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The Southern Initiative is Auckland’s quiet achiever

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A south Auckland scheme that defies a tidy description of its far-reaching work is breaking new ground internationally with its efforts to lift the region out of deprivation writes Alexia Russell for Newsroom.

The Southern Initiative (TSI) has been quietly operating under the auspices of Auckland Council since 2012. It has taken a while to find its feet but got an injection of energy and direction in 2014 when Gael Surgenor took the reins. A recent review by The Australian Centre for Social Innovation called it "world class", saying it was "already achieving results that should be the envy of other place-based initiatives".

Now it has been given a further boost with the addition of Te Haa o Manukau - a centre for creation and innovation that caters for budding entrepreneurs. It gives them a place to base themselves with office facilities, and puts them in touch with like-minded operators. The centre is based on the CBD's GridAKL, and is backed by ATEED and Panuku.  Read the full article >