The Northern Horizon -Te Pae O Te Raki
25 March 2011, North Harbour Stadium, Albany

The Northern Horizon Te Pae O Te Raki Forum was a collaboration among the North Shore Community and Social Services, Inspiring Communities, Raeburn House, community co-ordinators and the Auckland Council to celebrate community-led development in Auckland North and forge strong partnerships with the Auckland Council in planning the future.

The morning session brought together those working in, or supporting, community-led action in Auckland North.  With a focus on lessons from the field, presenters and attendees shared experiences, stories, and ideas to help strengthen communities to lead their own development.

The afternoon session, led by Auckland Council, provided an opportunity for communities to talk together about their visions and what theyd like to see included in the Auckland Plan.

Resources to download

• Megan Courtney, Inspiring Communities presentation:  What We Are Learning about CLD
• Morning Session Workshop Report
• See the Flaxroots website for links to other presentations from the day. 

In our fantastic city of 1.3 million people there are over 200 suburbs – and many more villages or neighbourhoods.  Also living in our villages are 388,000 young people aged under 20 (Census 2006) and their families.  The old African adage of ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ is more important now than ever before.

Just as each young Aucklander is special and unique, so are the neighbourhoods they live in.  Each place has its own history, identity, environment and different make up of residents, businesses, groups, services and facilities.

But how strong are our villages in Tamaki Makaurau?  Do we really have all the right ingredients in place to effectively nurture and enable the next generation of Aucklanders to reach their full potential?  What else could or should we be doing differently?

After 25 years of providing services to the community Sally Mclean has written the completion of its history Hub of a Community, The Story of Parnell Community Trust.  This has given the Trust an opportunity to reflect upon its successes and failures, the reasons for its  survival and the achievement of providing for an increasingly diverse and demanding community. The author Sally McLean came to the Trust as a volunteer researching the Trust archives. She was inspired by what she read and felt the story of Parnell Trust should be told. What has emerged is an informative case study of a New Zealand social organisation which reflects values, guiding principles and relationships which characterise so many New Zealand community organisations.

Hub of a Community tracks the history of the Trust from its early days in the 1970s in  Knox Church Buildings in Birdwood Crescent Parnell though to 2010 and its location in the historic Jubilee Building in Parnell Road and its various activities which reached 244,500 people in 2009.

Through individual memories, recollections and anecdotes combined with archival materials the story is told of how the Trust grew from an entity with a limited mandate in Parnell to its current role as a dynamic hub responding to the needs and requirements of those living in Newmarket, Parnell, Epsom, Grafton and the wider Hobson Ward.

Books are available for purchase for $25 plus $4 postage and packaging by contacting This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Trust is also open to donating copies but would appreciate a koha to at least cover postage and packaging costs.

30 Oct 2010 NZ Herald

This NZ Herald article reports on the story of Viva Waitakere, (a 'farewell' event for Waitakere City the day before it became part of the new Auckland). Its an inspiring example of a "slightly rebellious, community-driven event done in a very uncontrolled, organic way"  by a community that clearly shares a vision and a local sense of identity.

Read the full story at the NZ Herald online