We asked three of our community partners to share their visions for the future. Here's what they said.
The D*List
[Video transcript:]
"The D*List is on a mission to transform the way we think about disability in Aotearoa. Our vision is one of abundance for disabled people where we are no longer limited by the outdated attitudes, assumptions and beliefs that people hold about who we are and what we're capable of. New Zealanders have these funny ideas about what it means to be a disabled person, that we are people to feel sorry for or take care of or sometimes ignore all together. But if you know disabled people, you know this couldn't be further from the truth. We are sassy, we are creative, we are innovative problem solvers, and we have the same dreams and aspirations as anyone else. So the D*List believes that if we can create community spaces that are designed by us and for us we can start to interrupt some of the ways in which others talk, think and feel about us as well."
Red Nicholson
Inspiring Communities
"Once we've achieved our mission, we'll see communities right across the motu are flourishing because they are being supported to collaborate and lead in their own way, in their own time, to achieve the things they really care about.
Places are celebrating their diversity, leveraging their unique strengths and using their collective power to honour Te Tiriti and support tino rangatiratanga (self determination).
Aotearoa is globally recognised for the way we have left behind prescriptive programmatic responses in favour of principles-based approaches that bring together multiple world views. Trust and relationships are at the heart of our national success."
Megan Courtney and Rachel Roberts
Manaaki Rangatahi
"We know that young people are over-represented in Aotearoa’s homeless community, particularly young Māori and rainbow youth. We also know that there is limited safe, secure and suitable accommodation for young people experiencing homelessness.
Young people experiencing homelessness have limited options for finding emergency accommodation; the options for 16 and 17-year-olds are even bleaker. But while youth housing services are having to turn hundreds of young people away, Aotearoa has no specific strategy – and limited resources – to meet the housing needs of these very vulnerable members of our community.
Manaaki Rangatahi is New Zealand’s only youth housing and homelessness collective calling on our communities and Kāwanatanga (Government) to dream big! Let’s end youth homelessness in this amazing and ātaahua (beautiful) country. Our moemoea (dream) and greatest aspiration is to have all rangatahi (young people) exercise their own tino rangatiratanga (self determination) over their right to a kainga (home) for the wellbeing of themselves, their whānau, hapu and Iwi.
We believe our rangatahi can lead the way to help make Aotearoa the ‘best place in the world’ for rangatahi and their whānau to live."
Bianca Johanson
