Catalyse

06/08/2026

04/08/2026

Why does community identity matter?

Neighbourhood connections grow through shared experiences, stories, symbols and places that help people feel they belong.

In vertical neighbourhoods, it can be difficult to grow community and a sense of connection to the wider place and people beyond a shared floor or building.

That's why we invited local residents to co-create a logo for The Common Room.

Like the village tree of old, a community-created logo and third space can become a local landmark and become key ingredients to the building of shared identity. Swipe through for the full story.

Connector

03/08/2026

Ngā mihi to those who braved a cold winter's night to celebrate the official opening of The Common Room.

This remarkable third space is emerging in a previously invisible corner of the city centre. One of the key reflections from the event is the desperate need for spaces like this, where people - especially children - are safe to come and be themselves in a non-digital way.

The photos tell the story.

Auckland City Centre Residents' Group - CCRG Auckland Urban Development Office Sugartree Lane Preschool Waitematā Local Board The Connector

02/08/2026

A heart warming story for your Sunday. Who knew hosting a knitting group would require a consent in Ōtepoti (and elsewhere?)?! But what a community response!

Knitting is not supposed to be a dangerous hobby, but it led one Dunedin woman into a rather woolly situation.

29/07/2026

How do we create the conditions for communities to shape their own futures, rather than having change done to them?

Last month, our Director, Denise Bijoux, had the privilege of speaking with students at the Marshall Institute, London School of Economics. She shared Catalyse's approach to participation, systems change, redistributing power, and our Participation Continuum tool.

For over a decade, Catalyse has developed bespoke, community-driven framework tools to drive resilience, social cohesion, and place-based change. They bridge the gap between top-down institutional frameworks and the reality of life on the ground.
connect@catalyse if you'd like to kōrero

22/07/2026

A third place is infrastructure that makes strong communities and community leadership possible.

That's what we're learning through The Common Room and the Victoria Quarter South community development programme.

Reflecting on this month’s community-led Matariki celebration, our role, as provider of a third space, was to create the conditions for locals to create something that mattered to them: a welcoming space, relationships, encouragement and practical support. The community brought everything else - their cultures, creativity, talents, food, stories and generosity.

In a neighbourhood where more than half of residents were born overseas, this first celebration of Matariki in The Common Room became an opportunity to celebrate both the traditions of Aotearoa and the New Year traditions people brought from around the world.

Locals shared stories of Ugadi and Vishu, discovering shared themes of remembrance, hope, gratitude and renewal.
And we offered the beautiful Matariki illustrations by Aho Creative as an invitation for people to add their own decorations on the reverse and the name of the person they wanted to remember. This activity is running throughout July and is being made into a hanging mobile.

Together, we blended these traditions into something that reflected all of this.The photos tell the story better than words ever could.

Thank you to everyone who contributed their time, talents and stories. Together, you created something that truly belonged to the community.
The Connector Sugartree Lane Preschool Aho Creative

14/07/2026

Because our work creates meaningful impact, we're often asked how our approach can be replicated in other places.

The truth is, there isn't a one-size-fits-all formula. Our community development and engagement approach is built on years of experience, strong principles, genuine relationships, and showing up to listen before we act.

While every place is different, we're always happy to share what we've learned along the way.

These insights are from the Dominion Road Dragons project we delivered alongside Albert-Eden Local Board, Welcoming Communities, Earth Action Trust, Sporthub Community Trust and the Dominion Road Business Association.

If you'd like to dive deeper into the project and our approach, you can read the full story on our website at www.catalyse.co.nz/ourwork/dragons-day

08/07/2026

What a difference!

As part of our Victoria Quarter community development project, we’ve been transforming an empty retail space in Sugartree Lane into The Common Room – a neighbourhood living room in an inner city area with very few shared third spaces.

One of the first challenges we discovered was the acoustics. Every sound bounced off the hard surfaces, making it echoey and difficult for people to hear one another. For a community space used by a variety of people for many different purposes including dance, play, creative arts, quiet reading, conversation and connection, the acoustics were a problem.

We worked with Jennifer Clark from Serenic, who took the time to understand how the space needed to function before designing and installing an acoustic treatment. The colours were chosen by local residents, and Jen's practical advice, clear communication and thoughtful approach made the whole process easy.

The transformation has been incredible.

The Common Room feels warmer, calmer and far more welcoming. It finally feels like the neighbourhood living room we imagined. Rather than noise overwhelming the space, it’s filled with the happy buzz of community.

Swipe to see the before and after

The Connector

30/06/2026

Was Denise Bijoux presenting one of Catalyse’s tools at The London School of Economics and Political Science - LSE on anyone’s 2026 bingo card?

It’s a perfect example of the "power of LinkedIn." After a share of our Participation Continuum tool by Dee Brooks earlier this year, Denise was invited to present to the Executive MSc in Social Business and Entrepreneurship cohort at the LSE Marshall Institute.

The class brings together 37 students from diverse country and cultural contexts, working across corporate strategy, philanthropy, and non-profit management.

Last night, via Zoom, Denise shared our approach to rethinking power in social change. Using the Participation Continuum, she challenged the class to explore the relationship between collaboration and control, and why we must shift power through genuine participation.

As Denise shared with the cohort:

"It’s not about empire building; it’s about democratising change, being effective, developing the conditions for people and places to shine and thrive, short and long term - and leaving a legacy that biodegrades any dependencies on us. We are being of service to local people and systems, and to the places they are in."

It’s exciting to see our practice-led work from Aotearoa finding resonance on the global stage. It's also a great reminder that you never know where a single post might lead!