Specialise in Resilient Communities for your Bachelor of Impact and Innovation at Massey
Communities face a growing range of environmental, social and economic challenges, requiring new approaches to resilience and wellbeing. You will explore how communities can adapt, thrive and sustain themselves by examining the connections between planning, public health, community development and leadership. Through an interdisciplinary approach, you will develop the capability to support inclusive, sustainable and resilient communities.
Expertise from across the university
This major draws on expertise from across the university, bringing together perspectives from planning, health, social sciences and leadership. You will learn from academics with diverse backgrounds and engage with a wide range of ideas and approaches, reflecting the complexity of building resilient communities.
Support communities in practice
You will develop practical skills in community development, leadership and policy engagement, with a focus on strengthening resilience in the face of environmental, social and economic pressures. Through your study, you will explore how governance, power dynamics and cultural engagement shape community outcomes. Case studies from Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific provide insight into real-world challenges and successful approaches to building healthy, inclusive and adaptive communities.
A Bachelor of Impact and Innovation in Resilient Communities is a good fit if you:
- want to help communities thrive in a changing world
- interested in community wellbeing, leadership and resilience
- want practical skills to support inclusive and sustainable communities.
Planning information
Planning information
If you study full-time, in your first year you’ll take eight 15-credit courses, making a total of 120 credits.
You may be able to take some courses during Summer School. Make sure you include courses that are prerequisites for the next level of courses you wish to study.
Official regulations
To understand what you need to study and must complete to graduate read the official rules and regulations for this qualification.
You should read these together with all other relevant Statutes and Regulations of the University including the General Regulations for Undergraduate Degrees, Undergraduate Diplomas, Undergraduate Certificates, Graduate Diplomas and Graduate Certificates.
Returning students
For returning students, there may be changes to the majors and minors available and the courses you need to take. Go to the section called ‘Transitional Provisions’ in the Regulations to find out more.
In some cases the qualification or specialisation you enrolled in may be no longer be taking new enrolments, so may not appear on these web pages. To find information on the regulations for these qualifications go to the Massey University Calendar.
Please contact us through the Get advice button on this page if you have any questions.
Courses you can enrol in
Courses you can enrol in
Core courses for the Bachelor of Impact and Innovation
As well as the specialisation courses listed below, this qualification has core courses that you will need to complete.
Bachelor of Impact and Innovation core courses
Resilient Communities courses
Course code: 132217 Planning Hazard and Climate-Resilient Communities 15 credits
An introduction to the role of planning in building sustainable and hazard- and climate-resilient communities that have flourishing futures in the face of disruptive change.
View full course detailsCourse code: 132310 Planning Healthy Futures Studio 15 credits
This course explores the evolving and challenging dynamics between urban planning, public health, and wellbeing for healthier futures for people, places, and the planet. It recognises the vital role that planners and the profession have in designing and delivering healthy places and relationships that connect and strengthen communities in everyday and extraordinary contexts.
View full course detailsCourse code: 150100 He Pito Whenua: A kaupapa Māori approach to relationality and place-based systems 15 credits
Grounded in kaupapa Māori principles and values this course interrogates relationality and place-based systems from an indigenous perspective. Drawing on a kaupapa Māori values framework, students explore how colonial worldviews that elevate extraction, ownership and short-term profit over reciprocity and responsibility have displaced Māori and indigenous knowledge place based systems that sustained planetary balance and health. The course advocates restoring relationality and how to be in relationship with place beginning locally and extending globally through comparative indigenous perspectives.
View full course detailsCourse code: 152336 Leadership Practice 15 credits
A critical analysis of the theory and practice of leadership relevant to public and private organisations and the development of ethical leadership and citizenship in a variety of socio-cultural contexts.
View full course detailsCourse code: 179120 Environmental Sustainability in Social and Community Work 15 credits
An introduction to issues of sustainability, climate change and the environment in social and community work.
View full course detailsCourse code: 179320 Community Development 15 credits
An examination of the fundamental theories, principles and definitions of community development. Individual, group and community action is examined with emphasis on the relationship between individual and social change.
View full course detailsCourse code: 219229 Public Policy Communication 15 credits
The course will cover the application of communication theories in the design, development, and implementation of public policies. Students will learn to engage in authentic community consultation to develop policies. They will critically examine public policies, analyse public opinion, and co-design community engagement. Attention will be given to incorporating the provisions and principles of Te Tiriti in public policy communication.
View full course detailsCourse code: 247204 Sustainable and Resilient Communities 15 credits
This course explores how communities build and maintain resilience under environmental, social, cultural, political and economic pressures. Students examine frameworks for assessing resilience and apply practical tools to identify risks, opportunities, and adaptive responses. The course also considers how power dynamics and governance structures shape community resilience. Case studies from Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific illustrate real-world challenges and successes.
View full course detailsEntry requirements
Entry requirements
Admission to Massey
All students must meet university entrance requirements to be admitted to the University.
Specific requirements
There are no specific entry requirements for the Bachelor of Impact and Innovation (Resilient Communities), outside of university admission regulations.
English language requirements
To study this qualification you must meet Massey University's English language standards.
English language skills
If you need help with your English language skills before you start university, see our English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses.
Fees and scholarships
Fees and scholarships
Course fees
You can view fees for the courses that make up your qualification on the course details pages.
Student loans (StudyLink) and Fees Free scheme
You may be eligible for a student loan to help towards paying your fees.
The New Zealand Government offers fees-free tertiary study for eligible domestic students. Find out more about the scheme, including how much could be covered and your eligibility on the Inland Revenue website.
Scholarships and awards
Search our scholarships and awardsCareers and job opportunities
Careers and job opportunities
Graduates could move into careers such as:
- Community development and engagement roles
- Policy and planning roles related to community and wellbeing
- Community resilience and sustainability initiatives
- Leadership and coordination roles within community organisations.
Or create an entirely new pathway of your own.
Many of tomorrow’s careers don’t exist yet. The Bachelor of Impact and Innovation is designed to prepare students not just for a job, but for a future where adaptability, creativity and collaboration will matter more than ever.
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