Kia ora whānau

I was pleased to see this week an announcement about the establishment of a $36 million fund to encourage locally-led solutions to help communities rebuild and recover from COVID-19.

Initiatives that could benefit from the Community Capability and Resilience Fund include helping people to work remotely, health and safety measures for whānau, building financial capability, and developing and implementing COVID-19 recovery plans.

Funding will be targeted towards community organisations that support Māori and Pacific communities, and culturally and language diverse populations. I’m hoping that in conjunction with other initiatives, funded by the Ministry, like the Whai Ora, Whiti Ora Fund and the $15 million psychosocial response funding will give community groups across New Zealand a much needed boost at this challenging time.

We know that communities have a wealth of knowledge, skills and resourcefulness to support one another. In fact, caring for one another is an important action in looking after our own wellbeing, so strengthening community-led responses and solutions is the right thing to do to get better outcomes for our communities.

Community groups play a key role in connecting and supporting the mental health and wellbeing of their people, so this is a fantastic opportunity to continue building on the gains we have made in response to the unique challenges of lockdown.

On the theme of connection, and how important is for building and maintaining our mental wellbeing, have a look at the stories below. Ex-All Black Sir Michael Jones talks about the importance of developing personal connections for our mental fitness. And Dr Sarb Johal, discusses social connections on Radio NZ’s popular Eating Fried Chicken in the Shower podcast.

Ngā mihi nui

Robyn