I came across this report while reviewing public sector reform literature:Final Report: More Effective Social Services – The Treasury (2015) It’s not new, but it’s worth revisiting. Nearly a decade on, many of the issues it identified are still with us. The report is a sobering reminder of how hard it is to shift the…

One key finding from our recent study highlights the strong link between increased funding from the Māori Community Capacity Fund (MCCF) and improved vaccination rates. Areas with higher MCCF funding showed more significant improvements in vaccination rates, demonstrating that financial support plays a vital role in achieving public health goals. The Role of Funding in…

I’m excited to hear about the new standalone Social Investment Agency. One aspect I particularly like is its focus on emergent practice. This focus extends the original idea and clarifies whatever the Social Wellbeing Agency has been doing. Emergent practice is important for four reasons. First, I know that some of you think that the…

When it comes to improving vaccination rates, it stands to reason that areas with lower starting rates will have more room for improvement. This evaluation of the Māori Community COVID-19 Fund (MCCF) confirms that logic, showing that areas with lower initial vaccination rates saw the most significant increases. The hypothesis was straightforward: areas starting with…

One of the key questions when allocating funding for public health initiatives is: how do you ensure that resources are directed where they are most needed? This evaluation of the Māori Community COVID-19 Fund (MCCF) examined whether the funding was distributed in a way that addressed areas with the greatest need, especially those with the…

The relationship between the initial and final vaccination rates is one of the key indicators of the success of any intervention programme. In this evaluation of the Māori Community COVID-19 Fund (MCCF), the hypothesis was clear: while final rates would correlate with initial rates, the strength of that correlation would be weaker than perfect, demonstrating…

Yesterday, I decided to take the advice of my whanaunga – The Most Reverend Don Tamihere – and listen to the speeches at Ratana through sympathetic, charitable and compassionate ears. And, I am glad I did. Not just because I truly believe mahia i runga i te rangimārie me te ngākau māhaki, but because what…

Today social media was full of accounts going off at the idea of social investment. Most of them have not read the literature or explored why it’s intuitively appealing. The idea of social investment has been around for a couple of decades. Like it or not it is one of those policies that will endure…