June Pānui
Grand challenges? We’ve got a few! In a recent talk at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University, I posed the question: 'what connects the seemingly disparate challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, inadequate housing, kai insecurity, and emerging technologies?'
One answer, of course, is that they’re symptoms of how we’ve chosen to design our economic system. Our real grand challenge, therefore, is building a good economy. One where the rules and incentives ensure the flourishing of all life.
So how do we get there? Part of our theory of change is amplifying existing solutions and strengthening connections between changemakers. That’s why we’re proud to be bringing you a range of events over the next few months, including community drinks in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, and the exciting launch of our Local Government Policy Guide — a collaborative effort of 100+ people and organisations!
Ngā manaakitanga,
Gareth, Georgie, Paul, Sally and Sophie
Wellbeing Economy in the news
Spinoff: What kind of economy produces the highest adolescent suicide rate? Ours. Georgie wrote an op-ed for The Spinoff on Unicef findings which ranked Aotearoa 32nd out of 36 wealthy countries for overall child wellbeing. In the piece she discussed how the implications of the neoliberal reforms are playing out today, stating “the truth is, our current system is working exactly as it was designed to, just not for the greater good of everyone.”
RNZ: Gareth was also interviewed by RNZ on the rankings. As he stated, the report card — published a week before Budget day — is a reflection of a system that is “valuing the wrong things … We need to look at the wider systemic causes — why are young people struggling in modern Aotearoa?”
RNZ: Gareth was on RNZ discussing the implications of Budget 2025, offering two names for the Budget. One was ‘The Robbing Paula to Pay Peter Budget’ because any “balancing of the books” will come at the expense of 180,000 hardworking women who’ll be paid less over the next few years. The other was ‘The Policrastination Budget’, where short-term wins come at the cost of long-term wellbeing.
Take action on the Regulatory Standards Bill
Make a submission on the Regulatory Standards Bill
ACT’s Regulatory Standards Bill risks the ability of future governments to regulate and make decisions for the public good. In January WEAll Aotearoa submitted against this ideological bill that has been described as a ‘backdoor Treaty Principles Bill.’
Of the 23,000 submissions to MBIE, 88 percent opposed the bill and only 0.33 percent - or 76 submissions - supported or partially supported it. Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee have now opened public submissions - please make a submission 1pm Monday 23 June.
Read our original submission and please make your own.
WEAll Aotearoa Events
17 June, 7pm: WEAll Aotearoa Bookclub. Online, Zoom.
We will be discussing Plurality: The future of collaborative technology and democracy by Audrey Tang and Eric Glen Weyl. Access the full book for free.
7 July, 12:30 Launch of ‘Policy for Public Good: A Local Government Resource Guide’. Online, Zoom.
The work local councils do affects all our lives, the lives of future generations, and papatūānuku. In the guide, we share eight big questions that local government needs to be addressing with 104 common sense policies ideas and 80 examples of leadership in Aotearoa and overseas.
24 June, 7pm: Wellbeing Economy 101. Online, Zoom.
Curious to find out more about what a Wellbeing Economy is and how to get there? Join the WEAll Aotearoa team for a free one-hour webinar.
26 June, 8pm: Global Policymakers Network - Māori Wellbeing Economies and Policy Guidance. Online, Zoom.
Join this global call Join us to learn from Māori thought leaders Chellie Spiller and Sacha McMeeking.
15 July, 5:30, We All Chat Ōtautahi, in-person at Smash Palace Christchurch.
5 August, 5:30, We All Chat Tāmaki, in-person at Galbraiths, Auckland.
13 August, 5:30, We All Chat Pōneke, in person at Minibar, Wellington.
Community Events
10 June - 22 July, online: Beautiful Economies Learning Lab for the Antipodes, UK-based trainer Inez Aponte is offering a six week embodied enquiry into the roots of our economic stories. For those seeking new perspectives on how we can live in harmony with each other & the Earth.
23 June, 3pm, Scaling Localism: A Smarter Way to Fund Social Good, in person at KPMG, Wellington, and 25 June, 3pm, Scaling Localism: A Smarter Way to Fund Social Good, in person at Forsyth Barr, Auckland. The Wellbeing Protocol spoke at our Economy for Public Good conference 2023 and is a not-for-profit, building digital infrastructure to empower community self determination.
Recommendations
Watch Melanie Nelson interview economist Geoff Bertram: What the Regulatory Standards Bill Reveals About the Future of Government. Geoff argues that rejecting the RSB is a vital first step in restoring the ability of government to serve the public good.
Listen to Dr Catherine Knight speak about her new book An Uncommon Land on the Planet, Pulse, Pacific podcast. In this episode Catherine speaks about rethinking the economy to serve both people and planet, The Commons, enclosure, private property, the enduring systems of war, colonisation, and environmental degradation, and our complicity in an economy driven by exploitation and consumption. But also, importantly, she talks about solutions: envisioning alternative futures (post-growth models) and how we can redirect public investment toward collective wellbeing.
Read the groundbreaking research project Te Ahunga atu ki ngā Ōhanga Oranga Māori Towards Māori Wellbeing Economies. The project centres whānau as catalysts for resilient, flourishing Indigenous futures. It explores how Māori families navigate work and livelihoods while nurturing a wellbeing-based economy grounded in te ao Māori.
Check out the incredible work of WEAll California in their Local Wellbeing Economy Guide. As they state: one of the most frequent questions we get is “What is a Wellbeing Economy?”. The California team answered with over 80 examples of how we can all take action to create a Wellbeing Economy in our towns and cities. The guide is an inspirational way to see all the ways our communities can shift from our current situation towards something healthier.
Read ‘Post-growth: the science of wellbeing within planetary boundaries’, a review authored by nine leading postgrowth scholars, published in The Lancet Planetary Health.
Watch Juliet Batten discuss how to cultivate a deeper connection to the land, and the different layers of system change work in this beautiful 7min anti-racism video.
Read this excellent article on Hypernormalisation: ‘If everything feels broken but strangely normal, the Soviet-era concept of hypernormalization can help’.
