Whakamanawa 2025
- Maddie Barrett
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
Diary of a CE: Day 1 at Whakamanawa - the National Social Services Conference
Skylight's CE, Kathryn Ross, attended the Whakamanawa Conference in Rotorua last week. Run by Social Service Providers Aotearoa,
"Whakamanawa is a conference that inspires, encourages, and connects us, bringing kotahitanga across the social sector. It’s about uniting our collective knowledge, skills, and passion so we can all return to our communities and hapori refreshed, ready to continue making a real difference."
Here's the scoop on Day 1:
The mihi whakatau was moving and a beautiful welcome to Rotorua. The house was packed! So glad to see how many attendees!
Inspiring kōrero - my highlights so far...
Qiane Matata-Sipu (Te Waiohua, Waikato, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Pikiao, Cook Islands)
She certainly lived up to her billing as a powerhouse Māori-Pasifika creative, storyteller, and activist, reshaping narratives and empowering Indigenous voices.
The key takeaways for me:
The power of authentic storytelling in healing
Stories and mātauranga show us that we have the answers, the rongoā, and that people already know what to do for their families to thrive
The importance of knowing who you are and
The need to be working on changing the system – the other mahi is continuing business as usual
Measuring What Counts: Donna Provost, Andrew Coster, Angie Tangaere
A remarkable panel session explored the possibilities of social impact measurement with an emphasis on outcomes, the Social Investment Agency and funding, and free resources from Inspiring Communities (Check out Tūhono Impact - sharing social impact - CommunityNet Aotearoa). This discussion highlighted the importance of working with the strengths of the whānau and addressing their desires and requirements, as well as the necessity for a learning system.
Dr Sneha Lakhotia took us through frameworks for producing our impact stories.
It goes without saying that the Ngā Tau Mīharo o Aotearoa case study serves as a remarkable example and source of inspiration. It was encouraging to hear the reminder that the monetary figure is just one aspect of the overall picture, reinforcing earlier points made by Donna Provost and Angie Tangaere.
The bottom line? We possess sufficient data, yet we do not measure positive change effectively and often overlook essential elements like belonging and hope – but we have the capability to do so. And they have so much value.
Dr Nicole Atwool – Unpacked colonial baggage as part of a session on Exploring the Tangata Tiriti Journey. Great to get the benefit of her wisdom and expertise.
She explored the need to view 'Tangata Tiriti' as a verb – something we need to actively step into.
Social justice is at the heart of work in the social services sector, and yet some of this work has been an instrument of colonisation through the imposition of monocultural ways of intervening. But now Te Tiriti and cultural competence are embedded at multiple layers of the social services sector.
Ka rawe! I'm definitely looking forward to Day 2 (with more collaborating to come)
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