We’ve all been blown away by COVID-19 and how swiftly a pandemic, along with a whole bunch of new language for us to get used to (Level 4, 3, 2.5, managed isolation etc) and new ways of doing things appeared in our neighbourhoods, cities, towns, regions, the whole country, and the world.
We were asked to do things we never could have imagined but we collectively did it. We can be proud as a nation and as individuals. There have been lives tragically lost. Others have recovered. Many people have gone above and beyond and kept us safe and healthy and fed and watered, often making personal sacrifices to do so. Kia mihi fellow kiwis!
And, as we often do during an emergency, we have seen the best of people. This pandemic has bought communities together, there have been a multitude of ways people have been boosting each other’s morale and demonstrating solidarity. This pandemic has been a valuable teacher, bringing to light what it means to be community. We have been inspired by so many stories that demonstrate community as kind, generous, vibrant, and resourceful. From the ‘teddies in the windows’, to the multitude of ‘free on-line classes’, the generosity of neighbours and the willingness and power of community to take care of each other. There have been hundreds of thousands of random acts of kindness happening all across Aotearoa and the world.
Of course, we also know that there are big financial implications from all of this. Many, many people have also lost their livelihoods and are in a dire financial situation. Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr has predicted that unemployment will peak at 9% by the end of the year. In addition, many more people have been asked to take a wage reduction or work less hours. Food banks report that the need for food parcels has tripled since this time last year, and that they are seeing people they’ve never seen before. What’s more people are saying ‘we haven’t even seen begun to see the effects, the wage subsidy is still in place being described as “It’s like we’re on the shore staring at the tsunami, and it hasn’t hit us yet.” The effects on people’s health and wellbeing is enormous.
COVID-19 has exposed many of the structural inequities in our country and has highlighted many of the gaps and inadequacies of our social safety net. At the same time, the pandemic has demonstrated how our government can take bold and swift action to support the most vulnerable through meaningful investments, policies, and social supports.
The fall-out from COVID-19 is largely unknown as the virus still rages around the world – ultimately affecting us. What is becoming clearer and clearer is that the recovery is going to be long-term, let’s not kid ourselves.
So, what should we do? We are seeing wage subsidies, training packages, shop local campaigns and a raft of other support services and packages to help businesses and people get though. These are all absolutely necessary to provide support and resources to help them get back on their feet.
Those of us who have worked in the community sector spanning two centuries know that BIG issues existed in our communities pre COVID-19 and these will be exacerbated post COVID-19.
As we begin to shift from response towards long-term recovery, we find ourselves at a crossroads. Will we go back to business-as-usual or will we use this moment to develop bold and visionary solutions that lead us towards a more equitable, resilient future? The policy and budgetary decisions currently being made by our government will shape the trajectory of how we emerge from this crisis.
We need to look at new ways of working.
Imagine if we worked to focus on not just ‘fixing’ things but building a better future by honestly looking at what the situation is, what’s not working and collectively planning to do things differently so that community outcomes were better?
We need
- Courageous leadership to invest in shared thinking, planning and decision making
- A properly funded long-term commitment to make sure this work is robust and making a difference.
- A good understanding of the current situation and what is not working
- Time (and lots of it) to build strong and trusted relationships
We need to focus not just on what communities ‘needs’ are but also their strengths and assets and build on them. It’s been done elsewhere around the world successfully, one community at a time. So, if we truly want to invest in ‘community wellbeing’ and ‘social development’ let’s think wider than delivering services based on need, let’s start at the top of the cliff and build fences so that people don’t need the ambulance at the bottom.
Let’s focus our efforts on building strong cities, towns, suburbs, and Islands – let’s invest in economic and community development that builds collaboration at the local level to take meaningful action that will help communities to get through and get Aotearoa back on its feet.