The Southern Initiative (TSI) was established through the 2012 Auckland Plan to provide a focus for work in an area covered by the four local board areas of Māngere-Ōtāhuhu, Ōtara-Papatoetoe, Manurewa and Papakura.
Map of the Southern Initiative
The purpose of TSI is to plan and deliver a long-term programme of co-ordinated investment and actions to bring about transformational social, economic and physical change in this area.
It was set up with six priorities:
TSI is responsible for kick starting, enabling and championing social and community innovation Innovation that originates from individuals or groups in local communities. in South Auckland.
It tackles complex socio-economic challenges and creates opportunities that will benefit the people of South Auckland.
It focuses on purpose-designed effective innovations that make better use of current resources and empower local people. It tests solutions lightly, quickly and affordably to understand what works and why it works before implementing them more widely.
By applying a 'think like a system, act like an entrepreneur' mind set we do not attempt to take on grand societal challenges in their entirety, instead we look to identify nimble opportunities for change within the system, seed innovations, test prototypes and support successful efforts to grow and influence other parts of the wider system. (Conway, Masters & Thorold, 2017)
Working towards the same priorities, there is now a particular focus on social innovation and entrepreneurship.
This is evident in the following streams of work:
This initiative was started in 2012 to unleash human and economic potential in an area of Auckland with high social need, yet with significant economic opportunity.
Its aim was to drastically improve the quality of life of local residents, reduce disparities between different parts of Auckland, and grow businesses and jobs in the area.
20 per cent of all Aucklanders live in TSI area. At the 2018 Census, the area was home to almost a quarter of all Auckland's children and young people, and 40 per cent of people living in south Auckland were 25 years or younger.
Three out of every five residents is from a Pasifika ethnic group, or is MāoriIndigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand. Māori incorporates mana whenua and mataawaka..
The area is part of New Zealand's largest centre of economic activity. However, as Auckland grows, so too does the risk of South Auckland not fulfilling its potential (New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, 2016).
Given the mix of a young and ageing populationThe growing proportion of the population is that aged 65 or over., coupled with the current low wage, low productivityA measure of how well an organisation uses its resources (inputs, such as labour and capital) to produce goods and services (outputs) and is typically expressed as a ratio of outputs to inputs. As such, productivity is a measure of efficiency. economy, complex social and economic challenges need to be tackled.
These challenges include:
At the same time, South Auckland's economic importance, abundance of talent and creativity and large, diverse and youthful population are strengths and assets waiting to be unlocked.
TSI recognises that a different approach is needed – one that sufficiently lifts personal and inter-generational outcomes, rather than trapping people in ongoing poverty.
Solutions lie within local communities themselves. Rather than creating more services to 'fix' South Auckland, the initiative works with whānau, local social change agents, grassroots entrepreneurs, businesses and agencies to explore, create and test radical and innovative solutions.
To create deep change, TSI has concentrated on improving people's lives in real time and making change to systems that affect population groups.
The Co-design Lab is an integral part of the project's innovation capability. It is funded by the Auckland Council and sponsored by eight central government departments.
The Lab was established to provide a neutral space to explore the use of co-designA framework where partners and stakeholders collaborate in a project. This approach can be applied to a range of areas, such as policy development, infrastructure or service design. and other innovative approaches to address complex social issues.
A key focus is to provide space for multi-agency teams to collaborate, work alongside citizens and to support and broker innovative ideas and solutions.
It also focuses on unlocking people's capability to participate in designing their future, while advocating for system-level change.
Conway, R., Masters, J. and Thorold, J. (2017) From design thinking to systems change: How to invest in innovation for social impact. The RSA Action and Research Centre: London.
New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (2016) Resilient south. A strategy for closing income gaps in South Auckland. NZIER: Wellington.
