Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Local Govt | National News Video | Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Search

 

Auckland Council announces new Community Empowerment unit

Media release

29 July 2015

Auckland Council announces new Community Empowerment unit

A new community-focused unit that aims to better serve Aucklanders and its communities will be up and running from 1 October 2015.

The Community Empowerment unit will replace the Community Safety and Development Unit (CDS) which currently sits within the Community Development, Arts and Culture (CDAC) department.

Community Empowerment is being established as part of Auckland Council’s commitment to deliver the Empowered Communities Approach (ECA), as driven by the Mayor’s Proposal under the Long Term Plan (2015-2025).

“An empowered community is one where individuals, whanau and communities have the means to influence decisions, take action and make change happen in their lives and communities. This includes communities of place, interest and identity,” says CDAC General Manager, Graham Bodman.

“By working in fresh and innovative ways, the new unit will help enable and support communities to better improve their areas, energise them about coming together to shape local activities, and have more influence over things they care about and which matter uniquely to them.”

As part of the decision-making around designing and developing the new unit, CDS staff have participated in a robust feedback and consultation process. Staff and departments from across council fed back into the proposal. This feedback showed broad support for the proposed changes. Some changes were also made to the original proposal based on the high-quality feedback received.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“We were really pleased to see the overall clear support for the proposal, which included endorsement for the intent of the Empowered Communities Approach to embed responsiveness to Māori,” says Mr Bodman.

Two new positions that will focus on inclusive design and CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design) have been also been created – a Principal Specialist, Universal Access, and a fixed-term Specialist, Safety and Security Advisor. They will be located in the Auckland Design Office.

Mr Bodman adds, “We took steps to ensure the skill-set of accessibility knowledge is maintained. By creating these roles we are ensuring that council continues to receive considered, strategic advice on matters of importance to the disability community.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

About the Empowered Communities Approach (ECA)

The ECA model was signalled under the council’s Long Term Plan 2015-2025 - the Mayor’s proposal challenged Auckland Council to develop and apply a more empowered communities approach to its work.

At the local level, this means people (neighbours, organisations, businesses and individuals) are actively involved in improving their areas, and they are energised about coming together to shape local activities.

About the Community Empowerment Unit

The Community Empowerment unit will consist of two Manager Strategic Brokers and 19 Strategic Broker roles – they will have a central home base, but a key part of their role is to be ‘mobile’ and flexible so they will work in local boards’ offices or regional offices and will be visible to communities.

There will also be a Practice Hub made up of a Practice Hub Manager, two Managers for Operations, a Community Contracts Manager, and a Youth Connections Programmes Manager. Collectively, they will manage 48 staff members. A Programme Manager and Business Advisor will work across and support the management team.

The current Community Development and Safety unit will be disestablished on 30 September 2015 and replaced by the new Community Empowerment unit on 1 October 2015. A six-month transition period will be required to embed the approach across the unit and Auckland.


© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.