In September, Healthy Families Waitākere co-hosted a social enterprise hui, the first of its kind in West Auckland. Bringing together social entrepreneurs, support agencies, public, private and government representatives, the inaugural Social Enterprise hui provided a platform to meet one another and share ideas, knowledge and experience.
Healthy Families Waitākere Lead Systems Innovator, Zaynel Sushil, says the Social Enterprise hui was a springboard for the rōpū.
“Connecting is a crucial part of running a social enterprise, enabling practitioners to discover new opportunities, alongside meeting new people for collaboration. Our social enterprise community want to create a stronger network, be financially viable and create impact across education, employment, environment and health.”
Many in the room were in the start-up phase of their enterprise and expressed feeling daunted at the idea of launching their venture, Zaynel continues.
“The mission of every social entrepreneur is to improve the lives of communities, which is why growing this sector is so important. Through this rōpū we are aiming to equip all members with support and guidance to help them successfully bring their social enterprise to life.”
The rōpū unpacked current social enterprise practices, what success looks like and changes which could rapidly progress social enterprise ventures in West Auckland. Since the initial hui, a Facebook Group has been established to continue conversations and extend the kōrero beyond the hui.
A staunch advocate for community collaboration, Sport Waitākere CEO, Lynette Adams, supports the rōpū venture.
“A lot can be said about the team behind Social Enterprise West. The success of this event goes to show what is possible when likeminded organisations collaborate.”
Social Enterprise West are currently synthesising the insights gathered at the hui, with the intention of using the findings to inform the direction of the upcoming hui planned for November this year.
