2020 Vital Update - Tauranga
Whakahou Taketake Vital Update – Tauranga
Knowing our community to inform our future
‘Vital Update – Tauranga’ is a research project that focuses at the geographic communities in Tauranga: who makes them up, and what their needs, wants and aspirations are for their neighbourhoods and the wider city.
Acorn Foundation, TECT, BayTrust and Tauranga City Council undertook this research so that together we can create a better future for our residents. By identifying which areas and communities need the most help and for what reasons, we can provide the support and resources required to make a difference.
What did we find out?
The findings have reiterated some things that we already know – that people want to protect our beautiful environment and that traffic is an issue – but it has also helped us gain a deeper understanding of our demographic and geographic communities.
We now have insightful data from our harder to reach residents, including our rangatahi (youth) as well as our kaumātua (ageing population). We’ve heard from disabled people and their carers, and people experiencing homelessness. We also have a better understanding of the needs of Māori and the different ethnic communities that call Tauranga home.
The findings are broken into a main report (executive summary), 12 suburb reports and six priority group reports. Giving us the ability to use the data in different ways and commit resources to make a positive change in our city.
‘Vital Update – Tauranga’ is not a one off or a ‘make and forget’. All the partner organisations are planning on actively using the results of the research and have a desire to continue with this type of research every few years.
Kia hiwa rā! Kia hiwa rā! Kia hiwa rā i tēnei tuku!
Kia hiwa rā i tērā tuku! Kia hiwa rā! Kia hiwa rā!
E wehi ana ki te Atua
Te timatanga me te otinga o ngā mea katoa
Tēnei tonu te tangi apakura ki ngā mate
Haere i te ara takimano
Haere i te ara ka rere kore ki muri
E moe e! Haere atu ra!
Nau mai piki mai kia koutou te hunga ora
Nau mai hara mai ki Te Pou taketake e karanga nei
Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa!
Thank you for sharing your voice
Thank you to the Tauranga community for taking the time to give us your feedback, for your honesty about your experiences, as well as your aspirations for the future of our city.
We heard from all walks of life
Our focus was to hear from people with different backgrounds and experiences. This included a focus on those who are vulnerable, who deserve a voice. We received 5222 responses in total, with 4835 responses from Tauranga residents.
Main report
We found out what our residents love about living in Tauranga, what things they would change, and what want to protect. We learned about our resident’s housing and standards of living. We gained greater insight into our resident’s social wellbeing and the feeling of connectiveness. We have a better understanding their accessibility of services and facilities, technology and transport. We learned about our resident’s perception of safety and how important it is for our residents to live without fear.
Vital Update Tauranga 2020 main report https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/Portals/0/data/community/vital-update/files/vital-update-tauranga-2020.pdf
Suburb reports
Mount Maunganui, Omanu https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/Portals/0/data/community/vital-update/files/mount-maunganui-omanu.pdf
Arataki (Bayfair), Matapihi https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/Portals/0/data/community/vital-update/files/arataki-matapihi.pdf
Pāpāmoa Beach, Wairākei (Pāpāmoa East), Te Tumu https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/Portals/0/data/community/vital-update/files/papamoa-beach-wairakei-te-tumu.pdf
Kairua, Pāpāmoa Hills (Waitao) https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/Portals/0/data/community/vital-update/files/kairua-papamoa-hills.pdf
Welcome Bay, Hairini, Maungatapu https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/Portals/0/data/community/vital-update/files/welcome-bay-hairini-maungatapu.pdf
Poike, Oropi, Greerton, Ohauiti https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/Portals/0/data/community/vital-update/files/poike-oropi-greerton-ohauiti.pdf
Gate Pā (Pukehinahina), Merivale (Parkvale) https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/Portals/0/data/community/vital-update/files/gate-pa-merivale.pdf
Pyes Pā, Omanawa, Tauriko, The Lakes https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/Portals/0/data/community/vital-update/files/pyes-pa-omanawa-tauriko-the-lakes.pdf
Bethlehem https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/Portals/0/data/community/vital-update/files/bethlehem.pdf
Brookfield, Judea (Huria) https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/Portals/0/data/community/vital-update/files/brookfield-judea.pdf
Bellevue, Otūmoetai, Matua https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/Portals/0/data/community/vital-update/files/bellevue-otumoetai-matua.pdf
Tauranga South, city centre, Avenues, Sulphur Point https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/Portals/0/data/community/vital-update/files/tauranga-south-city-centre-avenues-sulphur-point.pdf
Priority group reports
As well as surveying the general population, we focused on gathering information from six priority groups. We specifically targeted these groups, because we often don’t hear the views of these community members. Without this feedback we cannot plan for a future that reflects the needs and aspirations of our whole community.
Rangatahi – Youth https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/Portals/0/data/community/vital-update/files/youth.pdf
Māori https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/Portals/0/data/community/vital-update/files/maori.pdf
Kaumātua – Ageing population https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/Portals/0/data/community/vital-update/files/ageing-population.pdf
Ngā hunga hauā – Disabled people (including carers) https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/Portals/0/data/community/vital-update/files/disabled-people.pdf
Ngā hapori mātāwaka waetapu – Ethnic communities and newcomers
https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/Portals/0/data/community/vital-update/files/ethnic-communities.pdf
Ngā tāngata noho kāinga kōrero – People experiencing homelessness https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/Portals/0/data/community/vital-update/files/people-experiencing-homelessness.pdf
Why is it called ‘Vital Update – Tauranga’?
‘Vital Update – Tauranga’ is related to the ‘Vital Signs’ research project, which is run by the Acorn Foundation. Vital Signs is a community check-up conducted by foundations around the world that measures the vitality of our communities and identifies significant trends in a range of areas critical to quality of life. Vital Signs is coordinated internationally by Community Foundations of Canada. Following on from Acorn’s first Vital Signs report in 2015, the 2018 project was expanded to cover the wider Bay of Plenty region, with separate reports prepared for all the regions.
‘Vital Update – Tauranga’ is an interim research project between the last full Vital Signs research in 2018 and the next which is planned for 2021. Vital Update – Tauranga is also focussed on the city of Tauranga instead of the whole region, to allow us to dive deeper into understanding the needs of our city’s community.
Why did Acorn, BayTrust, TECT and Tauranga City Council partner on this?
These four organisations have huge stakes in the area. Serving the community is at the heart of what we do, and our actions and decisions have an impact on all the people of Tauranga. We are all committed to improving the wellbeing of our community, so it makes sense to team up.
Working together allowed our survey to reach more people and encouraged a variety of different conversations. It enabled us to draw on each organisation’s expertise in driving community research.
Having shared data to work from will help us increase our impact as we’ll all be singing from the same song sheet. This will be a strong basis for a more coordinated approach across our organisations to formulate and deliver great community outcomes.
Who led the research analysis?
Independent local company Key Research conducted the survey and analysed the data. They prepared the reports above that will be used by the partner organisations to guide decision-making around projects and grants.
What will happen next?
Later in 2020 we begin a series of topic-based workshops on the proposed priority areas. That will enable us to explore those areas in more detail and revise the outcomes if needed. We’ll then use that insight to feed into our long-term planning for Tauranga in 2022.
Any questions?
Please reach out, we are happy to help:
Acorn Foundation: info@acornfoundation.org.nz
Tauranga City Council (Community Development team): com.dev@tauranga.govt.nz
Key Research NZ Ltd: info@keyresearch.co.nz