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Is the economy based on science?

Arguably, everything we do is grounded in science. We exist on a planet because of the conditions it provides for us for life. Therefore, anything within our closed system is an arrangement of those conditions. The economies we participate in are no exception. But are they science? Not exactly, while they rely on physics, our economies and the way we operate within them are based on ideas and philosophies.This distinction becomes vital in the argument between economic growth or investing in envi...

A Day in the Life: Connecting With MSD Te Puke

This blog has been written by Jessie, our Referral Hub Co‑ordinator. Jessie is often the first point of contact for whānau seeking a free home assessment, and she’s regularly out in the community building relationships - making sure people know about our service, and ensuring we stay connected to the wider network of wrap‑around support available....

Celebration, reflection and invigoration of the Healthy Homes Initiative

This blog is written by Caitlin at Sustainability Options (I manage our comms, referrals, and do some in-house research). For context, two weeks ago, a team of us from Sustainability Options (SO) went to a regional conference for the Healthy Homes Initiative (HHI). The conference involved 5 providers of the HHI service, from across our region, getting together for two days to learn from one another. I've written this blog to capture 'two days in the life of SO'. I hope you enjoy my perspective!I...

Whānau Care Café Week

This mahi is a journey, it always has been. And that means we continue to check in to ensure we are providing the support we said we would. The best way to do that? Just ask!We make follow-up calls to check in with the whānau as our journey nears its end. We want to reinforce that we care about their whare and their progress. This isn’t a transactional service. We want to ensure they are living in a warmer, drier, healthier home. The follow-up starts with a general check-in, but can be about ...

A Connected Community: My Experience at the Murupara Hauora Day

Murupara is a community we do lots of mahi in. I once heard a colleague say, “I thought we had visited every home [in Murupara] by now, but new referrals keep coming in.” Through our regular visits, we have developed strong relationships with the community and the local hauora, Te Ika Whenua Hauora.Te Ika Whenua Hauora host incredible Hauora Day’s to connect Murupara residents with support services available to them. We have been invited to many of these Day’s and really value them to co...

Heaters Warming Hearts

The nature of our mahi means our assessors have no idea what situation they are walking into at each visit. Each whānau is at a different stage in their journey, at a different level of openness to our support, and a different preconceived idea of what we can do for them. This can be a really challenging position to start an educational kōrero from.Sometimes we enter a home where the whānau member who booked the visit, isn’t there. The assessment starts from square one with a person who may...