The Social Investment fund, announced by the government last week via Nicola Willis, is an exciting milestone for Social Value Aotearoa to see the influence of the network and the shift in thinking for long term and holistic approaches to some of the most pressing challenges for whānau in Aotearoa today.
SVA has been connecting New Zealanders to the world of Social Value for a decade now. Growing the international movement through our network and developing a uniquely Aotearoa context for those who are looking to deepen the impact of the work they do as whānau future makers.
Social Value Aotearoa Director, Jo Nicholson said: “There has been a capacity gap in Aotearoa and that affects how people can show up to this space and see themselves within it.” It is uplifting to see the Social Investment Fund dialling into this movement and to hear the conversation flowing from the international social value movement, where accounting for real world value leads to investing in impact and supporting whānau before it gets to crisis level – we know that ends up costing us more in the long run anyway.
The biggest barrier to breaking free from these social and economic disparities is that the mainstream approach to service delivery thus far has been siloed and inconsistent. This has resulted in billions of dollars being spent without actually knowing what’s working and how to create enduring change in people’s lives. Our work in changing the way Aotearoa accounts for value has been championing this kind of long-term thinking by supporting the good work being done here in Aotearoa to get backed by data.
When talking about investing in futures where whānau are thriving there is no one size fits all solution and this is something the world has looked to SVA for thought leadership on. We’ve been able to share the creative ways our members embed the principles into the work they do and how that manifests in their delivery. It’s that uniquely kiwi approach meeting whānau where they are at and understand what different factors are at play – to get clear on that measurement journey from the get-go.
Because change happens slowly and is often imperceptible until one day you look around and notice everything is different. Being able to capture and articulate that story, growing the impact and seeing tangible positive outcomes for whānau is what gets us going. It means we can steer the waka we are all on in the right direction. It’s good to see the government stepping into the light and looking at the future with a long-term lens. Times change and we need to change with it. This is how we break free together from the costly causes of inequality.