Join us for Belonging Conversations in 2025

We are on the road again, and want to hear about your experiences of belonging in Aotearoa.

2025 marks our third round of Belonging Conversations – an annual series of facilitated round-table conversations led by Tāhono to explore shifts in people’s sense of belonging and inclusion across Aotearoa, New Zealand. These conversations provide a platform for communities to share their lived experiences and aspirations through focusing on three simple questions:

1. When do you feel like you belong in Aotearoa, New Zealand?
2. What stops you from feeling like you belong?
3. What needs to change for you to feel like you belong?

What is it for?

Across a diverse spread of groups and regions across the country, lending an ear and providing a safe platform for people to share their challenges and opportunities. We reach out to communities far and wide, ensuring everyone’s voice is heard and contributing to a more inclusive Aotearoa. 

Through this project, we gather qualitative insights contributing to a growing longitudinal database, platforming stories, barriers, and aspirations for belonging in Aotearoa. The stories are all kept entirely anonymous, ensuring participants can share their stories knowing that their mana is upheld and respected. The stories from the 2025 road trip will be collated alongside the 2022 data, which will be shared as a report for communities. We will also engage with institutions to communicate where there are shortfalls around discrimination and well-being and highlight whose voices are going unheard.

Alongside the research component of this project, we find that Belonging Conversations is a profound yet simple way to get to know your neighbours, challenge biases, and better understand the experiences of those around us.