellington)- Māori Wellbeing: A Guide for Housing Providers Growing Together = The aim of the Guide is to build organisational understanding and capability to support and improve the wellbeing of their Māori tenants. Sharing our Knowledge= Whakawhanaungatanga. The Guide itself was designed to encourage whakawhanaungatanga – to enable housing providers to form a stronger relationship (i.e. deeper understanding of and engagement) with Te Ao Māori wellbeing concepts and processes especially how they relate to housing and neighbourhoods.

Learning Outcomes:
We hope the Guide helps housing providers develop new fruitful relationships within their organisations, with Māori organisations and service providers in their communities and most importantly with their tenants. The Guide positions tenants as having knowledge about their own wellbeing needs and housing providers creating opportunities for Māori tenants to share and celebrate that knowledge.

Facilitated by: Lori Leigh & Guy Penny, Public
Housing & Urban Regeneration Research Programme, Department Of Public Health, Otago University

Dr Lori Leigh (she/they) is a Research Fellow with the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago. They work with the New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities on the Public Housing & Urban Regeneration: Maximising Wellbeing research programme.

Lori has a background in the creative and performing arts sector and their research interests and expertise include the intersection of arts and urban regeneration, community formation, and public health—particularly wellbeing, and issues affecting Takatāpui/LGBTQIA+ identities.

Lori is currently working on projects with community garden spaces in public housing, Māori wellbeing, and Tākatāpui/LGBTQIA+ housing and homelessness.

Guy Penny (Tāmaki Makaurau/Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa) is a geographer, scientist and engineer with an interest in human-environment systems and the development and application of values, knowledge and processes to support healthy communities and environments. He has worked with business, government, Crown Research Institutes, universities and Māori organisations on a wide range of sustainable development and environmental management projects across Aotearoa since the mid-1990s, as a researcher, project manager and advisor. Much of his work has been in the areas of sustainable resource use, building science and healthy housing, community renewable energy systems, climate change impacts and equity, and oranga Māori.

Stress and Resiliency

With stress and burnout statistics at an all-time high in Aotearoa, and the increasing emphasis on the employer’s obligations to reduce and mitigate the harm from stress in the workplace, now is a great time to think about how you can identify signs of stress (including silent stress) in your team, and help them to reduce their stressors and the effect that has on them, as well as increasing their personal resiliency.

In this workshop, you’ll learn more about stress and stressors, and learn some techniques to share with your teams for reducing stress and building resilience.

Facilitated by: Bridie Morell, Community Housing Aotearoa

Bridie Morell is an independent culture and capability consultant dedicated to enabling flourishing people and culture. Bridie is an engaging and clear communicator, with a wealth of knowledge and expertise across the people and culture spectrum, information technology, change management, and customer experience. Bridie has worked in commercial, government and NGO contexts and is a collaborative systems-thinker with a growth mindset and a slight addiction to cat videos and chocolate biscuits.

Bridie leads the CHA Workforce Capability Project on a part-time basis.

Tenancy Management Capability Framework

In this workshop, CHA’s Workforce Capability Project lead, Bridie Morell, will introduce the CHA Tenancy Management Capability Framework, along with the tools and guides developed to support CHPs to use the framework in their own organisations. Further, more detailed, training in each of the tools will be available to CHA members at a later date.

Facilitated by: Bridie Morell, Community Housing Aotearoa

Bridie leads the CHA Workforce Capability Project on a part-time basis.

Values and Systems Based Masterplanning

What can we learn from embedded values of Te Ao Māori and that we can integrate into community masterplanning?

Explore the opportunities that a values and a systems based approach provide for communities and their transformative potential in shaping the future of Aotearoa New Zealand. This workshop seeks to discuss and reimagine how we can create thriving, sustainable communities that support relationships and connect with our unique cultural heritage and natural environment.

Join us in a discussion on how we can extend our existing understanding to reinforce resilient inclusive community design that has identity. How might we utilise our values to guide in creating principles and priorities for ongoing decision making? Utilise technical expertise with values-based thinking to navigate a path which engages and better ensures support from key stakeholders. Together, we'll explore how this holistic approach can lead to more sustainable, connected, and flourishing neighbourhoods across our nation.

Facilitated by: Madeline Sharpe, Synergine & Sariah Pihema, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei

A dedicated and accomplished advocate for bicultural, values-based design over her 20 year career. Madeline is a passionate about creating spaces that cultivate a sense of connectedness and belonging.

Madeline is a senior architect, and master planner at Synergine Group with two decades of diverse experience. Her expertise encompasses urban regeneration, community projects, and alternative development models. Passionate about fostering bicultural, values-based design, Madeline is dedicated to creating unique, fit-for-purpose outcomes. Known for her client-centric approach, Madeline cultivates strong partnerships, guiding projects with a focus on trust and support. Her collaborative approach extends to working closely with public sector entities, community groups, institutional and large scale developers, and iwi and hapū across Aotearoa.

Sariah Pihema, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei

Ko Maungakiekie toku Maunga,

Ko Waihorotiu toku Awa,
Ko Waitemata toku Moana,
Ko Mahuhu ki te Rangi toku waka,
Ko Ngāti Whātua o Ōrākei toku hapu,
Ko Sariah Pihema toku ingoa.

Sariah lives with her whānau on Kitemoana Street in Ōrākei and has a lived experience growing up heavily involved in Marae and village activities. She works with Synergine on housing related projects while also completing architectural studies at The University of Auckland.

She is currently assisting in stakeholder engagement and interior design for the Ōrakei Marae Masterplan bringing the knowledge she is working to grow an asset base for her own whānau.