The West Coast is one of only three regions in Aotearoa New Zealand chosen by the Social Investment Agency to establish a community commissioning partnership. The partnership is built on a simple idea: the people who live in our communities are best placed to know what we need and where the opportunities are.

Rather than decisions being made at a distance, the partnership gives whānau and communities across the region a stronger voice in how government funding is used to lift wellbeing. It aims to bring organisations together around shared priorities, so that investment is better coordinated, locally led and focused on long-term outcomes.

The partnership won't deliver services directly or replace the organisations already doing good work on the Coast. Its role is to design a commissioning approach that reflects the needs and aspirations of our region.

The work begins with a discovery and design phase across Buller, Grey and Westland, involving whānau, service providers, iwi, local government and government agencies.