Enterprising Communities Coordinator

Community Economic Development – West Auckland

We’re looking for someone who understands how sustainable community economic development (CED) practices can improve community wellbeing.

This multifaceted role will use all your skills and extensive experience of working in, and with, local communities.

Your experience in the CED field will enable you to effectively develop CED  projects and social enterprise initiatives within key West Auckland communities.

You will be comfortable working across sectors and engaging with multiple stakeholders, often at the same time.

With previous project management experience you’ll be able to lead projects and support communities in their own project developments.

Building collaborative working relationships is something you instinctively do, and will be able to draw on to assist you in this role.

You may have worked with monitoring and evaluation frameworks before, and perhaps undertaken some level of research.

Standing in front of a large crowd, facilitating a discussion group, speaking or delivering high level presentations doesn’t faze you.

You’re self-directed, outcomes focussed and motivated to achieve high standards; for yourself and the communities you will be working with.

If this sounds like you, we would be interested in receiving your application. 

For a copy of the job specification and application form please email: waitakere.wea@xtra.co.nz or phone: 09 837 1471. Closing date 18 November 2011.

Project Overview & Background

Enterprising Communities: DIA funded project to fund one worker full time to work across both communities. The contract is fixed term for up to 3 yrs.

The project proposes to test out multi-agency and cross sector ways of working in two communities in Waitakere: Massey and Glen Eden. The aim of the project is to develop 'enterprising communities' where local residents, community groups and organisations and local businesses can contribute to and benefit from their local economy. In this project, "Community" is defined as local residents, community groups and organisations, local businesses and enterprises, agencies and organisations delivering services locally.

A key pillar of a strong and sustainable community is a strong local economy that local residents can contribute to and benefit from. This project aims to test out approaches in two communities by strengthening community capacity – skills, knowledge, confidence, motivation and aspirations will be built upon and strengthened to ensure that the community as a whole is more resilient and able to withstand the impact of economic downturns and maximise the opportunities of economic growth in terms of what it means to that community. This includes exploring opportunities through:

- Current growth nodes like Westgate and Hobsonville and its potential impact on its direct community: Massey.

- Community groups and organisations and their potential as local service deliverers, employers and training providers. Often community anchors/enterprises can provide these kinds of opportunities to ‘marginalised’ workers where supportive pathways are needed to enable them to be become work ready and able to sustain employment. Significant steps have already been taken in Glen Eden to develop social enterprise models.

- Exploring ways of diversifying income generating opportunities: build capacity, resilience and sustainability of the community eg time banking, community gardens, farmers markets and credit unions.

WEA are the contract holder for this project providing the legal, financial and administrative framework and will be supported in the development, delivery and monitoring of the project by the wider Call to Action partnership. The Call to Action partnership is made up of central and local government organisations and community organisations. This Call to Action: Building Strong Local Economies grew from the Well Being and Collaboration Summit in June 2010, where opportunities were identified to develop a multi-agency approach to new developments like Westgate/Hobsonville to ensure local communities benefit from these opportunities; as well as exploring opportunities for building community capacity and opportunities for social enterprise.

We are currently seeking donations of:

* good quality educational toys for our childminding centre

* paper for the children to paint and write on

* veggie seedlings to plant in our veggie garden

* a mobile whiteboard

* an outdoor picnic table in good condition

or do you have skills in taking a class that you wish to share? Cooking, gardening or sewing for example?

Please contact us on Ph.837 1471 or via email