Child Rich Communities Online Kōrero: Taking a community-led systems approach to improving outcomes in the early years

Communities have the answers to many of the challenges and questions we are facing. Place-based approaches that bring decision-making and leadership closer to children, youth, and whānau in their own communities are gaining recognition worldwide as an important mechanism for achieving better and more equitable outcomes.

In this kōrero, Aimee Hadrup, Manager of Tamariki Wellbeing at The Southern Initiative will share insights from her recent Harkness Fellowship, where she engaged with a range of innovative early years-focussed place-based initiatives in the US.

Aimee will share learnings from community-led systems change efforts that are moving beyond a focus on discrete programmes and services, towards strengthening the ecosystem for early childhood development in the places where children and whānau live their lives. This session will provide an opportunity to kōrero together around what is needed in Aotearoa to support locally led systems change and ensure all tamariki get a great start in life.

AIMEE HADRUP (Pākehā)

The Southern Initiative, Auckland Council

Aimee leads the Tamariki Wellbeing team at The Southern Initiative (TSI), a place-based innovation team embedded within Auckland Council that is focussed on social and economic transformation for South Auckland. Her work at TSI is currently focussed on building the capability of the public service to support locally-led approaches, and developing mechanisms to enable whānau, hapū and communities to actively participate in transforming Aotearoa’s early years system.