Related resources for working with specific groups

This Good Engagement seminar featured the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs explaining their community engagement framework, which guides the Ministry's engagement with Pacific communities, enabling relevant and timely advice to Government on matters of importance to Pacific peoples. New Zealand, 2010.

This literature review was undertaken as part of the Ministries of Social Development and Youth Affairs’ Action for Child and Youth Development work programme.  It focuses in particular on increasing the participation of Maori, Pacific Island Peoples and other ethnic children/young people as well as those with disabilities.  The paper reviews national and international literature and resources. A Gray, Ministry of Social Development/Ministry of Youth Development, Wellington, New Zealand, 2002.

This document sets out the goal, principles and key directions for the Pacific Strategy and related action plans that are to apply, with a timeframe of up to 2004, to two areas: policy and purchase advice, and service development and service delivery.

The Pacific Analysis Framework is a tool to add value to the public policy development process. It is intended for use by all policy advisers to assist them in structuring policy issues. This document contains guidelines on when and how to consult Pacific peoples. Contact the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs for a copy.

These guidelines, published by the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs, provide practical help in consulting Pacific communities.

In 2005, the Office of Ethnic Affairs took a proactive step towards dealing with some of the core concerns about and within Muslim communities in relation to Islamophobia. The Building Bridges booklet provides an overview of this project and outlines its principles, objectives and initial outcomes.  The key focus was to establish a strategy for constructive engagement with the Muslim community and conduct a dialogue on critical issues. For further information, contact the Office of Ethnic Affairs www.ethnicaffairs.govt.nz.

This report brings together, for the first time, existing data and research findings on migrant and refugee outcomes in New Zealand, and highlights areas where those outcomes have potential impact on social cohesion. The report contains the most up-to-date data available, including data not previously published from the 2006 Census. Ministry of Social Development’s Strategic Social Policy Group, New Zealand, 2008.

This Office of Ethnic Affairs resource provides information on the ethnic composition of New Zealand, why policy needs ethnic perspectives, desired outcomes for this sector of the community, and guidelines on policy, consultation and responsiveness.

This book evaluates theory developed in other national contexts (Canada, Australia, North America and the UK) against challenges for public policy in New Zealand. It summarises NZ's history of migration and settlement, and includes analysis of demographic change from the 2006 Census, the history of debate about biculturalism and multiculturalism here, and challenges to public policy that arise from the increasing ethno-cultural diversity of our population. The author concludes that it is time to refine and complicate our thinking - urging the cultivation of citizen participation in deliberative democracy to inform and stimulate debate. Written by David Bromell, published by the Institute of Policy Studies, School of Government, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand,2008.

The Office of Ethnic Affairs' website contains a list of resources around awareness of intercultural issues.

This document, from the Office of Ethnic Affairs, includes information on why interpreters should be used, where to find them, how to work with them and how to pay them.

This Good Engagement seminar presented by the Office of Ethnic Affairs emphasised that as New Zealand's population becomes increasingly diverse, government agencies and community organisations need to strengthen their connections with a range of ethnic communities. Ethnicity is not fixed. People may change the ways they identify themselves over time or they may identify themselves differently in different environments. Many aspects of an individual's circumstances affect how they identify their ethnicities and this may differ markedly from how a third party might identify them. New Zealand, 2010.

This study explored the experiences of citizen governance through the testimonies of 50 women.  The participants were drawn from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) backgrounds in the Wolverhampton and Birmingham areas who were actively engaged in civic involvement.  In addition 60 participants were drawn from three disadvantaged and three affluent Birmingham wards based on the demographics of the area. The study explored the reasons for civic engagement, and the obstacles faced.  This report hi-lights areas of concern such as discrimination, a lack of skilled leadership necessary for effective engagement and makes suggestions for strengthening engagement structures. S Rai, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, United Kingdom, 2008.

This document, published by ChangeMakers Refugee Forum in conjunction with government and non-government agencies, outlines ways government agencies can successfully engage with refugee-background communities. It sets out guidelines for effective collaboration and its principles are based on principles used by the Change Makers Refugee Forum and principles proposed by Community Economic Development Action Research (CEDAR). It covers meaningful participation, partnerships, planning together, information sharing, feedback, and monitoring and evaluating the ‘engagement’ throughout the process.  Change Makers Refugee Forum, Wellington, New Zealand, 2008.

These Ministry of Women's Affairs guidelines explain what gender analysis is, identifies its benefits, sets out a framework for undertaking gender analysis and includes useful resources and case studies.

The Women's Directory lists women's groups and organisations in New Zealand in four sections – government organisations, national organisations, Maori women's organisations: Ngā Rōpū Wāhine Māori, and regional organisations or branches.

This publication discusses ways of increasing youth participation in policy development, programmes, services and organisations.  There is a companion guide produced by the Ministry of Social Development called 'Involving Children: A guide to engaging children in decision-making'. Ministry of Youth Development, Wellington, New Zealand, 2003.

This is a Ministry of Youth Development initiative that is creating ways for young people to have their say and to be heard. It includes PROVOKE youth voice advocates (aged between 14 and 18) and the Activate Youth Advisory Group.

This case study describes how an endangered bird restoration programme on Matakana Island was enhanced by involving the local community, particularly its school children.

This activity kit aims to help you involve taiohi Māori (12 to 24-year-olds) in your work.

This resource was developed by the JR McKenzie Trust after people expressed the need for more information on youth-friendly funding models.

Youth Citizens Juries may be set up because a decision-making body wishes to consult young people in their community on a specific issue. The appropriateness of this method will depend on the issue being discussed, the motivations of the organisers and/or the decision-making body, the time frame and budget available, and the number of participants involved.  This guide includes a dvd and a booklet featuring sample invitation letters, agenda and evaluation forms, and New Zealand and overseas case studies. Produced by Local Government NZ, the Christchurch City Council and the University of Canterbury. New Zealand, 2009.

The Ministry of Youth Development developed this guide to build on youth participation good practice already being undertaken by councils and young people. It offers simple advice and tips on why youth participation is important, how to do it and what works, as well as examples of succesful youth involvement in local decision-making from around the country . This resource complements Local Government NZ’s cross-agency project Growing Active Citizens, which supports active citizenship and the participation of children and young people in decision-making processes. Ministry of Youth Development, New Zealand, 2008.

Hear by Right is a standards framework for organisations across the statutory and voluntary sectors to assess and improve practice and policy on the active involvement of children and young people.

This report from Save the Children was created for the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. It will be relevant to policy-makers and anyone interested in the rights of children and young people in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The report uses plain language so children and young people can read and get an idea about the research, what happened and what their peers wanted to share. This report gives the opinions of children and young people and sits alongside the previously-released report from non-governmental organisations interested in the rights of children, and the report from the Children's Commissioner. New Zealand, 2010.

This literature review was undertaken as part of the Ministries of Social Development and Youth Affairs’ Action for Child and Youth Development work programme.  It focuses in particular on increasing the participation of Maori, Pacific Island Peoples and other ethnic children/young people as well as those with disabilities.  The paper reviews national and international literature and resources. A Gray, Ministry of Social Development/Ministry of Youth Development, Wellington, New Zealand, 2002.

This is a practical guide for organisations, government agencies, community groups and individuals who want to involve children up to the age of 18 in effective decision-making.  It is a companion guide to “Keepin’ it Real”: A resource for involving young people, produced by the Ministry of Youth Development/Ministry of Social Development, Wellington, New Zealand, 2003.

This toolbox was developed for internal use by council staff undertaking consultation on behalf of the Christchurch City Council. It may also prove useful to other organisations who wish to involve children's perspectives in decision-making.

Many New Zealand local authorities have involved children and young people in local government planning and decision-making. These examples may provide ideas when you are planning a new participation exercise.

The NZAAHD website has a searchable information centre with youth sector news and resources. The Events page has professional development opportunities such as speakers or training workshops around New Zealand. If you are a researcher you can send NZAAHD your work to distribute. There is also a forum for discussions, posting news, events and notices. You can add jobs, events and notices to the NZAAHD forum yourself at any time - just create a login for the forum at: www.nzaahd.org.nz/index.php/forums/register. Log in at: www.nzaahd.org.nz/index.php/forums/login. Go to the forum page: www.nzaahd.org.nz/index.php/forums. Choose the section you want and click on "new thread".

This toolkit is a practical guide for New Zealand local authorities, from Local Government New Zealand, on how to involve children and young people up to 25 years of age in council planning and decision-making.

This is a practical guide to organising and running participatory events with children and young people. It contains details of over 40 activities that can be used to engage children and young people in decision-making. Available on interloan from the Ministry of Social Development Information Centre. Dynamix Ltd and Save the Children Fund Wales, 2002.

This website is a portal to online youth participation.  Participation Works is a consortium made up of six national children and young people's organisations. It enables organisations to effectively involve children and young people in the development, delivery and evaluation of services that affect their lives.  It has resourced grouped thematically as well as a Resources Hub that can be searched. Participation Works. United Kingdom

This toolkit for care and protection providers is about how to successfully incorporate the views of children, young people and their families in decision-making about care and protection services. This should be available on the Ministry of Social Development website shortly. Please check again soon.

The report describes and analyses an informal consultative format trialled by the London Borough of Lambeth.  It was used to encourage involvement of children and young people in the consultative process.  It uses case studies to illustrate the various techniques used and analyses their effectiveness. S Creasy, A Casey and L Waller, Involve, London, United Kingdom, 2008. 

Effective youth development is triggered when young people fully participate. This strategy principle calls for government agencies and non-government organisations to give young people opportunities to have greater control over what happens to them, through seeking their advice, participation and engagement. New Zealand, 2002.

This Business Toolkit includes ideas for ensuring your organisation’s customer service, buildings, marketing, website and communications are inclusive of people with disabilities. The tips and checklists will also be useful if you are planning meetings, consultations or other community engagement activities. New Zealand, 2011.

CCS Disability Action provides services and support for all people with disabilities. It works to ensure the rights of disabled people are acknowledged and that disabled people are included in all aspects of life.

This is a strategic framework for inclusion and participation by people with disabilities in Commonwealth Government policies, programmes and services. Find a helpful list of publications, fact sheets and training resources on working with people with disabilities from the Australian Federal Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Australia.

This Office for Disability Issues toolkit helps government policymakers to incorporate a disability perspective into their work. It includes a section on consulting and communication with the disability sector.

This organisation acts as the collective voice of people with disabilities in New Zealand.

This guide assists public sector employees to identify strengths in current engagement practices that can be built upon, and identify opportunities to engage more effectively with people with a disability. The guide acknowledges that successful engagement programmes are likely to also involve: the families and carers of people with a disability; people who work for disability organisations in a paid or voluntary capacity; public advocates; academics and others with an active interest in disability issues. State of Queensland (Department of Communities), Australia, 2007.

Produced by the NZ Federation of Vocational and Support Services Inc (VASS) and Standards & Monitoring Services, this document provides a touchstone and common frame of reference for people with disabilities, their families and service providers.  It includes 13 principles accompanied by personal outcomes for service users and service implications for service providers. Copies of this resource are available from VASS for the cost of postage.  New Zealand, March 2009.

The Office for Disability Issues (ODI) is a focal point within government on disability issues.  ODI promotes and monitors implementation of the New Zealand Disability Strategy, leads cross-sector policy development, and supports the Minister for Disability Issues. It offers a range useful publications, guides and toolkits covering topics such as effective communication with Deaf people - a guide to using NZ Sign language interpreters.

This first report includes the voice of disabled people and shows that New Zealand is relatively advanced in its implementation of the Convention. While considerable work has been achieved across all articles, there is work still to be done. New Zealand, March 2011.

This Good Engagement seminar provided an opportunity to hear about and discuss ways of creating inclusive engagement through digital story telling, accessible meetings and “easy read” information. Presenters were Karen Gillum and Lynda Millington of Interactionz, a community agency looking to bring about long term, positive and sustainable change in the lives of people and communities; and Janet Doughty and Robert Martin from People First NZ, which assists people to have their say within organisations, local communities, and government. New Zealand, 2011.

Weka is New Zealand's disability information website, for people with disabilities, their families, whānau and caregivers, health professionals and disability information providers. The Ministry of Health-funded site is maintained by Enable New Zealand and the New Zealand Federation of Disability Information Centres.

Age Concern promotes quality of life for older people and positive ageing for all people. It provides a national focus and voice for the nationwide network of Age Concern Councils. These councils provide information, advocacy and other services for older people in their areas.

Grey Power is made up of 78 federated branches nationwide, grouped into seven zones. Grey Power's focus is on lobbying for the interests of older people at national and local levels, and informing its members on matters of local and national interest.

Online Positive Ageing reporting updates progress on actions to achieve 10 goals and the government's vision of "a society where people can age positively, where older people are highly valued and where they are recognised as an integral part of families and communities". Material on the site is useful for policy and planning staff in local and central government, and in the community and voluntary sector – it can be filtered and searched by indicator or region. The Office for Senior Citizens is keen to add initiatives from community and voluntary sector agencies that work with older people. New Zealand, 2011.

Established in 1990, the Office for Senior Citizen's role is to: promote the rights and interests of older people; lead, monitor and promote the NZ Positive Ageing Strategy; provide policy advice on issues that affect older people, and lead strategic and cross-sectoral policy.

This is an online farming information service.

Information on what is happening in rural New Zealand from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

An information network for rural women.

Rural Bulletin is published by Rural Women New Zealand with support from New Zealand Lottery Board, Telecom New Zealand Ltd, FarmSafe, Rabobank, Landcorp and Meat & Wool New Zealand.

The Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector hosts a range of seminars - many of which feature New Zealand government agencies talking about their experiences working with each other and communities.  The presentations are available online.

This paper critically evaluates the literature, from both New Zealand and overseas, on collaboration across government agencies. Collaboration does not simply mean putting people together and expecting a better result. Collaboration is about structuring an arrangement for the joint provision of outputs and outcomes, and has substantial policy implications. The aim here is to provide a comprehensive overview that builds knowledge about the issues associated with collaboration as a service delivery strategy. Social Policy Journal of NZ, Ministry of Social Development, 2006.

This State Services Commission framework groups nine success factors according to three dimensions: Mandate, Systems and Behaviours. Ensuring these factors are in place over time will help agencies co-ordinate more effectively and achieve success together. Many of the principles are applicable to any co-ordinated or collaborative activity, including those with the community and voluntary sector.

Mosaics is a resource to help improve the delivery of public services to people in New Zealand by offering practical advice on how multiple government and community agencies can better work together. Produced by the Ministry of Social Development in 2003, it is essentially a toolkit for central government, local authorities, businesses and communities on the best ways of working together to achieve common goals.   You can request free printed copies of this guide by e-mailing ocvs@msd.govt.nz.

Partnering in its various forms is gaining in popularity in other countries as a means of building new infrastructure and delivering public services. There are also signs of increasing interest in this approach in New Zealand, particularly in local government. The experience of other countries suggests there is a need for clear government policy and direction if partnering is to be used to any great extent. Office of the Auditor-General, New Zealand, 2006.