Pathway Three: Community-led Commissioning

On this page you will find information on:

• About this pathway
• EOI process
• Key dates
• FAQs
• Webinar
• What is GETS?
• Engaging with communities
• About the Social Investment Fund

In mid-2026, SIA invited Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from community collectives. The purpose of the EOI process was to shortlist local groups that demonstrated strong community leadership and readiness to undertake commissioning activities within their region. Following the EOI phase, three local groups have been selected to progress to the Design and Discovery phase. Read more here.

The three local groups selected to progress are Toi Rāwhiti in Ōpōtiki, the Porirua Local Group and the West Coast Partnership.

These local groups will spend approximately six to twelve months working with SIA and partner agencies to design the community-led commissioning arrangement and develop a detailed proposal. Participation in this phase does not guarantee that any proposed community-led commissioning arrangement will proceed. Proposals will be put to Ministers in early 2027.

The Community-led Commissioning pathway is for local groups who want to take responsibility for the commissioning of social services within a given geographical area.

Commissioning refers to interrelated activities, including planning, engagement, funding, procurement, monitoring and evaluation of services delivered by non-Government organisations to individuals, families, whānau and communities who need some support to achieve their goals.

A community-led commissioning arrangement would involve the transfer of relevant social service commissioning budgets from multiple government agencies to a Community-led Commissioning Entity overseen by a local group. 

Local groups will use their local knowledge, relationships, data and evidence, and the combined budgets of multiple government agencies to increase the collective impact of local social services.

Ministers have agreed to invest in a small number of local areas for 6-12 months to support the design of a community-led commissioning arrangement and the development of a full proposal. At the end of the Discovery and Design Phase, Ministers will decide whether to accept the proposal(s) and support the implementation of the proposed Community-led Commissioning arrangement.

What is a local group?

For this opportunity, local groups are defined as local leaders who are committed to working together to design and propose a community-led commissioning arrangement for their local area. These leaders are likely to be drawn from multiple local organisations. The members of this group may change over time.

Local groups could include iwi, hapū, local trusts, philanthropy, representatives of existing commissioning agencies and non-government entities.  This is a local opportunity, intended for areas with a population size of around 10,000 to 100,000 people. 

There will be three phases for this opportunity:

1. Expression of Interest – an open EOI process open from 14 May to 12 June 2026, followed by a Wānanga Phase and the selection of up to two local areas in July 2026.
2. Discovery and Design Phase - funding and support for up to two local areas to develop a Full Proposal (August 2026 to March 2027).
3. Request for Full Proposal – for shortlisted organisations (January to March 2027).

EOI Process Phases

The timeline for the Pathway Three: Community-led Commissioning EOI process.

Please note that outcome agreements will only be awarded if a local group’s proposal can demonstrate capability and capacity to deliver a robust Community-led Commissioning arrangement.

We have compiled a set of answers to frequently asked questions about Pathway Three: Community-led Commissioning to help you understand the process.

Read FAQs on Community-led Commissioning.

If you have questions about this pathway that are not answered in the Frequently Asked Questions, please ask your question via the GETS platform and SIA will respond. This ensures that all potential applicants have access to all questions and answers.

For any other enquiries, contact us on info@sia.govt.nz.

SIA hosted a free online session on Tuesday 19 May for organisations interested in applying for Round One of the Community-led Commissioning pathway of the Social Investment Fund. View the recording below and on the Webinars page.

Joe Fowler, Social Investment Agency Deputy Chief Executive Investment and Commissioning, led a discussion about the Community-led Commissioning Expressions of Interest (EOI) process. He outlined what community-led commissioning is, who Round One is intended for, and gave information about the EOI and design partnership process, with a focus on learning, co-design and accountability. This was followed by a live Q&A session.

Government agencies use GETS as a platform to share new opportunities and buy services from different organisations. You can view SIA’s opportunities on GETS without having to sign up. However, to have full access to the details and receive email alerts, you’ll need to register prior.

For guidance on how to navigate the GETS system and how to respond to opportunities, see the Quick Guide: Responding to opportunities on GETS.

You can also access the Tender Help section on the GETS site: GETS - Government Electronic Tender Service | Tender help(external link) 

In late 2025, the Commissioning and Investment Team undertook three months of engagements with community organisations, leaders and collectives from around the country to gather insights that have informed the approach to opening Community-led Commissioning pathway.

Engagements identified consistent themes regarding the current local landscape, commissioning capability, and conditions required to enable effective community-led commissioning.

Overall, the engagements demonstrated a strong interest in, and support for, a shift toward community-led models. There is a clear preference for devolved decision-making, with governance led at a community level, supported by regional or local entities with appropriate mandate and authority.  

We are grateful to the community leaders who gave so generously of their time. And we are thankful to the iwi, community and government connectors who supported our arrangements. 

The Social Investment Fund will:

• invest early to help New Zealanders overcome a range of challenges to achieve their goals
• enable us to test and scale the social investment approach
• work in partnership with social sector organisations, iwi and other agencies.

Read more about the Social Investment Fund:

• Social Investment Fund FAQs
• Webinars
• Demonstration initiatives
• What is social investment?
• Social investment FAQs

For general enquiries, contact us on info@sia.govt.nz.