Partnering for Social Change – A Peter McKenzie Project Funding Announcement

The Peter McKenzie Project (PMP) is very pleased to make its first grant totalling $1.37m over five years. In partnership with Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, PMP is supporting a new social innovation hub, Tokona te Raki: Māori Futures Collective, which is designed to increase Māori participation, success, and progression in education and employment in the Ngāi Tahu region.

Confronting statistics relating to Māori inequality, a significant income gap set to grow exponentially, and a stark forecast for the future of work, all informed the decision to fund.

“Complex problems like poverty and hardship need thoughtful, joined-up solutions and sustained support to effect real change. The social innovation approach offered by Tokona te Raki: Māori Futures Collective is exciting and will spearhead change while maximising collective impact. We need bold and thoughtful experimentation and we believe this hub will be a key driver in a better tomorrow for our tamariki, whanau and communities,” says Iain Hines, PMP Director.

“The key indicators of success for PMP itself are quite simple: we want to see a reduction in the number of children and families living in poverty and hardship. We are particularly interested in how we can contribute to improving systems, to make a poverty-free life attainable for all citizens. This funding announcement is an exciting first step in that direction.”

Both partners acknowledge that while they don’t know what the solutions will be in advance, they are committed to an adaptive approach where these can be specifically designed to address the root causes of inequality and poverty, rather than simply treating the symptoms.

Read Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu’s  media release for more information on this progressive initiative.