People Make Place
Manaaki whenua, Manaaki Tangata, Haere Whakamua
If we take care of the land and take care of the people, we will take care of the future
At Creative Waikato, we know that creativity, culture and arts activity is what makes our cities, towns and neighbourhoods unique, vibrant, and special places to be and belong.
Among many other things, artists, arts programmes and activities:
- Support health and community wellbeing
- Promote thriving and active communities
- Strengthen the economic potential of towns and cities
- Provide opportunities to re-imagine identity and vision into placemaking initiatives
- Celebrate diversity and encourage social cohesion
And it is people who create, maintain and support this huge range of activity and opportunity.
Often, when we hear our leaders talk about innovation and investment, it comes with the word ‘infrastructure’. We might be used to thinking about ‘hard infrastructure’. This includes physical things like: buildings, roads, venues, parks. This is all important stuff. But–especially where public money has been used–it is essential to activate our hard infrastructure, so that communities get the most out of this investment.
It is important to invest in and support the bricks-and-mortar assets, and it is also important to invest in and support the people who bring them to life. This includes all the behind-the-scenes mahi that people put in, including communicating, promoting and connecting, creating resources like policies, strategies and records, securing funding and partnerships, and mentoring and teaching the next generations. People provide the activities, resources, activation and soul of places.
They are the people who arrive early to turn on the lights, plan workshops and activities, poster for events, sew the costumes for the annual community show, boil the kettle and make the tea. They build relationships with local communities and businesses, and draw people together. They are the reason that spaces are activated and cared for.
People are the kaimahi and kaitiaki who care for our places.
The People Make Place handbook is a guide for thinking about how we put people at the heart of decision-making. It is for arts groups, artists, advocates and supporters, and can also be helpful for government agencies, community leaders, businesses and not-for-profit organisations. It is designed to be a friendly guide to infrastructure and includes useful definitions and activities to help unpack big ideas and language, handy diagrams, next steps, fun facts, and tips and templates for evaluation.
We offer it to help build a bridge of understanding, so we can all understand and share about the importance of the people who deliver value to our favourite places.
Check out the People Make Place handbook, and pass it on to your people to use and share too. Together, we can share the message loud and clear: People Make Place. Download yours below:
Ps. Alongside the People Make Place handbook, we have developed a strategic document, the Waikato Creative Infrastructure Plan, which draws on research and community consultation to assist decision-makers and community in developing, planning and optimising infrastructure in Waikato. It’s there if you want to have a deep dive, or pass it on to your local leaders.
If you would like to chat more, please get in touch: hello@creativewaikato.co.nz