Porirua is moving - TOGETHER!

Opinion editorial written by Jodi Watene, Systems Change Lead

Across Aotearoa this year, systems changed faster than communities could keep up. Policies were rewritten, funding streams shifted, and decisions were made that will shape our social landscape for years, all while many whānau, providers, and iwi were excluded from the room. When the people most affected aren’t invited to influence the direction, the result isn’t system change, it’s system shock!

As we approach Christmas here in Porirua, a season that naturally draws our attention to whānau, connection, and what truly matters, it's essential to reflect on what's important.

Where is our energy best spent when systems change around us, but not with us?

We hold a clear vision: that Porirua is the best place to raise a whānau.
To reach that vision, we need to invest our effort where lived experience genuinely guides decisions, not where it is acknowledged and then ignored.

Far too often, whānau share their experiences with honesty and courage, only to see little real change come from it. Rangatahi contributes insight, only for decisions to remain the same. Providers participate in “engagement processes” that inform little. Iwi are asked to be a partner without authority or long-term investment.

Some systems are built to absorb lived experience without ever being required to act on it. Pouring our energy into structures designed to stay the same is not partnership, it’s maintenance!

This year in Porirua, we accelerated our progress by investing in the creation of new, community-led models.

At the Porirua Climate Assembly, rangatahi spoke and reminded us that the decisions we make today will shape whether their own children can one day swim safely at our beaches. In that moment, the room shifted; a reminder that real systems change starts when those most affected are centred in the kōrero.

We saw this through kaupapa like Manaaki Māmā, shaped by young māmā from the ground up; the Climate Assembly, where mana whenua and community shared real decision-making authority; the refreshed Porirua Community Leaders Forum (PCLF), centring relational leadership; and the Resilience to Organised Crime and Communities programme, working in innovative community-connected ways alongside whānau, providers and the system funders.

This year has brought a hopeful shift, with early signs of greater collective momentum across Porirua. Iwi, providers, schools, Pacific and migrant leaders, youth, and community groups are beginning to unite around a shared vision. It’s still early days, but when so many voices come together, you can feel the foundation for real systems change taking shape.

Looking to 2026: investing where change is real

Our next steps are grounded in the refreshed Porirua Community Leaders Forum operating model, a living movement that looks to strengthen our connections even more, drive action, and protect integrity through value-led stewardship.

As we close out the year, the message is simple:

Porirua is moving, and we’re moving together.

Let’s keep building the models that honour lived experience, strengthen whānau, and move us closer to our vision:
Porirua is the best place to raise a whānau.

As we anticipate the new year, may we pursue this kaupapa with purpose, courage, and optimism