Trust local knowledge

citizens are experts in their own lives

Abstract

I was excited. When I started working I was excited about the social impact mandate inherent in the public sector – how good! Then, as my work led me into the depths of the public sector’s limitations, I was swallowed by despair. As an advisor on the Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction I was a sponge to the pain of the country. I heard the pain in young people, solo mothers, whänau, refugees of not being heard, seen or supported. The reality of slow, siloed, under-resourced and overly risk-averse agencies was undeniable.