The State of our Communities Report 2022

State of Our Communities 2022 (SOOC22) is the fifth report released by the Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit (SPPU) of The Salvation Army (TSA). The background of the SOOC22 project is based on community surveys conducted in the early 1900s, when church members carried out surveys to identify various social and spiritual needs in their communities. Many of our modern social services were created as a result of these surveys. More than 150 years on, our hope remains the same—to care for people, transform lives and reform society through God, in Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit’s power. SOOC22 is a snapshot that provides a platform to record and report the stories, challenges, solutions and aspirations of local communities.

Westgate is one of the fastest developing areas in north-west Auckland. Not too long ago, it was rural land. Royal Oak is a small central Auckland suburb nestled in amongst bigger suburbs and contains many of the amenities which these bigger suburbs depend on. Petone is located on the foreshore of the Wellington Harbour and is a coastal community with ingrained heritage and history. Our final community is Blenheim, the largest urban centre in Marlborough wine country. The differences between these communities are vast—from locality to size and economy. The one message consistent for all communities was the hope for each community to be safe, supported and connected. This report does not aim to compare the four communities, rather it is written as individual reports for each location.

SOOC22 conducted face-to-face and online surveys in these communities. There were 496 participants in the public surveys and 15 interviews with key informants across these communities. All the data was collated and analysed to show the key themes.

Read the full report, available for download below. Each of the Community Summaries is also available as a separate download.