Our vision
Our vision is a more inclusive and just New Zealand. The purpose of all our work is to help make this vision a reality.
In our training and guides we talk about the importance of ‘selling the cake, not the recipe’. What we mean is that it’s important to talk about how people’s lives and the world will be better as a result of your work (the ‘cake’), rather than only talking about the specific policies and programmes that you are implementing or promoting to contribute to that better world (the ‘recipe’).
The Workshop’s ingredients are improved decision-making, in response to deeper public thinking that is led by impactful narratives. And our cake is a kinder, more inclusive and just New Zealand where everyone can flourish.
Our Values
We know a more inclusive New Zealand is possible because most New Zealanders agree about the things that matter most to us. New Zealanders value compassion and manaakitanga, we work together to solve our big problems, and we are innovative in our approaches to those problems.
At the Workshop, our core values are interconnectedness, equity and inclusivity, responsibility and helpfulness, and curiosity.
Interconnectedness
We value the ways that people are connected to each other and the way our world is shaped. We value the connections between our work and the work of others, and recognise that changing systems requires connection and collaboration across fields of practice. We also recognise that, in order to build support for effective systemic solutions, we need to find better ways of talking about how things are connected.
Equity and Inclusivity
We value inclusion and equity in the world we are working to create, and the way we work together to get there. Inclusion and equity must extend to the people who are considered experts and whose evidence is heard. We recognise that this requires acknowledging power dynamics, and sharing and shifting power.
Responsibility and Helpfulness
We take responsibility for ensuring that our own learning and practice is disciplined and rigorous, in order to ensure that what we do is helpful. This includes holding to principles around good research and effective communications, and a commitment to testing our assumptions and theories.
Curiosity
We value curiosity because it keeps us learning, which is how we can best be helpful. It also protects us from assumptions. We constantly ask what works (and what doesn’t) and why. We ask lots of questions, keep looking for new evidence, and stay open to being surprised by what that evidence tells us.