Active Citizenship: Restoring the Human Thread of Society
This article is drawn from a paper by Ron Rowe, which he presented at the Volunteering New Zealand AGM on 4 November 2025.
Across Aotearoa and the world, societies are struggling with division, distrust, and disconnection. Research confirms that this erosion of social cohesion has weakened one of our most vital civic forces — Active Citizenship.
Active Citizenship is more than belonging to a community. It means taking responsibility, engaging with others, and contributing to the common good. It is built on empathy, trust, and shared purpose — qualities that sustain democracy and social wellbeing.
Volunteering: The Living Face of Active Citizenship
Volunteering is where Active Citizenship comes alive. Volunteers bring time, skills, and compassion to their communities, weaving connections — whiriate tangata — that strengthen the social fabric. They model what it means to act with empathy and responsibility, creating practical hope in unsettled times.
The relationship between volunteering and Active Citizenship is symbiotic: volunteering expresses Active Citizenship, and Active Citizenship gives volunteering its civic meaning. Together they build social capital, nurture belonging, and help societies heal.
The High-Tech, Low-Touch Challenge
Technological change has transformed how we communicate — often at the expense of human connection. As futurist John Naisbitt warned, a “high-tech” world requires “high touch” to keep us grounded in empathy and relationship. Social media can empower communities, but it also amplifies misinformation, anger, and isolation. Rebuilding trust requires rediscovering the human touch in how we engage, listen, and act.
Restoring Trust and Connection
The path forward lies in renewing our civic habits — responsibility, respect, and participation. Recent wellbeing research in New Zealand shows that community connection and empowerment have greater impact on health and happiness than healthcare alone. Investing in Active Citizenship is therefore an investment in national wellbeing.
As European social policy leader Krzysztof Pater observed, “The future will not be built by decision-makers or politicians, but by active citizens and volunteers — people who devote their free time to the benefit of society.”
Moving from Hope to Action
Rebuilding social trust and connection will take time, but the light is already shining through our volunteers — the emblematic citizens who lead through service. Their work reminds us that every act of contribution, however small, strengthens our collective resilience.
As the Māori whakatauki says:
Te ohonga ake i te moemoea, ko te puawaitanga o ngā whakairo – Dreams become reality when we take action.
To restore unsettled societies, we must do just that: act. Active Citizenship is not an ideal to discuss — it is a practice to live.