Responses to recent flooding caused by extreme weather events and Cyclone Gabrielle have again demonstrated how, in times of crisis, it is communities who are well placed to respond to people in need when resourced to do so. However, three years on from the start of COVID-19, while the New Zealand Government may be ready to adopt ideas about community-led development, change is slow and the public policy system is not well set up to enable localised approaches.

This publication maps the critical path required for radical change in the way our public policy system works. It is a practical resource for leaders in central and local government agencies, to help them make the shifts required to create the conditions for locally-led change.

The current system was designed in a different era, with different assumptions, expectations and rules. It can no longer operate effectively in our changing context. This presents people working in government with an opportunity, to evolve the way they approach their roles and responsibilities now, in order to shape a more ethical and sustainable future.

The resulting 29 recommendations grouped under four insights are from change-makers who work at the intersection of public policy and community development. The report builds on the learning articulated in Shaping the future (2020), which shared stories of community responses to the lockdowns during COVID-19.