Healthy Families Manukau, Manurewa-Papakura is a member of a virtual team working across partner organisations on the Early Years Challenge.

The challenge aims to demonstrate the value of a strengths based and whanau centric approach to improving early years outcomes by applying co-design principles.

The team is being led by the Auckland Co-Design lab and The Southern Initiative (TSI) Auckland Council and brings together key organisations in the early years space.

The challenge benefits from Healthy Families Manukau, Manurewa-Papakura’s approach to co-design which is underpinned by Maori and Pacific values, beliefs and holistic frameworks of health and wellbeing.

Tammy Potini from Healthy Families Manukau, Manurewa-Papakura can see how her strengths can complement the strengths of others. “Te Ao Maori and my strong connections to local communities are significant to this work”, she says.

“We’re moving into prototyping possible solutions which are shaped and designed by whānau and their experiences”, says Tammy. “I love the kaupapa. Who better to solve local problems than local people?”