As part of our Light up loneliness campaign, the New Zealand Coalition to End Loneliness asked local and regional councils about their work to understand and tackle loneliness.
Successful council initiatives to combat loneliness include:
- Welcome bags with information for new residents, and a ‘Newcomers Network’ established through Neighbourhood Support (Waimakariri District Council).
- ‘Here2HelpU’ website, where individuals experiencing loneliness and other issues can be referred to professional support (Hamilton City Council).
- ‘Arts for Seniors’ programme (Manawatu District Council).
- Nelson City Council is a member of the Wellby steering group, a joint Age Concern and Volunteer Nelson initiative to increase support for lonely and isolated people within the community. Council library, Youth council, and Community Partnerships teams undergo ‘Wellby Community Signposter’ training to enable them to support this initiative.
- South Waikato District Council provides library-based classes, activities, and support for all people of all ages in smaller towns such as Tokoroa and Putāruru across their region.
Read our full report on council responses here.