News and Some Blogs

The latest news and information from the social sector.

Learning personal resilience and volunteering

About 40 keen volunteers and potential volunteers turned out to learn about building their personal resilience and opportunities to share their skills in the community at SociaLink’s Feel Good by...

My (Pakeha) experience of navigating and experiencing co-governance

I am the General Manager of SociaLink, a peak body that aims to empower, connect and build the capability of for-purpose organisations and the overall social and community sector in the western Bay...

Volunteering – it’s good for your health

Helping others by volunteering is good for strengthening your mental health, and it could win you a grocery voucher as well as a new lease on life. SociaLink, the umbrella organisation for the...

Collaboration in action – the importance of community

By Charlotte Van Doorn (Collaborative Practice Coordinator, SociaLink) As we all know, the last two and a half years of living and working with a pandemic in our midst has been challenging in many ways.Change is never easy and when change is ongoing it takes its toll....

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Volunteer Bay of Plenty to close its doors

After 17 years of dedicated service to the volunteering sector and local communities, Volunteering Bay of Plenty will be closing as a registered non-profit charity, acting Chair Berenice Langson said. “Unfortunately, Covid has made its impact in various ways, and it...

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TECT funding boost for Community Insights

TECT funding will allow SociaLink’s Community Insights to support Western Bay of Plenty community organisations with useful data for another two years. The website, www.communityinsights.org.nz, provides Western Bay of Plenty community organisations with up-to-date...

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What is fuelling the racist backlash?

The introduction of co-governance as part of the Three Waters reform and the establishment of a new national Māori Health Authority seems to have created a noticeable racial backlash, whether it’s due to opposition to co-governance or, at its worst, expressed as...

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SociaLink meets with Minister

SociaLink Western Bay of Plenty met with the Minister of the Community and Voluntary Sector Priyancha Radhakrishnan, who was promoted to Cabinet this week.They also met with Minister of Women and Internal Affairs Jan Tinetti who is also Associate Minister of Education...

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Matariki

Are you, like us, looking forward to Aotearoa’s new Matariki holiday (on Friday 24 June)?  The stars of Matariki will reappear in the morning skies of Tauranga Moana at the end of this week, signalling the start of an important time in the traditional Māori calendar....

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Budget not enough to fix child poverty

While the Government made some good changes in last week’s Budget, it’s just not enough to make a real difference to child poverty in New Zealand, Tauranga social agencies heard this week. The Western Bay of Plenty branch of the Child Poverty Action Group, supported...

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Social agencies discuss effect of Budget on child poverty

What does the Budget mean for the local social sector, and children living in poverty in New Zealand? The Western Bay of Plenty branch of the Child Poverty Action Group supported by SociaLink are hosting a discussion on May 24 for social agencies to hear the national...

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