Why Policy Needs Community Voice
Opinion editorial written by Jennie Smeaton, Tumuaki Tuarua, Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira
From Consultation to Collaboration
Across Aotearoa, policymakers are searching for ways to rebuild trust and reconnect with communities. Yet too often, engagement ends up centred on the voices of those who are already confident, connected, or savvy advocates. Their contributions are valuable, but they don’t tell the whole story. The people most at risk of falling through the cracks, those for whom policy failure means the gap only widens, are often the hardest to reach.
We get it, the investment needed in time, trust, and relationships is significant. But without it, the nuance between communities is missed, and the “ultimate solution” risks being designed for the few, while ultimately failing to address the core of what’s needed for those communities most in need.
Empowering Policy with Nuance
Imagine if we empowered decision makers with the kind of evidence that truly reflects this nuance. Not just broad datasets or the voices of seasoned advocates, but insights grounded in lived experience across diverse communities.
In Porirua, we’ve been taking a community-led approach across a range of kaupapa, from Family Harm and Mental Health to Hapūtanga, Diabetes, and Cancer, by connecting directly with those with lived experience. Through our Reimagining Sessions, we create culturally grounded spaces where whānau can reflect, imagine, and co-design what better health and wellbeing could look like. Each kaupapa produces a Reimagining Report that captures whānau insights, priorities, and recommendations. These reports are available for anyone working in or with the Porirua community to use, a growing library of lived-experience evidence to guide locally relevant solutions.
Why This Matters for Policy
This work demonstrates what happens when Iwi and community leadership sit at the centre of policy design and implementation. In Porirua, this approach has shown that:
End-to-end solutions work – from identifying need, to co-designing, implementing, and evaluating together
Trusted relationships are key – “trusted faces in trusted places” create spaces where people feel safe to be honest
Breaking silos builds strength – connecting providers and whānau leads to smarter, more cohesive responses.
It’s not about adding another layer of consultation. It’s about building an ecosystem where policy development, service design, and community wisdom operate in tandem.
Practical Outcomes
The outcomes of this approach speak for themselves:
Life-changing health outcomes: Leilani, a Porirua māmā who had been on benefits for over two decades, regained her health and confidence through a community-led diabetes programme. After losing 130 kg, she’s now working, studying, and inspiring her son to dream bigger for his own future.
Rangatahi resilience: RealTalk in Schools created safe spaces for young people to discuss gang involvement, substance use, and mental health. One rangatahi said: “I was gonna kill myself and I came to a RealTalk and you saved my life.”
Culturally grounded healthcare: The Tai Ora service provides mirimiri and fofō healing alongside initiatives like Waitangirua Pharmacy’s diabetes education programme, accessible, whānau-centred care that reduces pressure on GPs while improving wellbeing.
Provider collaboration: Breaking down silos between local services has enabled providers to co-design creative, cross-sector solutions that reflect Porirua’s collective strengths.
These are not isolated stories; they’re part of a wider pattern that shows community-led action produces real change, not just for individuals, but across systems.
The Cost of Doing Nothing
If we don’t sustain these kinds of models, we risk losing more than programmes; we lose trust, momentum, and hope. Without spaces that bring whānau and providers together, communities disengage, innovation stalls, and services revert to working in isolation. That fragmentation costs more, financially, socially, and emotionally, as issues escalate and people turn to crisis services for help.
Call to Policymakers
As policymakers grapple with complex challenges, from housing and climate resilience to health inequities, they must recognise that communities already hold much of the knowledge required. What’s needed now is the courage to listen differently, invest in processes that nurture trust, and act on what is heard.
Porirua’s experience shows that iwi- and community-led approaches are not a side project; they are the pathway to lasting change. Sustained investment in models like these is not charity; it is strategy. Because when we back communities to lead, everyone benefits.