PinnedWe Need to Talk about CollapseI read this post by Umair Haque on the weekend, who’s been writing on the topic of collapse for a while now. Obviously what he’s saying is pretty alarming so I went in search of a slightly more scholarly analysis of the situation, and I found a good one here. …Collapse5 min readCollapse5 min read
PinnedFive Strategic Insights from Manawatahi Participatory City PilotBack in September I told the story of the Manawatahi Participatory City Pilot at Onehunga Oranga Community Hub thus far, what we have been developing and what we have been learning. Recently we completed a six month strategic learning report for July-December 2023, with some insights that I wanted to…Social Innovation4 min readSocial Innovation4 min read
PinnedManawatahi: A Participatory City JourneyI thought it was about time to write something down about the work I am doing with the amazing team at Onehunga Oranga Hub on Manawatahi, which is what we are calling the Participatory City Approach in Tāmaki Makaurau(Auckland). The name was created for us by the very talented Morehu…Social Innovation5 min readSocial Innovation5 min read
Sep 21Collapse is NaturalI have been holding a koan for a while which goes like this: it seems as though evolution is natural. Homo Sapiens and the complex intelligence they represent were meant to evolve out of our ecosystems that have grown in complexity since the beginning of life emerged as single cell…Zen2 min readZen2 min read
Aug 29Zen and the Art of Social InnovationHi my name is Hamish and I’m a recovering visionaholic. My substance of choice is shiny visions of the future which are really hard to bring into current reality. The come down is trying to implement them and constantly getting disappointed with current reality when success is too partial for…Zen2 min readZen2 min read
Aug 23The Challenge of being an Emotionally Sensitive and Intense Social InnovatorI want to write this article as a way of reflecting, for my own benefit, and a way of sharing, to let others who are similar know of my experience, maybe connect with it, relate to it, know that they aren’t alone. I have been growing up as an innovator…Social Innovation4 min readSocial Innovation4 min read
Jul 17If I were GaiaI wouldn’t worry about subject object distinctions. My consciousness would be very holistic and kind of autonomic. It’d just be in a form that you can’t really understand. I don’t (need to) understand it either, not exactly. But if I were to notice some distinctions, I’d observe how you humans…Earth2 min readEarth2 min read
May 9Cultivating Warm RelationalityYesterday I was really tired. I recently started coaching my son's soccer team, it’s the third season I’ve done it, its extremely rewarding but it does take some energy, especially when a new team is forming for a new season, kids are coming back to the game, and I’m coming…Mindfulness3 min readMindfulness3 min read
May 7Deeper than Systems ChangeThe Infinite River of Human Development — My heart is not really that open. I expect a lot, demand a lot, and don’t really give that much. I tend to think of myself first. But I am working on it. I am learning to create peace within myself, and with others, and I’m learning to give. I’m…Systems Change2 min readSystems Change2 min read
Apr 18Moved to StillnessWhen the Buddha started to move in the world after enlightenment, at first he thought it would be impossible to share his insight. Chinese hermits for thousands of years have been oscillating between life in seclusion seeking enligtenment in the mountains, and life helping to alleviate suffering in the midst…Zen2 min readZen2 min read
