MCGUINNESS INSTITUTE MEDIA RELEASE – 4 August 2016
Less than three weeks to go until the TacklingPovertyNZ workshop in Rotorua – Friday, 19 August 2016
The McGuinness Institute’s TacklingPovertyNZ workshop is on tour. We are heading to Rotorua on Friday, 19 August 2016. This one-day workshop tour was sparked by the national TacklingPovertyNZ workshop held in December 2015, an initiative of the McGuinness Institute in collaboration with the New Zealand Treasury.
On the morning of Friday, 19 August 2016, participants of the Rotorua workshop will hear from the New Zealand Treasury’s Chief Economist Dr Girol Karacaoglu, and Chair of the Data Futures Partnership Working Group Dame Diane Robertson, followed by participants from the December TacklingPovertyNZ workshop. Participants will also hear from local speakers. These presentations will provide a broad national and local context for the conversation around how to tackle poverty in New Zealand. The afternoon’s 
discussions will focus on the challenges and opportunities facing the local community, and participants will then present their proposals for local solutions at a public event in the evening.
The workshop will take place at Concert Chamber, Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre, 1170 Fenton Street, Rotorua from 9.00 to 4.15 pm. The workshop will culminate in a public presentation by the participants from 4.30 to 5.30 pm, followed by refreshments. If you are interested in attending either the workshop or the public presentation that evening, please register your interest here or at www.tacklingpovertynz.org.
About the TacklingPovertyNZ tour
2016 TacklingPovertyNZ Workshop Tour locations and dates:
- Queenstown Workshop, 29 March 2016 – Completed
- Manawatu Workshop, 15 August 2016
- Rotorua Workshop, 19 August 2016
- Gisborne Workshop, 31 August 2016
- Far North Workshops, 15 September 2016 and 16 September 2016
About the March 2016 Queenstown workshop – Testing the process
The first one-day workshop was held in Queenstown on 29 March 2016 and was hosted by the Queenstown Lakes District Council. The purpose was to test our approach to see if a useful outcome could be achieved in one day. Discussion Paper 2016/01: A Queenstown Lakes District perspective on tackling poverty is now available online. A similar discussion paper will be produced from the Rotorua workshop, and together these papers will provide an insight into the different regional perspectives on poverty in New Zealand, in order to inform national decision-making and to support local initiatives.
About the December 2015 Wellington workshop – The idea
In December 2015, the McGuinness Institute undertook a three-day workshop in collaboration with the New Zealand Treasury. The purpose was to explore ways to reduce poverty in New Zealand. To see the participants’ final presentation, or those of speakers, please watch the Institute’s YouTube TacklingPovertyNZ Playlist. To read their recommendations download their booklet (published 19 February 2016) or click here to learn more about the 2015 workshop. We have also published a video of participants presenting the workshop booklet at the New Zealand Treasury in March 2016, which you can watch here.
About the McGuinness Institute
The McGuinness Institute is a non-partisan think tank working towards a sustainable future, contributing strategic foresight through evidence-based research and policy analysis.
Links of interest:
TacklingPovertyNZ website: www.tacklingpovertynz.org
McGuinness Institute website: www.mcguinnessinstitute.org
For further information please contact:
Wendy McGuinness Rosemary Viskovic
Chief Executive Senior Policy Advisor, Strategy
McGuinness Institute Rotorua Lakes Council
+64 4 499 8888 +64 7 351 8303
021 781 200
wmcg@mcguinnessinstitute.org rosemary.viskovic@rotorualc.nz
www.mcguinnessinstitute.org www.rotorualakescouncil.nz
Please contact Wendy McGuinness for Dr Girol Karacaoglu and Dame Diane Robertson’s contact details.