Spotlight not footlight
Worth, value and A Sound Investment
The For-Purpose sector has never been short on mahi. What we have been short on is visibility — not just in the eyes of government or clinical services, but sometimes even to one another.
That’s why the, A Sound Investment Report, matters. It’s not a defence. It’s not an argument against cuts. It’s a long overdue revelation that our sector can be very pleased with.
For years, our sector has led the way in innovation and quietly carried the weight of some of the most complex, life-altering support work in Aotearoa. We do deeply human, impactful work but in a system that is constantly restructuring, increasingly hospital-centric and target-driven, we can be overlooked. Our true worth and value can be hidden. Sometimes, even to ourselves.
So, we decided it was time to take charge of our own story. As Chair of Platform, and in my role working alongside the the Navigate groups and wider sector , I see the breadth and depth of what’s happening across the NGO sector.
It’s a small sample — a snapshot, really — but it paints a clear picture: our sector is making a difference. What we’re less good at is showing it in the language that decision-makers understand. The difference we make in peoples lives, their whānau and communities is what drives us. We talk about outcomes all the time, but our systems still largely measure inputs and outputs — not what actually changes for the people we support.
Anyone who doesn't fully understand our worth and value most likely hasn’t spent a day working beside our kaimahi. Our people are our biggest asset — and we owe it to them to properly invest, not just financially, but in how we demonstrate their worth. The work happens in homes, schools, communities, prisons — in spaces clinical services can’t always reach. And it happens because of a workforce driven not by profit, but by purpose.
Still, we need to be honest. Our sector isn’t perfect. We can be fragmented. We compete for contracts, then try to collaborate after the fact. We use different measures, speak in different terms, and often reinvent the wheel. If Sound Investment has shown us anything, it’s that we won’t gain traction until we adopt some common foundations.
- We need a common measure — one that doesn’t overcomplicate, but gives us a shared framework to build from.
- We need common messages — a way to tell our story with consistency and clarity, both within the sector and to those outside it.
- And we need bipartisan commitment — long-term thinking, not policy swings that destabilise our capacity to support people well.
- We need to address the pay disparity between the government sector and the community sector. People should be recognised and valued for the mahi they do and not where they work. Not addressing pay equity and pay parity for the community workforce is simply not ok. The fact that much of this workforce is now paid below the living wage is unethical
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First, for ourselves — because if we don’t back ourselves, no one else will. Then, for the people we walk alongside every day. And for our funders, partners, and policymakers, who need to see that we are not just an extension of the system — we are essential to it.
After 22 years in this work, I still believe the community sector is where some of the most talented and capable people in Aotearoa choose to be. If you want to make a real difference — to people, to systems, to the future of wellbeing in this country — understand us.
We should feel damn proud of who we are and what we do. It’s time to step out of the margins and start owning our space in the centre.
