21 October 2022
Te Rourou, launches Taiohi Insights Report.
Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation, has today released its Taiohi Insights report, an annual report on the shifts in data relating to the experiences of rangatahi in Aotearoa. The report draws from 2021 data released in OHI Data Navigator earlier this year. OHI Data Navigator is a free interactive platform which draws on government and community data, with its primary data source from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) managed by Stats NZ.
The report covers how income inequality, economic policy, education, rangatahi safety and structural inequities all have a relationship to how exclusion and disadvantage manifests for rangatahi in Aotearoa. Building on the 2021 report, new data insights are provided taking a longitudinal view.
“This year’s report expands on our inaugural report released last year, with a focus on amplifying youth voices and taking a long view on the data,” says Ta’ase Vaoga, Rangatahi Insights Lead at Te Rourou.
The updated data now shows a downward or stabilising trend in levels of exclusion and disadvantage of rangatahi across Aotearoa. However, the overall number of rangatahi who are experiencing exclusion and disadvantage is still concerning.
“When we’ve looked at the long view, we can see some improvements in some data. This is really positive for rangatahi, but we cannot forget that one in five rangatahi in Aotearoa are experiencing disadvantage and exclusion. This is unacceptable and should not be tolerated,” says Vaoga.
Wellbeing, social connectedness, and aspirations for the future emerged as broad themes from rangatahi about what mattered most to them. From these three themes, each unveiled a range of kōrero and experiences which contribute in both helpful and not so helpful ways, to the realities experienced by rangatahi.
“Youth or rangatahi voice is so important. Data is great and can give us insights into the realities faced by rangatahi, but the data is strengthened by the understanding gained by talking to rangatahi. Most of the data we work with is derived from deficit-based data centred in interactions with systems which weren’t designed with rangatahi, especially Māori rangatahi, in mind. So we need to make sure that they have opportunities to be heard,” says Vaoga.
The report aims bring to the fore the lived experiences of rangatahi through both data and story, applying pressure across the sector, including government, to invest in ways which support rangatahi to thrive.
The report found one in three rangatahi living in areas with high levels of material deprivation are experiencing exclusion and disadvantage. Also, those living with high levels of material deprivation are more than twice as likely to experience exclusion and disadvantage compare with those who live in low deprivation areas.
The Taiohi Insights report shows that Māori continue to experience disproportionate rates of exclusion and disadvantage compared with non-Māori rangatahi. In 2021, 38% of rangatahi Māori experienced exclusion and disadvantage compared with 14% of Pākehā.
Te Rourou has a vision of an Aotearoa New Zealand where all young people have access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive. The Foundation’s goal is to halve the number of rangatahi experiencing exclusion and disadvantage in Aotearoa. OHI Data Navigator is one tool they are using to track those experiences over time.
Read the report here: Taiohi Insights Report 2022
For more information on OHI Data Navigator: Home – OHI Data Navigator
– ENDS –
28 September 2022
Vodafone New Zealand has announced it will be changing its name to One NZ in early 2023, following the change of ownership from Vodafone Group to new owners Infratil and Brookfield in 2019.
We will soon also change our name to Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation.
What doesn’t change is our mahi and goal to halve the number of youth facing disadvantage in New
Zealand by 2027, and we remain focused on creating a more equitable Aotearoa for rangatahi.
All funding arrangements and community partnerships that were previously made with Te Rourou,
Vodafone Aotearoa Foundation will simply transfer over to Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation. This is a
change in name only and does not impact our relationships or arrangements in any way, and we will
continue our mahi in association with our partners.
We recently celebrated the 20-year anniversary of Te Rourou, which has now invested close to $50
million in securing a better future for rangatahi. We believe this represents the biggest corporate
philanthropy in New Zealand’s history, and this commitment will continue long into the future.
Vodafone NZ has announced the launch of One Good Kiwi, New Zealand’s newest philanthropic
initiative, designed to make giving easy and fun. One Good Kiwi has been created in collaboration
with Te Rourou and allows users to choose how to distribute the $1.2 million that One NZ donates
each year via the platform to support organisations enabling positive change for rangatahi. One
Good Kiwi will also support many Te Rourou community partners.
We will share more information about our transformation to become Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation as we
get closer to the name change, but in the meantime I wanted to thank you for your continued
support of Te Rourou.
– Juliet Jones, Vodafone NZ’s Legal, Regulatory & Sustainability Director, and Chair of Te
Rourou, Vodafone Aotearoa Foundation
23 September 2022
Te Rourou is today celebrating another step towards an equitable future for rangatahi with the launch of a new fund designed by and for Māori youth in Murihiku.
Te Ōhanga Tīwhera is a fund established to support the aspirations of Māori youth throughout Southland, with eight rangatahi at the helm making the decisions on where the funds would be best distributed.
The fund is proudly supported by Te Rourou in partnership with Community Trust South, the Invercargill Licensing Trust Foundation, and Clare Foundation, who collectively believe rangatahi Māori are best placed to understand their own needs for support and cultural connection.
Te Rourou Community Catalyst Mandy Smith said giving rangatahi the power to decide the direction of the fund helped to elevate the youth voice in the community.
“[The rangatahi] thoughts and ideas are so insightful. As a rōpū they are considering how they can fund initiatives that will create systems change and better futures of rangatahi in Murihiku,” she said.
The name of the fund, Te Ōhanga Tīwhera, is a taonga gifted to the fund by the rōpū. Ōhanga is a nest where ideas are developed in a safe, nurturing space, and Tīwhera means to expand those ideas and opportunities. The eggs within the nest symbolise different streams of funding developed by the rōpū. Each funding stream prioritises opportunities for rangatahi within the takiwā to expand and grow their connections in Te Āo Māori.
The rōpū decided for the fund to be distributed into three streams of funding:
Visiting Your Pepeha – Individual Grants
Five individual grants of $2,000 available to financially support recipients to visit their pepeha. Funds can be used towards travel, accommodation, food, koha, and taking a support person for the journey.
Kapa-Piri Mai – Haka-Tata Mai Grant
A one-off establishment grant of up to $15,000 for the initial development of a new rangatahi-focused community kapa haka group.
Te Ōhanga Tīwhera – Contestable Fund
funding up to $25,000 for creative and innovative projects or initiatives that support rangatahi to connect with Te Āo Māori. This could be through the arts, sport and recreation, education/learning, hui, events or wananga.
Applicants must be available to pitch their project or initiative to the Te Ōhanga Tīwhera decision makers (a panel of rangatahi) on Sunday 30th October 2022. For more information about the fund, including criteria and how to apply, visit terourou.one.nz
About Te Rourou, Vodafone Aotearoa Foundation
Te Rourou, Vodafone Aotearoa Foundation has a goal of halving the number of young people living with exclusion and disadvantage by 2027. The Foundation works in a number of ways toward this goal including its Thriving in Murihiku project, a place-based initiative in partnership with the community to understand the aspirations and needs of rangatahi in the community. Rangatahi in Invercargill are experiencing disproportionate rates of disadvantage and exclusion compared with the rest of Aotearoa (based on data from OHI Data Navigator)
Poipoia te kākano kia puawai
Nurture the seed and it will blossom
How could we possibly know what’s best for rangatahi Māori? How do we know where best to invest toward the future aspirations or our Māori youth? What do they want? Need? Well, it turns out the answer is easy – let rangatahi Māori decide what’s best for rangatahi Māori.
Over the past couple of months, Te Rourou’s community catalysts have been working alongside Murihiku rangatahi to develop the Te Ōhanga Tīwhera fund – a collaborative fund that is designed with, by, and for rangatahi Māori throughout the rohe.
The fund came as Te Rourou’s response to overwhelming feedback from rangatahi Māori in Murihiku who said they needed to be heard, to be better connected to their culture, and to be valued in society. So, the Foundation allocated $200,000 to the fund, and were joined by funding partners the ILT Foundation, The Clare Foundation, and Community Trust South who added a combined $75,000 to the pot.
The money was ready – the next step was for the rangatahi to decide what to do with it.
Each of the eight young participants were chosen by their respective Murihiku papatipu Rūnanga; Te Rūnaka o Awarua, Te Rūnaka o Waihopai, Oraka-Aparima Rūnaka and Hokonui Rūnanga. From there, with the help of the community catalysts, the rangatahi were upskilled in lessons of governance, from conflicts of interest to applications, and right down to the nitty-gritty of the funding process.
What started as a group of eight young (perhaps a little apprehensive) strangers, quickly blossomed into a collaboration of unique and ambitious minds, eager to have their voices heard. They all quickly learned how closely their values aligned, and from there the structure of Te Ōhanga Tīwhera fund came to life.
A connection to culture, a platform to elevate young voices, and a sense of belonging in the community were just some of the general themes that came from their lively korero. These young people took the fund and carefully crafted it into an opportunity to best impact and support their fellow rangatahi.
They collectively decided the best way to make use of the fund was to divide it into three pools of funding. To apply, there is a short form and then an opportunity to present to the panel later in October. You can find out more about the funds available here.
We already know that young people have a unique understanding of their own communities, their own challenges, and what it will take to enhance their own wellbeing. By making sure they have a seat at the table and a voice for their own futures, we can assist the next generation into success.
30 August 2022
Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu. Adorn the bird with feathers so it may soar.
Data is incredibly useful. It helps us tell stories, measure change, identify patterns and make decisions. At Te Rourou we believe OHI Data Navigator is a great example of this – a tool that provides accessible, relevant data that can shape advocacy, service provision, understanding, and outcomes for rangatahi (young people) in Aotearoa. It’s a project that we have been developing since 2018, and one we’re incredibly proud of. So, how did it come about?
Te Rourou launched in 2002 and has been focused on supporting better outcomes for young people since 2007. In 2017, we launched a bold new strategy, with the goal of halving the number of young people experiencing exclusion and disadvantage in New Zealand within 10 years. This audacious goal required us to better define exclusion and disadvantage; and to explore the question “how will we know when we get there?”.
Our goal was informed by a literature review, our own experiences, insights from community partners, and a 2016 Treasury report entitled Characteristics of Children and Young People at Risk. This report was based on information collected from a number of sectors, including education, social welfare and justice, as well as Statistics NZ surveys. Its findings and methodologies (both those we liked, and those we didn’t) underpinned and informed much of our subsequent work.
We engaged Deloitte, Nicholson Consulting, and the Centre for Social Impact to help us explore how we could use data, literature, and the voices of lived experience to understand the challenge and track changes over time. For three years, we worked together to explore different tools and frameworks before landing on a free, publicly available, data-based solution – OHI Data Navigator.
What we wanted to create was a tool that would generate impacts across the system. We wanted to democratise access to information, shape a strengths-based narrative from administrative data, influence government and philanthropic investment, and inform the development of services for young people.
In 2021, the data platform achieved MVP status (minimum viable product) – incomplete, but good enough to share. We established an independent Steering Group, published a report based on data insights, hired a project manager and launched the tool publicly at parliament. Since then, OHI Data Navigator has gone from strength to strength, developing its own strategy and identity, engaging with users and the broader community, and working to embed the principles of Māori Data Sovereignty.
We think there is so much potential in the information OHI Data Navigator offers. That’s why we’ve committed to operating as an umbrella for this work until 2027. It is our hope that, over the next few years, the tool will develop a life of its own, embed its usefulness in the sector and create significant contribution above and beyond the needs of Te Rourou. Our job has been to build the foundations of a tool. We’ve cloaked OHI Data Navigator with the resources it needs to start flying. Now it’s our job to step back to let it soar and see how it grows and serves community.
