Ngā Hapori Ngaruru
Onehunga | Maungarei (Mt Wellington) | 2025 - Present
Ngā Hapori Ngaruru is a community-led project in Onehunga and Maungarei (Mt Wellington), getting people more involved in the places they live through Participation Culture. You can read more about Participation Culture and how this model has been adapted for an Aotearoa context here.
The Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Local Board contracted Community Think to bring this approach to these communities, with the intention of increasing belonging and social cohesion. The strong focus on relationship-building and community agency was also considered well-suited to the higher levels of Māori and Pasifika living in these areas.
A key part of this work is the role of the Weaver — paid local people who work alongside the community to create events and activities, help people meet each other, and support community-led initiatives. Since the project began in December 2025, Weavers have worked alongside local residents to build connections and support local initiatives.
One highlight has been Maunga to Whānaunga, where a growing group walked up a different maunga each Saturday morning to learn about its whakapapa. Another is Open Table, a family-friendly space to meet and build new relationships at Te Ao Ngakau in Mount Wellington — now taken over and run by a local resident. Engagement has been growing steadily, with new people joining and community members starting to initiate activities of their own. This is what Participation Culture is all about.
Postcards and stickers popping up around Onehunga and Maungarei — small reminders that neighbourliness grows through participation.
“If you understand the story, you connect to the responsibility.”
